Does more money make you happier? Yes – but not for the reasons you think, this money coach says

Guardian journalism is independent. We earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. After years of anxiety and burnout, finance expert Shang Saavedra says the path to financial freedom may start with your mindset Shang Saavedra was an immigrant family’s dream: She earned stellar grades and made her way to Harvard. Upon graduation she was making six figures, living frugally and investing at least $20,000 every year. She went to business school, got married, started a family – and was crushed by the pressure of it all. “My parents were constantly comparing me against a pretty impossible standard for education,” recalled Saavedra, who was born in rural China and moved to Boston when she was 10. “Those voices never stopped in my head: ‘Am I ever going to be considered successful? Am I ever going to do right by the amount of money they put into my education?’” By her late 20s, these anxieties were straining her relationships, particularly her marriage. “I would complain about how stressed I was, whether I was pleasing my bosses, whether I could be up for promotion,” she said. “I was taking so much of my life for granted.” Cultiva

Jun 17, 2026 → Jun 17, 2026