cally, ADHD symptoms arise in early

hood. According to the DSM-5, several

ptoms are required to be present before
ge of 12. Many parents report excessive
r activity during the toddler years, but
D symptoms can be hard to distinguish
the impulsivity, inattentiveness and active
vior that is typical for kids under the age of

National
Resource
Center
on ADHD
A Program of CHADD

Managing Money and ADHD: 1

Saving and Spending

H
AVING SAVINGS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO for yourself, your family, and your fu-
ture. Maybe you’ll need it to pay for an emergency, or maybe it’ll go toward the down payment on a new house,
but knowing that you have some money saved can give you real peace of mind.

If you don’t have any savings, start es you will have in a month or year. Find what works for you in creating a
small and be patient with yourself as Since most utilities (electricity, phone, budget. Here are some suggestions as
you learn this new habit. You might gas, water) and loan installments are you get started:
want to open a special bank account paid every month, you’ll probably find
just for savings—or for one partic- it most useful to construct a monthly • Make a master list of all your
ular goal, if it’s a big one—and have plan. Some people call this “spending expected expenses. Pull together
direct deposits automatically taken it before you get it,” which means that amounts from purchases you made
out of your paycheck. You might even when you get a paycheck, you already during the last 12 months. Use your
choose not to have a savings debit know how much of it you need for checkbook records as well as bank
card, to make sure you have to think your expenses, and you will be less and credit card statements.
twice before spending money from likely to spend it on a whim. • Use money management pro-
this account. First, you need to figure out how grams such as Quicken or Mint
Motivate yourself by making saving much money you need each month— to gather all this information.
money fun and visual. For instance, write that amount down so you can You may also find an Excel spread-
you could make a chart with a savings see it. A spreadsheet can be helpful in sheet helpful. (For more informa-
“thermometer” and mark it as you developing this kind of spending plan. tion on expenses, see Managing
save, or create a bar graph on your Here’s one example of information Money and ADHD: Expenses
computer and track your savings daily that might be included on your list. and Goals.)
or weekly. For short-term savings, you • Add up all the expenses from the
might try putting cash in a special past 12 months and divide by 12
Make a Budget
jar or an envelope with a photo of to get your total average monthly
whatever you are saving for glued to Use this worksheet to see how
much money you spend this
month. Then, use this month’s
expenses.
information to help you plan

the outside, just as a place to hold it

next month’s budget.
Some bills are monthly and some
come less often. If you have
every month, put it in the “Other an expense that does not occur
expenses this month” categor
until you can get it to the bank. That MONTH
YEAR
y.
Next, think about your spending plan
way, every time you put money in the My income this month
Income
or budget, and how you will stick to
envelope, you’ll be reminded of what Paychecks (salary after taxes,
Other income (after taxes) for
benefits, and check cashing fees)
example: child support
Monthly total
$ it. Here are a few suggestions:
$
you’re working toward.
Total monthly income
$ 0.00
Income

• Weekly review. Choose a day of

My expenses this month
Expenses
Monthly total
Develop a spending plan
Rent or mortgage
the week to be your regular day
HOUSING

Renter's insurance or homeow $

ner's insurance
Utilities (like electricity and gas) $

A spending plan or budget can help Internet, cable, and phones

Other housing expenses (like
property taxes)
$
$ to review your spending plan and
$
you prepare for many of the expens- Groceries and household supplies
budget. Determine which bills or
FOOD

Meals out $
Other food expenses $
$
Public transportation and taxis
TRANSPORTATION

Gas for car $

Parking and tolls $
Car maintenance (like oil changes $
)
Car insurance $
Car loan $
Other transportation expense $
s
$

help4adhd.org 1
 expenses you expect for the coming week. Then look at
the entire month to determine which expenses will need
to be paid in the coming weeks. Pay all bills due that
week. What if you need to wait for a deposit before you
have enough money to cover all the bills that are due? You
can write the checks and make a note reminding you to
mail them once the money has been deposited. If you pay
the bills online, schedule the payments for the day you
know the money will be there.
• Consider making payments electronically. Most
companies, such as utilities, car and mortgage lenders,
rental agents, and credit card companies have automatic
About ADHD
bill payment systems that can make regular withdrawals
from your bank account so you don’t even have to worry
about getting payments in on time. Be sure you have
enough money in yourEverybody
bank account to cover scheduled
can have difficulty sitting still, paying
payments. attention or controlling impulsive behavior
• Savings account. Open a savings account and make More than 75 percent of children
once in a while. For some people, however, the with ADHD continue to experience
regular deposits to cover suddenare
problems emergencies
so pervasive butand
alsopersistent
to that significant symptoms in adulthood. N PHO
TOS
save for special items or events.
they interfereCarswith
break down,
every petsof their life:
aspect In early adulthood, ADHD may be
SHUTT
ERSTOC
K/ BILLIO

and children get sick, and

home, homes need repairs
academic, social andor main-
work. associated with depression, mood
tenance—by planning ahead with your savings account, or conduct disorders and substance
you’ll be ready for them. You’ll also want to save for disorder line that shows financial abuse.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity tasks and the amount of time it
(ADHD)
non-emergencies or special is a neurodevelopmental
events that might include disorder might take to accomplish each one. You can make your
affecting
clothing, concert tickets, 11 percent
and vacations. of school-age
If you have direct children
own timeline to fit your goals
Adultsand lifestyle.
with ADHD often cope with
(Visser, et al., 2014.) Symptoms
deposit, you can have a set amount deposited into a sav- continue into to help with money
• Apps difficulties at work
management. and in
There aretheir
lots of
adulthood in more than
ings account regularly or set aside an amount from every three-quarters of personal and family lives
saving and spending apps and programs available for related
you to
cases (Brown, 2013.) ADHD is characterized by ADHD symptoms.
paycheck or once a month, depending on your situation. to use on your smartphone or computer. Many of them are
developmentally inappropriate levels of
(See Managing Money and ADHD: Expenses and Goals.) free. You might want to try out a couple and see which one
inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity.
• Financial calendar. It is helpful to have a visual reminder works best for your needs.
ADHD. TheHere are just
current a few.
name reflects the importance
of your bills. An electronic or paper calendar that lists
Individuals with ADHD can be very successful all of the inattention aspect of the disorder as well
incoming money and dates of expected payments such as as the
in life. However, without identification and Other fact sheets in this series:other characteristics of the disorder such
rent or mortgage, utilities,
properinsurance,
treatment, credit
ADHD cards,
maygrocer- as hyperactivity and impulsivity.
have serious• Managing Money and ADHD: Expenses and Goals
ies, and fuel will help keep payments including
consequences, on time. school failure, family • Managing Money and ADHD: Minding Your Debts
• Money managementstress schedule. Some people
and disruption, find it problems
depression, Symptoms
• with
Managing Money and ADHD: Money Management Schedule
helpful to organize money management
relationships, ideas into
substance a time-
abuse, delinquency, Typically, ADHD symptoms arise in early
accidental injuries and job failure. Early childhood. According to the DSM-5, several
identification and treatment are extremely symptoms are required to be present before
important. the age of 12. Many parents report excessive
motor activity during the toddler years, but
Medical science first documented children ADHD symptoms can be hard to distinguish
exhibiting inattentiveness, impulsivity and from the impulsivity, inattentiveness and active
hyperactivity in 1902. Since that time, the behavior that is typical for kids under the age of
disorder has beenFor further
given information,
numerous names, please
including minimal brain
contact dysfunction,
National Resource Center on
hyperkinetic reaction of childhood,
ADHD: A Program and
of CHADD National
attention-deficit disorder with or without Resource
hyperactivity. With 4601 thePresidents
DiagnosticDrive,
Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) classification
and Statistical
Suite 300 Center
Lanham, MD 20706-4832
system, the disorder has been renamed
on ADHD
A Program of CHADD
attention-deficit/hyperactivity 1-800-233-4050
disorder or
www.chadd.org/nrc

This fact sheet is supported by Cooperative Agreement Number NU38DD005376 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The contents are solely
help4adhd.org
the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC. Permission is granted to photocopy and freely distribute this factsheet for non- 1
commercial, educational purposes only, provided that it is reproduced in its entirety, including the CHADD and NRC names, logos and contact information.

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