Rick Kahler
| Rick Kahler | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard S. Kahler June 15, 1955 United States |
| 🏫 Education | B.S., National American University; M.S. in Personal Financial Planning, College for Financial Planning |
| 💼 Occupation |
|
| 👔 Employer | Kahler Financial Group (founder); Golden Gate University (Distinguished Adjunct Professor) |
| Known for | Co-founding the Financial Therapy Association; pioneering financial therapy as a professional field |
| 🌐 Website | kahlerfinancial |
Rick Kahler (born Richard S. Kahler) is an American certified financial planner, financial therapist, author, and educator based in Rapid City, South Dakota. He is recognized as a pioneer in the field of financial therapy and was a founding member and past president of the Financial Therapy Association (FTA). Kahler is the founder and president of Kahler Financial Group, which he established in 1981, and serves as a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University.
Kahler has been described by Financial Planning magazine as a leading voice on the intersection of childhood trauma and financial behavior,[1] and has been quoted as an expert source by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, AARP, and CNN, among others. His work co-founding Onsite's Healing Money Issues workshop was featured on ABC News' 20/20 in 2009.
Early life and education
Kahler earned a Bachelor of Science from National American University in Rapid City, South Dakota, and a Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning from the College for Financial Planning.
Career
Kahler Financial Group
Kahler founded Kahler Financial Group in Rapid City, South Dakota in 1981. In 1983, he became the first fee-only Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) in South Dakota.[2] The firm specializes in the integration of investment advising, financial planning, financial coaching, and financial therapy, serving small business owners, professionals, and retirees.
Financial therapy
Kahler is widely recognized as one of the founders of financial therapy as a professional discipline. His work in this area began in the early 2000s through collaboration with psychologists Brad Klontz and Ted Klontz. Together, the three co-founded Onsite Workshops' Healing Money Issues workshop, an experiential program combining psychological therapy techniques with financial planning. The Wall Street Journal described the workshop as "an innovative effort that combines experiential therapy with nuts-and-bolts financial planning."[3] The workshop was featured on ABC News' 20/20 in 2009 and was referenced in country music artist Wynonna Judd's memoir Coming Home to Myself (New American Library, 2005).[4]
In 2009, Kahler was among a small group of practitioners, academics, and therapists who convened what is regarded as the founding summit of financial therapy as a recognized field. This gathering led directly to the formation of the Financial Therapy Association (FTA) in 2010. Kahler served as a founding board member and later as president of the FTA.
In 2020, Kahler became one of the first practitioners in the United States to earn the Certified Financial Therapist (CFT™) designation. He subsequently became a Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Practitioner, trained by the IFS Institute, and developed a proprietary methodology applying IFS principles to financial planning, which he trademarked as Internal Financial Systems™. Kahler owns the trademark on Internal Financial Systems™, which he practices through Advanced Wellbeing, LLC.
Kahler is also the originator of the concept of "interior finance," which he introduced in a 2012 article in the Journal of Financial Planning. Interior finance refers to the micro-level exploration of individual clients' money scripts, beliefs, and emotional histories, as distinct from behavioral finance's macro-level focus on cognitive heuristics. The framework provides financial planners with tools to facilitate lasting behavioral change in clients.[5]
In 2026, Kahler was inducted into the Financial Therapy Association Hall of Fame, becoming only the fourth recipient of the award in the organization's history.
Academic work
Kahler serves as a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, where he has taught the graduate course "Facilitating Financial Health" since 2016. The course, based on a textbook he co-authored with Brad Klontz and Ted Klontz, trains financial planning professionals in the psychological dimensions of client financial behavior.
Advanced Wellbeing, LLC
In 2021, Kahler founded Advanced Wellbeing, LLC, a practice dedicated to IFS-Informed Financial Therapy, offering individual and couples financial therapy sessions integrating Internal Family Systems protocols with financial planning.
Media and public engagement
Broadcast media
Kahler has been a recurring expert guest on South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB), appearing over 60 times on In the Moment, the network's flagship daily news and culture program hosted by Lori Walsh, from 2018 through the present.[6]
Print and digital media
Kahler has been cited as an expert source in numerous national publications over more than two decades. Kiplinger's Personal Finance quoted him in a November 2025 feature on managing financial anxiety, in which he described financial stress as "a trailhead to explore" that can lead to productive self-examination.[7] AARP featured him in a February 2026 article on artificial intelligence in the workplace.[8] Financial Planning magazine featured Kahler as the primary expert source in a December 2025 article on childhood trauma and retirement savings shortfalls, in which he described detailed case studies from his clinical practice.[9]
His work has also been cited in The Jerusalem Post[10] and discussed in the Journal of Financial Therapy.[11]
Podcast
In 2021, Kahler launched The Financial Therapy Podcast: It's Not Just About the Money, of which he is producer and host. The podcast explores the psychological dimensions of financial decision-making and features interviews with leading researchers and practitioners in financial therapy and behavioral finance.
Weekly column
For over 33 years, Kahler has written a weekly column, Financial Awakenings, blending personal finance guidance with psychological insight. The column has been distributed through several South Dakota newspapers and via his website.
Bibliography
Authored and co-authored books
- Klontz, T., Kahler, R., & Klontz, B. (2007). The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge: 5 Principles to Transform Your Relationship with Money. Health Communications, Inc.
- Fox, K., & Kahler, R. (2007). Conscious Finance: Uncover Your Hidden Money Beliefs and Transform the Role of Money in Your Life. FoxCraft.
- Klontz, B., Kahler, R., & Klontz, T. (2009). Wired for Wealth: Change the Money Mindsets That Keep You Trapped and Unleash Your Wealth Potential. Health Communications, Inc.
- Kahler, R. S., Klontz, B., & Klontz, T. (2016). Facilitating Financial Health (2nd ed.). NUCO Publishing.
- Kahler, R. S., & Kaplan, D. (2023). Coupleship Inc.: From Financial Conflict to Financial Intimacy. Coupleship Publications, LLC.
Book chapters and contributions
- Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (2022). The Psychology of Financial Planning. ALM. (Contributor, Chapters 6 & 9)
- Redfern, E., & Foot, H. (Eds.). (2023). Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room. B.C. Allen Publishing and Tonic Books. (Chapter 6: IFS-Informed Financial Therapy)
- Sarpong, P. (Ed.). (2025). Financial Therapy for Men: Navigating the Intersection of Masculinity and Financial Behavior in a Modern World. Springer. (Contributor)
- Lucey, T. A. (Ed.). (2026). Holistic Financial Literacy Education: Laying the Groundwork with Equitable Instructional Strategies. Routledge. (Contributor)
Journal articles
- Kahler, R. S., & Glass, M. (2023). The New Kid on the Block: IFS Informed Financial Therapy. Journal of Financial Therapy, 14(1), 7.
- Klontz, B. T., Bivens, A., Klontz, P. T., Wada, J., & Kahler, R. S. (2008). The treatment of disordered money behaviors: Results of an open clinical trial. Psychological Services, 5(3), 295–308.
Awards and recognition
- Financial Therapy Association Hall of Fame Inductee (2026) — fourth recipient in the award's history
- Outstanding Practitioner Award, Financial Therapy Association (2023)
- Innovator Award, InvestmentNews (2019)
- Top 100 Most Influential Financial Advisors, Investopedia (2017, 2019)
- Iconoclast Award, Insiders Forum (2018)
- Rick Kahler Trailblazer Award, Utah Valley University (established 2020) — an annual award named in his honor
References
- ↑ Nicholson-Messmer, Elijah (December 5, 2025). "Childhood trauma linked to major retirement shortfalls, study finds". Financial Planning.
- ↑ "Rick Kahler, MSFP, CFP, CFT-1, CeFT, CCIM". Kahler Financial Group. Retrieved 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Zaslow, Jeffrey (2003). "Mixing Emotion With Finance". The Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Judd, Wynonna; Bale Cox, Patsi (2005). Coming Home to Myself: A Memoir. New American Library. ISBN 0451216512. Search this book on
- ↑ Kahler, R. S. (2012). "Interior finance: The micro-level exploration of individual client money scripts". Journal of Financial Planning. 25 (10).
- ↑ "South Dakota Public Broadcasting & Rick Kahler". South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
- ↑ Herron, Janna (November 4, 2025). "Tariffs, Inflation, Uncertainty, Oh My: How to Feel Less Stressed About Finances Now". Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
- ↑ Baig, Edward C. (February 27, 2026). "Should You Take High-Tech Shortcuts at Work?". AARP.
- ↑ Nicholson-Messmer, Elijah (December 5, 2025). "Childhood trauma linked to major retirement shortfalls, study finds". Financial Planning.
- ↑ Katsman, Aaron (July 25, 2025). "Your Investments: The Miserable Rich and Happy Poor". The Jerusalem Post.
- ↑ Kahler, R. (2023). "Practitioner Profile: An Interview with Rick Kahler". Journal of Financial Therapy. 14 (1): 11. doi:10.4148/1944-9771.1359.
External links
Category:American financial planners Category:American financial writers Category:Financial therapists Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:People from Rapid City, South Dakota Category:Golden Gate University faculty
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