With financial issues, short-term thinking can lead to denial; we pretend the future will take care of itself, even if we know that’s not true. People in their fifties, for example, have a hard time accepting that their high-paying careers won’t last forever and that retirement is only a decade or so away. Or, they may receive sound financial advice but then never act on it because it seems complicated or time-consuming. “We feel overwhelmed chiefly because we are fearful, and we frequently get lost in distractions to avoid facing our fear,” says DiSalvo.