Burn the Budget: When Traditional Tools Can’t Handle Human Complexity

In this episode of Novem Nexus: Navigating Your Financial Narrative, host Greg Wagner reimagines the role of budgeting in our lives. Rather than a rigid spreadsheet exercise, Greg frames budgeting as a tool for reflection and alignment—a way to bring your money in step with your values. He explains why so many traditional budgets fail: they’re built for an idealized, perfectly disciplined version of us that doesn’t exist.
Through personal stories and practical guidance, Greg introduces the idea of a value-based budget, one that bends with life’s unpredictability while keeping us grounded in what truly matters. By categorizing spending into essential needs, aligned values, and friction points, he offers a framework for creating a budget that resonates instead of restricts.
This episode invites listeners to rethink budgeting not as a test of willpower but as an ongoing conversation with their finances—one that can reduce regret, enhance meaning, and ultimately support a life that feels more aligned and fulfilling.

Disclosure:

Greg Wagner is an Investment Adviser Representative with Novem Group, an SEC-Registered Investment Adviser firm. All opinions expressed by Greg Wagner or any guests are solely their own and do not reflect the views of Novem Group. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute tax, investment, or other financial advice, and is not an endorsement of any securities discussed. Listeners should not rely on it for their financial decisions.