Dyslexia and executive function: why you avoid financial admin like bills and mortgage paperwork, and how to get a second reader for the reading you have always done alone.

At work, someone checks the figures before anything goes out.

At home, the mortgage renewal pack sits on the table.

Is it the 4th or the 14th? Nobody is there to ask.

Why listen: you will understand why that paperwork keeps going back in the envelope, and leave with one free way to check your reading at home.

Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, explains why dyslexic adults so often put off financial admin, from bills to mortgage renewals, and why it has far more to do with reading and executive function than with laziness. Many dyslexic professionals have built reliable reading support at work: a colleague who checks, software that reads back, formal adjustments. At home, financial paperwork is often the highest stakes reading they ever do, and nobody checks it. Esther shares what research says about dyslexia and reading numbers, how working memory comes into it, and how the same avoidance looks different with ADHD, autism, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. In her survey of 279 neurodivergent adults in the UK, 76 per cent said they procrastinate on financial admin.

Highlights

• Why avoiding financial admin with dyslexia is often a reasonable response to reading alone, rather than laziness.
• What research says about dyslexia and reading numbers, and how executive function and working memory make dense paperwork harder.
• How to use the read aloud tool already on your phone as a second reader, and what to do when the jargon still does not make sense.

Work with me

One client came to me wanting to get her financial house in order. In her first session we went through her financial documents together, and she went on to chase lost pension investments, get refunds back and set up a weekly money day she now enjoys. In my ninety minute one to one coaching session I am your second reader: we take the thing you have been circling and get it done together, so you leave with it finished rather than planned.

https://estherbangura.com/coaching

Links and resources

PocketSmith, the budgeting app I use myself and with my clients. Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG

This is an affiliate link. If you sign up through it I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I use myself and with my clients.

The ND Money Insider, my weekly newsletter https://estherbangura.com/newsletter

The Neurodivergence and Money Report, the full findings from my research with 279 neurodivergent adults in the UK https://estherbangura.com/nd-money-report

Questions, feedback or reviews https://estherbangura.com/ask

Related episodes

79 | Struggling to Face Your Debt Letters? How to Get Debt-Free as a Dyslexic Adult

64 | Dyslexia and Mortgages: Navigating Complex Financial Systems with Rosemary Ndekwu

51 | Dyslexia Money Management: Three Dyslexia-Friendly Money Solutions

Dyscalculia and savings: how to save for a holiday, a car or an emergency fund when the number never lands, by counting nights, rides and weeks instead of pounds or dollars.

You open your savings pot. You see the target. And you feel nothing at all.

It could be a lot or a little. You honestly cannot tell. So you close the app and promise yourself you will deal with it next month.

You will learn one simple way to save that takes the heaviness out of the numbers.

In this episode, Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, explains why savings goals so often fall apart for dyscalculic brains, and why it is not a lack of discipline. In her survey of 279 neurodivergent adults, about 73 per cent said shame affects how they manage money, and for many people with dyscalculia, often alongside dyslexia and ADHD, that shame began in a maths lesson long before the first bank account. She shares why planning ahead, tracking across accounts and financial apps can feel so overwhelming, then walks through a practical savings method: name the goal by the thing, give it a picture, and count nights, rides or weeks instead of pounds or dollars, with worked examples for a holiday, a car and an emergency fund.

Highlights

• Why a savings target written as a number never feels like progress for many dyscalculic brains, and where the shame really starts.
• The count the thing method: naming your savings pot, adding a photo, and counting down nights or rides instead of money.
• Why an emergency fund is the hardest goal to picture, and how counting weeks of breathing room makes it real.

Work with me

If you keep pushing your savings goal to next year and quietly wondering what is wrong with you, nothing is. You were never given a way to save that makes sense to your brain.

Ninety minute one to one coaching session. We work out the number underneath your nights, rides or weeks together and set up your first transfer while we are in the session, so you leave with your savings started rather than planned. estherbangura.com/coaching

Links and resources

PocketSmith The budgeting app I use myself and with my clients. 50% off the Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months. https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG Affiliate link, at no extra cost to you.

The ND Money Insider, my weekly newsletter estherbangura.com/newsletter

The Neurodivergence and Money Report The full findings from my research with 279 neurodivergent adults in the UK. estherbangura.com/nd-money-report

Questions, feedback or reviews estherbangura.com/ask

Related episodes

89 | Debt Payoff Strategies for Dyscalculia: When Numbers Never Feel Real!

74 | Sick of Spreadsheets That Don't Work for Dyscalculia? Try Budgeting in Words Instead

70 | How To Build £1000 Savings With A Neurodivergent Brain Using 8 Steps

ADHD and budgeting: how to build a budget or spending plan that actually holds, starting with the expense list and the preparation most budgeting advice skips, for ADHD adults and for dyslexic, dyspraxic and autistic adults who recognise the same pattern.

You downloaded the spreadsheet. You signed up to the app. And then you sat there thinking, now what?

This episode walks you through the 5 stages Esther uses to build a budget with her coaching clients, from the first expense list to following the plan.

Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, official PocketSmith coach and winner of the neurodivergent and money coaching Big Ideas award, explains why a budget and a spending plan are the same thing, and why ADHD budgeting so often falls apart: unrealistic numbers, expecting the tool to do the work, skipping the preparation, and building alone. She shares how she has used one simple budgeting system for years to build an emergency fund, save for her home and pay off debt, and why executive function makes the preparation stage the one most people skip. You will learn how to start an expense list, notice where your money really goes, build your plan around your real numbers, and make one decision at a time.

Highlights

• Why a budget and a spending plan are the same thing, and the 4 real reasons ADHD budgets fall apart

• The 2 decision blockers that leave you stuck, and why you do not need more discipline

• The 5 stages of building a budget: Prepare, Notice, Build, Decide, Follow, starting with your expense list

CTA — Take the Next Step

• Book a 90 minute one to one coaching session with Esther: estherbangura.com/coaching
• Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG

This is an affiliate link, which means Esther may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Esther is an official PocketSmith coach, listed in their coaching directory as a neurodivergent money coach.

• Read the ND Money Report: estherbangura.com/nd-money-report
• Questions, feedback and reviews: estherbangura.com/ask

Related episodes

83 | Neurodivergent Budgeting: The 7 Budgeting Categories I Use With Every Client

35 | Why Budgeting Feels Impossible for ADHD Brains and How to Fix It

47 | Executive Dysfunction + Automation | Tools That Do the Work for Your Brain

53 | What Is A ADHD, Neurodivergent & Money Coaching Session Really like

Autistic burnout and money: how to spot the signs autistic burnout is affecting your finances, your budgeting and your savings, and what to do when you are already in it.

Maybe you used to love budgeting. You built the spreadsheet, saved every payday and knew your balance to the pound, and now you cannot remember the last time you opened any of it.

This episode helps you recognise autistic burnout in your finances early, and gives you one small plan you can follow even when you feel you have nothing left.

In this episode, Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, explains what autistic burnout is and why research suggests it is different from work burnout and from depression, even though it is often misdiagnosed as depression. She shares why managing money becomes a job nobody hired you for when you are autistic and burning out, the money skills that often go first, and the quiet signs in your spending, savings and income that are easy to take for granted. You will also learn the Minimum Money Month, a simple way to protect your essential bills and let everything else wait while you recover.

Highlights

• What autistic burnout is, what the research says, and why it is so often mistaken for depression.
• The money skills that slip first and the quiet signs in your finances that look like normal life.
• The Minimum Money Month: how to write your must list, automate it, and check in for 10 minutes a week.

CTA — Take the Next Step

• 👉Book a 90 minute one to one coaching session with Esther: estherbangura.com/coaching
• 🎁PocketSmith, the budgeting app Esther uses: Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG (This is an affiliate link. If you sign up, Esther may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.)
• 🔗Read the ND Money Report: estherbangura.com/nd-money-report
• ❓Send questions, feedback and reviews: estherbangura.com/ask

Support at work

• Access to Work (UK): gov.uk/access-to-work

Free debt help

• UK: StepChange 0800 138 1111, stepchange.org
• UK: National Debtline 0808 808 4000, nationaldebtline.org
• UK: Citizens Advice, citizensadvice.org.uk
• UK: MoneyHelper 0800 011 3797, moneyhelper.org.uk
• US: National Foundation for Credit Counseling 800 388 2227, nfcc.org

If you are struggling right now

• UK and Ireland: Samaritans, call 116 123, free, any time
• US: call or text 988
• Tommys Miscarriage Support: https://www.tommys.org/baby-loss-support/miscarriage-information-and-support

Related episodes

• 81 | Burnout Proof Your Money: The Neurodivergent System That Keeps Your Bills Paid When Your Capacity Hits Zero
• 49 | Nervous System Regulation Before Budgeting: Executive Dysfunction Hack
• 65 | Autism: Why Bills Feel Unbearable (Paperwork, and Nervous System Dysregulation)
• 92 | Access to Work for ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia: What It Pays For, Who Can Apply and How It Works

How to apply for Access to Work when you are self employed with ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia: the questions the application asks, example answers, what you need before you start, and how long the wait really is.

You have known about Access to Work for months. You have opened the form, looked at the first question, and closed the tab again. And then felt bad about closing it.

In this episode, Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, shares her own Access to Work application as a self employed business owner with ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia, and walks you through it question by question, so the form stops being a mystery.

She explains what to gather before you start, including your UTR if you are self employed, and goes through the real questions on the form, from how your conditions affect you at work, to specialist equipment, to asking for a support worker or an ADHD coach. You will hear example answers written for 2 made up people, an employee and a self employed business owner, and the 3 rules that make any answer stronger. Esther also shares how long she waited, what happened when she chased, and the simple executive dysfunction fix that finally got her application sent: 1 hour with a body double.

This is Part 2 of 2. Part 1, episode 92, explains what Access to Work is and what it pays for.

Highlights

• The questions the Access to Work application actually asks, with example answers for an employee and a self employed business owner
• How to ask for a support worker or an ADHD coach, and the 3 rules that make any answer stronger
• What happened when Esther chased after 8 months, and the body double hour that got her application done in one sitting

Links and resources

• Book a 90 minute one to one coaching session: estherbangura.com/coaching
• Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG This is an affiliate link. If you sign up, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
• Free ND Money Report: estherbangura.com/nd-money-report
• Questions, feedback and reviews: estherbangura.com/ask

Access to Work

• Apply and check the current rules: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work
• Access to Work helpline: 0800 121 7479, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 121 7479. BSL video relay service available through gov.uk.
• Northern Ireland has its own scheme, Access to Work (NI), run by the Department for Communities: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/access-work-ni-practical-help-work

Outside the UK

• US: Job Accommodation Network, askjan.org. Your state Vocational Rehabilitation service.
• Australia: Employment Assistance Fund through JobAccess, jobaccess.gov.au
• Rules and schemes change and differ by country. Always check a reputable website or your local services.

Related episodes

92 | Access to Work for ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia: What It Pays For, Who Can Apply and How It Works

9 | The Hidden Cost of Overwhelm: How Stress Spending Starts For Neurodivergents

91 | ADHD Income and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): Why You Don't Ask for More Money

84 | Neurodivergent Business Owners: Why the Money Side Feels So Much Harder

Access to Work for ADHD, autism and dyslexia explained: what the grant pays for, who can apply, how long it takes, and whether Access to Work can fund coaching, software or a support worker at work

This episode tells you exactly what Access to Work is, whether it applies to you, and what to gather before you apply.

Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, walks through the UK Access to Work scheme for ADHD, autistic and dyslexic adults: what the grant can pay for, including assistive software, a support worker and coaching, who can apply as an employee or a self employed person, and the executive dysfunction that keeps capable people from applying at all. She covers the current waiting times using the latest House of Commons Library figures, shares her own 8 month wait honestly, and gives the full Before You Apply list so gathering your information takes 1 hour instead of 3 months.

Part 1 of 2. Part 2 publishes Thursday 1 October.

Highlights

• What Access to Work is, who can apply, and why gov.uk naming autism, ADHD and dyslexia matters more than you think
• What the grant can pay for, including coaching, and the honest limits on what anyone can promise you
• The real waiting times, and the Before You Apply list to gather this week

Links and resources

• Book a 90 minute one to one coaching session: estherbangura.com/coaching
• Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG (affiliate link, I use PocketSmith myself and with clients)
• The free ND Money Report, my research with 279 neurodivergent adults: estherbangura.com/nd-money-report
• Questions, feedback and reviews: estherbangura.com/ask
• Access to Work on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work
• Access to Work NI: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/access-work-ni-practical-help-work
• House of Commons Library briefing on Access to Work, 26 June 2026: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06666/
• US, Job Accommodation Network: https://askjan.org/
• Australia, JobAccess: https://www.jobaccess.gov.au/

The before you apply List

1. Your National Insurance number
2. Your UTR, if you are self employed
3. Your workplace address and postcode, and a workplace contact, if you are employed
4. Your job title, hours and the days you work
5. Three ways your condition affects your work. Set a timer for 5 minutes and answer one question: what is true right now about my working day?
6. What support you think would help

Then book 1 hour with someone and do it alongside them if starting feels hard.

Related episodes

EP75 | The Neurodivergent Tax: What Being ADHD, Autistic or Dyslexic Really Costs You Every Year

EP84 | Neurodivergent Business Owners: Why the Money Side Feels So Much Harder

EP53 | What Is A ADHD, Neurodivergent & Money Coaching Session Really like

Why is asking for more money so hard with ADHD? How rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) affects your income, stops you asking for a pay rise, raising your prices or chasing an unpaid invoice, and what ADHD and autistic adults can do instead. You have been doing more than your job for a year and never said a word. Your prices have not moved since you started. That invoice is 6 weeks late, and the reminder email still is not written. This episode explains what RSD really is, how it quietly costs you income, and gives you a simple written way to ask for more.

In this episode, Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, explores ADHD and income through the lens of rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). She explains the difference between rejection sensitivity in research and RSD as the community uses it online, why asking for a pay rise, raising your prices, chasing an unpaid invoice or asking a creditor for a payment plan can feel so hard with ADHD, and why taking less can feel safer than hearing no. Esther shares her own story of charging £35 for a 3 hour coaching session, and introduces the Two Sentence Ask: a written way to ask for more money that works with rejection sensitivity, plus the questions to ask when the answer is no.

Highlights

• What RSD is and is not, and how the community uses the term differently from research
• The asks ADHD adults do not make at work, in business and with creditors, and why taking less feels safer
• The Two Sentence Ask, and exactly what to say when the answer is no

Links and resources

• Book a 90 minute one to one coaching session: estherbangura.com/coaching
• Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG This is an affiliate link. If you sign up, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
• Free ND Money Report: estherbangura.com/nd-money-report
• Questions, feedback and reviews: estherbangura.com/ask

Free debt advice

• UK: StepChange (stepchange.org), National Debtline (nationaldebtline.org), Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk)
• US: NFCC (nfcc.org)

Related episodes

EP82 | ADHD and Income: Why Money Feels Tighter This Year, Even on a Good Salary

EP86 | How to Stop Overspending With ADHD: What to Do the Day After (Instead of Starting Over)

EP52 | Know Your Worth at Work: Career Pivots, Redundancy and Income Negotiation with Octavia Goredema MBE

EP26 | How Neurodivergent Identity Shapes Confidence, Pricing, and Money in Business with Krystle McGilvery