Why Financial Expert Erin Lowry Is Skeptical of Money Manifesting—and What Actually Works

When it comes to manifesting, a lot of people focus on money. (I mean, ask yourself what you need more of and the answer is likely cash.) Perhaps unsurprisingly, Broke Millennial author Erin Lowry is not entirely on board with the idea.

"I'm gonna say 80 percent sham," Lowry responds when asked about money manifesting on the latest episode of "Nice Talk". "And by that, I mean 80 percent of the time it's not actionable."

Lowry—known for the practical money tips she shares on social media and in her book series—says that often, people who push manifestation online are "trying to sell you something ... a journal, a crystal, a course."

But, she continues, "I think the 20 percent where I like it is when the focus is on switching from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality. I am very much pro trying to wire your brain to an idea of abundance, which, unfortunately, can then just get still down to like, 'Money will always flow to me. Money will always come back to me'—which is not a negative mantra to have. Let me be very clear: If you want to say that out loud to yourself every day, I love that for you. But, how are we pairing that with action?"

Rather than "being like, 'Well, I put it to the universe, the universe will provide,'" Lowry suggests looking into the answers to questions such as "Are you in control of your money? Are you saving? Do you know how you're spending? Are you investing? Are you upskilling so that you can move up in your career? Are you figuring out how to bring more money in? So much in personal finance does fixate on cut, cut, cut as opposed to how can we expand, and again, that's a way where I feel like an abundance mentality is very positive."

On the other hand, a "scarcity mentality"—which definitely does not go hand-in-hand with manifesting—can hold people back financially, according to Lowry.

"Scarcity mentality also can be incredibly negative with your money," she says. "It can keep you from investing. It can keep you scared of, you know, getting into the stock market, of buying property, of investing in yourself, of going back to school, whatever it is."

Lowry is all about making financial planning accessible—not just something that one can dream about implementing one day. She stresses that you don't have to manifest more money into your life before getting started.

"Either you control money or money controls you. It's really that simple," she says. "And even if you don't make a ton of it, you still can be in control. That's really the fallacy for a lot of folks is, like, 'Well, I don't have enough money to be good at money.' Says who?"

For more from Lowry—including her tips on raising your credit score and what to do if you overspent during the holidays—check out this week’s installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.