When High Performers Run Low on Cash: Uncovering the Real Reasons

“I’m currently low on cash.”

I’ve heard this phrase more times than I can count in 2024—and not from people living paycheck to paycheck. I’m talking about:

• Founders with equity stakes worth millions.
• Senior executives earning monthly salaries north of $30,000.
• Top professionals pulling in six-figure annual bonuses.
• People with top titles to their names COO, CMO, Executive Director, MD, VP at top regional organizations.

These individuals are well-educated, highly accomplished, and recognized as leaders in their fields. And yet, they find themselves in the bewildering position of having low cash to cover the simplest expenses.

Looking back, I began noticing this trend around October 2023, and it’s a reality I’ve seen too often since. Have you come across someone, too? Or was is just me?

A Personal Wake-Up Call:

It happens to the best of us. I’ve been there, too. In 2015, I found myself stuck at an airport, unable to pay a $200 (SAR/AED 720) fee for a flight adjustment. Just days earlier, I had received payments totaling $52,000 (SAR/AED 195,000).

The experience rattled me: How could someone doing well be short on cash in real life?

That moment sparked a deep exploration—a realization that even high performers can find themselves in this puzzling situation despite their intelligence and success.

Why Conventional Solutions Don’t Work:

The standard financial advice—“earn more, spend less, track every penny”—is rarely the solution. It’s like building a rooftop pool and a sundeck without securing the tower foundation first.

Here’s why:

• Earning more often amplifies stress without addressing the root cause of being low on cash.
• Cutting expenses that are already reasonable feels irrelevant and frustrating, unwise use of time and effort.
• Getting loans or asset stress sales may provide a temporary fix but don’t stop the cycle from repeating.
• Budgeting tools and financial books offer insights yet fail to address the deeper, unseen influences that drive financial decisions.

The Unseen Influences on Financial Well-Being:

Since 2018, I’ve focused my research on the Arabian Gulf region, where discussing personal finances is a taboo.

Here’s what I’ve discovered:

• Cultural norms create silence, shame, and secrecy around money—even among married couples.
• Subconscious beliefs might include outdated ideas like “making money must be a struggle”, “Money is Evil” or the most famous one in Arab Culture “money is the filth of Earth”. ?
• Emotional states like stress, guilt, or fear can drive impulsive or avoidant financial behavior.
• Behavioral patterns sabotage cash flow—overlooking habits, avoiding investments, or failing to plan for income cycles and dry spells.
• Educational gaps persist, even among the highly accomplished, leaving them without foundational financial literacy.

Add to this societal pressures, unspoken cultural rules, and the psychological dynamics of how money influences identity and status, and the problem becomes far more complex.

A Holistic Exploration: The Real Factors at Play

To understand why high performers face cash shortages, we need to explore nine interconnected dimensions:

1. Biological: How brain chemistry, energy cycles, and stress responses influence financial decisions.
2. Psychological: How subconscious beliefs, self-esteem, and past experiences shape the relationship with money.
3. Emotional: How moods, feelings, and emotional states guide or derail financial choices.
4. Behavioral: How habits, routines, and situation responses affect everyday financial management.
5. Educational: How gaps in financial literacy impact cash flow—even for the highly educated.
6. Sociological: How societal norms, peer pressure, and cultural customs influence money decisions.
7. Cultural: How traditions, taboos, and unspoken money rules shape financial behaviors.
8. Spiritual: How beliefs about purpose, values, and existential meaning factor into financial success.
9. Mathematical & Practical: How data, algorithms, systems, and tactical strategies finally fit into the picture.

What’s Next?

Over the coming weeks, I’ll break down these dimensions in individual articles that subtly influence money decisions.

Because here’s the truth: High performers, me included, don’t run low on cash because they lack intelligence, drive, or education. They face this challenge because money isn’t just a number—it’s a reflection of beliefs, habits, emotions, and systems working beneath the surface.

By understanding and addressing these foundational factors, we can achieve (at least try) financial flow that matches our professional success.

Your Turn:

Which of these factors do you think plays the biggest role when accomplished individuals say, “I’m currently low on cash”?

Feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear your perspective.