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Executive Summary Severe overspending habits can be highly resistant to change because they share many characteristics of addictions. Prochaska's Stages-of-Change Model has been used effectively in treating addictions and has been helpful in debt counseling. This article explains the Stages-of-Change Model using language easily accessible to financial advisers and their clients. Five stages of change are described in this paper: denial, ambivalence, preparation, action, and maintenance-along with the client's potential slide into relapse. The article provides guidance for assessing the overspending client's readiness to change and describes techniques for moving clients toward lasting success in controlling overspending habits.