Hey, it's Elise Hugh. You're listening to TED Talks Daily. How could the way we spend our money tell us a lot about our lives and perhaps our weaknesses? In his talk from the TED Global Ideas Search in 2021, accountant Robert Bell looks beyond numbers to reveal the story behind our expenses.

What the data shows us can be surprisingly valuable.

I am an accountant with a numbers problem.

I mean, I'm good with numbers and using them to report what's happening,

but I'm also concerned with the full story behind those numbers,

the part that gets lost in translation, the part that numbers can't quite tell, the story

that goes deeper than mere strategies for saving and earning money. And without that story,

I don't think I'm doing my job well. That's why I've

dedicated my career to figuring out how my work as an accountant can tell stories about people,

stories that will ultimately help them improve their lives. Let me explain. It all started when

someone told me, you're obsessed with

chocolate. And I was like, what? No, I'm not. But then I wondered, could I be in denial about my

own obsession? Was I actually spending a lot of money on chocolate, but blind to it? Well, here was a chance for me to test this theory

using my accountant lens. Off I went, tracking my spending on chocolate. And there it was,

my love for chocolate. I was spending about $50 a month on chocolate, especially in months

when I was overstressed and months when I was

overjoyed.

Analyzing my expenses helped me to understand that I had an emotional pattern where, when I'm

struggling or celebrating, I binge on chocolate.

I had struggled with my weight for a very long time,

and I was convinced that my diet was not the problem.

I was convinced that it was my lack of effort in exercise,

...