own personal tolerance for risk in a certain area, such as finances, personal relationships, lifestyles, etc. Pick the area and the category you believe you fall under (risk-seeking, risk-averse, or risk-neutral), and create a list of criteria to help determine risk tolerance more systematically. For example, you can list five to ten questions and determine risk tolerance based on the answers. The group can also research the availability of tools that help determine risk tolerance. Many financial planners offer such tools.