Debt can breed unworthiness. Gambling can breed powerlessness. Wealth can breed freedom, guilt, arrogance and far reaching philanthropy. Money in relationships can lead to deeper connection and deeper fulfillment, or to manipulation, violence and even murder. The dichotomy is even more pronounced at the global level where we both deify and demonize the rich and poor alike.
It is a complicated subject that weaves its way into our very identities, into our relationships, and our societies. Whether the nature and effect of money is good or bad is entirely dependent on your personal relationship with it. Over the course of this book, we will be exploring more about the nature and effect of money from all of these perspectives. Throughout these discussions, I will call out important questions for you to answer. I want to help you explore and understand your relationship with money, and evolve that relationship to a place where your money works for you in a positive way, offering freedom, fulfillment, growth, deeper relationships, and greater good.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Validation, Sabotage, and Freedom
Money Baggage
The Nature And Effect Of Money
PART I
THE PERSONAL SIDE OF MONEY
Money Reflects Emotional Value
Money Is An Extension Of Ourselves
Money Reflects How We See Ourselves
Being Debt Free
Financial Contentment
Financial Independence
YOUR Magic Number
The Real You
Showing It Off Versus Hiding It
Large Scale Wealth
The Dangers Of Comparison
More Money, More Problems
Wealth Guilt And Giving It All Away
PART II
MONEY IN RELATIONSHIPS
Anger, Violence and Murder
Manipulation and Extortion
Control and Oppression
Forcing Attachment
Social Spend Pressure
Unpacking The Budget Baggage
Spend Plans Versus Budgets And Thog The Destroyer
The Spendthrift Versus The Free Spirit
Letting Go Of Past Financial Relationship Baggage
Getting On The Same Page
The Courage To Get Weird
The Spend Plan As A Contract
Building Your Relationship As You Build Your Spend Plan
Dreaming And Saving
Your Magic Number For Financial Independence
Financial Fatigue And Falling Off The Wagon
Loosening Up Once You Arrive
Survivability
Your Parents' Money
The Chosen Child
Awkward Conversations With Mom And Dad
Supporting Your Parents Without Going Broke
Unequal Distributions Among Siblings
Your Children And Your Money
The Typical Parent-Child Financial Journey
The Value Of Money
Mom And Dad - The Perpetual ATM
Cutting The Cord
Boomerangs And The Entitled
Planning For The Inevitable
No Relationship Can Be Pure When Money Is Involved
PART III
MONEY IN THE WORLD
Deities And Demons - Other People's Money
Scammers, Con Artists And Thieves
Deifying And Demonizing The Wealthy
Neighborhood Jealousy
Millionaire Incognito
Government Spending
Loans, Grants And Tax Breaks - A Government's Way Of Encouraging Your Behavior
Taxes - A Government's Way Of Discouraging Your Behavior
Money In Motion - Stock Markets & The Collective Mood
Greener Pastures - Geoarbitrage
Feeling Good Versus Doing Good - Charity And Philanthropy
Conclusion
