A book that is spiritual, thoughtful and practical all rolled into one

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	• It's Not About the Money: Unlock Your Money Type to Achieve Spiritual and Financial Abundance Brent Kessel HarperOne, 2008 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Agonizing Archetype

At a time when I have been trying to convince my wife and two teenage children that we should spend less, summer 2008, I became captivated by the title, "it's not about the money." Ironically, I spent money impulsively, and bought the book. I confess. I only read half of it, and skimmed the rest. Perhaps, in skimming, I somehow overlooked exciting and new information. But I doubt it.

Essentially, "it's not about the money" tries to help you understand your relationship to money by identifying "The Eight Financial Archetypes." However, the simplicity of that assertion and the repetitious description of these "archetypes" suggest this book could have been condensed to a magazine article. Here are the magical eight: The Guardian, The Pleasure Seeker, The Idealist, The Saver, The Star, The Innocent, The Caretaker, and The Empire Builder. And here is an example of the "in depth" descriptive prose. "Idealists are, as the name implies, highly idealistic." The author does attempt to dig a little deeper, but the numerous, equally pointless sentences made me stop.

To be fair, this book might be appealing to perhaps a college freshman with a sudden profound interest in psychology and finance and absolutely no prior experience. The three stars result from this sense of fairness, and my reluctance to give bad reviews. I much prefer positive ones.

Jeff May,
Askwritefish
As always, if you don't agree, you can feed my writing to the fish.

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A Different View of Archetypes and Money Types

I first read of archetypes in the book "Money Magic: Unleashing Your True Potential for Prosperity and Fulfillment" by Deborah L. Price (originally published in 2000 as "Money Therapy: Using the Eight Money Types to Create Wealth and Prosperity"). The archetypes in Kessel's book are a bit less distinct in their habits and attitudes about money and how it impacts one's life than those described in Price's book. And the "how to" exercises don't seem to be as well defined in helping one to understand how their Core Story (which Price calls the "Money Biography") has developed through subconscious patterning. But the application of using the knowledge of one's "Money Type" (a term first used by Price in her books) in developing a financial planning and investing strategy is unique and quite helpful. Concerning the exercise determining one's "money type", I find it not as well structured as that of Price's, which is on her website at [...] As J. Butterworth said, "This is a very creative adaptation of Price's book with great practical information." I too would have given a higher score had the archetype concept not already been published and applied through Price's work.

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This book controlled my impulse shopping!

When I would be upset or hurt or feeling low or stressed out, I would take my credit cards and go shopping. I'd buy items (clothes and shoes and handbags mostly) because it made me feel good and I'd chat with the salesperson who would always tell me how great whatever it was looked with me wearing or holding it. I'd convince myself it was on sale, so that in itself was a reason to buy it. Then I'd get home to realize I already have 3 pair of red shoes, dresses, purses, whatever. Well, I read It's Not About the Money, and figured out it's my core story; it's my "wanting mind" never having enough; it's the Star in me saying 'look at me' and the Caretaker buying things for my grown children that they dont even want. I learned, thru Brent Kessel's meditations and practical suggestions, thru his case studies and wise financial advice, that if I tell myself to just walk away and think about that purchase - do I really need it? what will I use it for? who am I trying to please?-- then usually I forget about it by the time I've walked down the mall, or I satisfy myself with an item of much less value. In essence, I control my habits now instead of them controlling me, and I am saving money and feel good and enjoy going shopping in my own closets (finding all those items with the pricetags still on them from previous crazy impulse buys!) I refer to the book again and again and it is now one of my best reference books.

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A book that is spiritual, thoughtful and practical all rolled into one

Are you ready to discover your money personality? You know, the one that acts like a four year old one day and a mature adult the next. Brent Kessel in his book, It's Not About The Money: Unlock Your Money Type to Achieve Spiritual and Financial Abundance explores the emotional and intellectual aspects of how we deal (or don't deal) with our finances.

Brent Kessel did a great job of marrying the emotional, spiritual and practical aspects of money, financial planning and wealth management. It's Not About The Money is the type of book you'll want to make time to read, study, work the activities and absorb the material on both an emotional and intellectual level.

Part One: First we have to understand what is happening inside on an emotional level before we can work on outside circumstances. Here are some of the emotional/spiritual highlights I gathered within the first few chapters:
~ We all get what we think we deserve.

~ Financial freedom requires more of a focus on our inner life than on our outer financial circumstances.

~ Inner wealth often leads to outer wealth.

~ To truly understand our relationship with money, it's important to embark on an inner journey in which money is the primary focus.

Part Two: This part focuses on recognizing and understanding your core money personality.

Brent Kessel believes that to understand where we are as adults, we have to understand are financial archetypes. Archetypes are the powerful financial energies within us that make up our day-to-day financial life and often have roots in childhood. The author analyzes eight money personalities/archetypes.

In this section he has us work on how to recognize our money personality, probable causes for why we view money the way we do, why this personality may or may not be working for us and possible solutions for solving what isn't working. Brent does this by taking us through different activities for each of the eight money personalities. This section is an eye-opener!

Part Three: This is the intellectual side of money management. Here is when It's Not About The Money gets into investing, financial planning and using your core story to help you make money.

Once you know your core money story and understand how it affects your life, you can gain power and control over money. Brent shows you how to use your money personality to help make money.

Brent believes when investing stay true to yourself, your money personality and core values. Become a "conscious" investor who invests in a board range of stocks that will universally help the climate and humanity. Your best financial decisions are the ones that support "what is most important to your essence."

Part Four: This is the nuts and bolts resource section. Here you will find pages of valuable information which standing alone is worth the price of the book.

My overall impression of It's Not About The Money: Unlock Your Money Type To Achieve Spiritual and Financial Abundance is that I'm very glad I read the book. Brent Kessel wrote a book that is spiritual, thoughtful and practical all rolled into one. This book could very well help you make peace with your inner four year old who just may be controlling your adult financial future. I highly recommend!

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Book makes concepts easy to understand and apply

This is one of the most inspiring books I've read on the subject of money in a long time. What I like about it is that it is written in an easy to read manner that makes the concepts very accessible. Whether you are attracted or put off by the link to yoga and eastern thought, don't let that get in the way - this is a book about money, and the author draws upon all traditions to illustrate his points.

Read this book with an open mind - if necessary, read it downstairs, in the basement, in a closet with the door closed and the light on, at night after everyone else is asleep, if that'll make you feel secure and certain that no-one can see your reactions. Then be brutally honest with yourself as you work through the archetypes, recognize your behavior patterns, and identify your core story. The experience will be transformative. Then try to follow the suggestions - that'll be harder, but the results will be worth it. Even if it takes you just a few steps in the right direction, it'll be time well spent.

You may want to revisit the concepts after an initial reading, but that will be efficient because the book is easy to follow. The book is well organized with chapters & sections for various archetypes, so that in the future the reader can just refer to the pertinent sections.

The primary complaint some readers may have about the book is that actual investment advice is presented in summary form. However I would suggest otherwise - there is plenty of reading material out there with details of the practical steps. This book has many references that can guide you in the right direction. What is key in this book (and its important to recognize this) is that it links it to you, specifically, by working through how you are likely to react under various circumstances. From my personal experience, I can say that once you get there, the rest is downhill.

May you find the harmony you are searching for.

It's Not About the Money: Unlock Your Money Type to Achieve Spiritual and Financial Abundance

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

What do the latest financial thinking and ancient spiritual teachings reveal to us about financial freedom? Top financial advisor Brent Kessel insists financial success and security is "not about the money." Rather, it's about what's inside us?first understanding your emotional relationship to money, and only then taking action. It's Not About the Money expertly and compassionately guides you along the path to financial security and true peace of mind.

Kessel, founder of two top wealth-management firms, has the inside scoop on the higher wisdom of personal finances, and he wants to share it with you. Through extensive experience as a financial advisor and spiritual seeker, Kessel has discovered that people need to understand their core financial story in order to make meaningful changes. Some of us are savers or caretakers, says Kessel, while others are pleasure seekers and spend like Hollywood stars; some people are idealists who place greater value on creativity or compassion than on financial security; some of us innocently believe our finances will work out without effort; and others obsess about building empires with lasting value. It's Not About the Money will help you identify your money type, providing information and resources as well as exercises and meditations to inspire a fresh approach to your relationship with money that will change your life.

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