Loaded

Does money represent luxury, security, and peace of mind, or stress, inequality, barriers, and greed? LOADED is written for anyone who struggles with their complex relationship with the so-called "root of all evil."

Rather than offering traditional financial advice, Sarah Newcomb (a Morningstar behavioral economist) digs deeper and approaches money management from a fresh angle. LOADED explains how our experiences with money have a psychological basis and can often run counter to our core values.

Our personal history has a profound influence on how we handle or mishandle money. In reality, however, money is a simple tool, a neutral resource that is full of possibilities. It can be used for good or for ill, and how we use it is entirely a matter of personal choice. Our relationship with money is almost never about the numbers. It is about the stories we tell ourselves because of those numbers. We all come to believe certain stories based on our upbringing and our experiences with money. This is where our relationship with money is rooted, and this is where sound money management begins.

Based on years of research and filled with illustrative stories, LOADED offers an important guide for identifying the harmful core beliefs about money and what can be done to challenge and overcome those negative beliefs. Once a clear understanding of an individual's beliefs about money is established, the human-centered approach to budgeting and money management can be put into action. This budgeting structure incorporates several principles from psychology that are missing or misaligned in traditional budgeting methods.

The fresh approach outlined in this book is a money management method rooted in psychology that offers a way of changing one's financial life by creating a plan for money that is both deeply satisfying and also sustainable over the long term. The author also includes a wealth of worksheets and personal money psychology assessments to aid in the LOADED process.

LOADED offers an approach for discovering and understanding your relationship with money that will lead to more peace and satisfaction in your financial life.