Money Harmony: A Road Map for Individuals and Couples - Softcover

Mellan, Olivia; Christie, Sherry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0982289510 ISBN 13: 9780982289518

Publisher: Money Harmony Books, 2014

Synopsis

Learn to resolve money conflicts and achieve the happiness you want! Why are we so irrational about money? Time after time, it heads the list as the source of conflict and discontent between us and our loved ones. The truth is, early money messages and childhood vows, money myths, and gender differences all sway what we think and do - or don't do - as adults. In Money Harmony, you'll learn how to feel calmer, more secure, and more fulfilled in your financial life, whether you're single or in a relationship. With humor and compassion, simple exercises, and money dialogues, Olivia Mellan and Sherry Christie will teach you how to cultivate a relationship with money that reflects your true values and integrity - and frees you of money anxiety to enjoy the happiness you've earned.

About this title

About the Author

Olivia Mellan has been a pioneer in money conflict resolution for over 30 years. The co-author of five critically acclaimed books on money psychology, she also conducts teleclasses, seminars, trainings and intergenerational family retreats, and is a popular conference speaker on money and relationships. www.moneyharmony.com. Writer Sherry Christie specializes in helping people make smarter money decisions. A former advertising executive, she now works directly with financial clients. She and Olivia have collaborated on 5 money psychology books, and scores of articles. www.sherrychristie.com.

From Kirkus Reviews

A thoughtful, thorough workbook designed by a psychotherapist who has been leading seminars on the subject since 1982. The book starts with a ``money personality'' quiz to determine the individual's relationship with money. Readers can find out whether they are hoarders, spenders, money monks (who feel guilty about having money), or avoiders (who can't face practicalities such as budgets and financial planning). Mellan then advises a family history to help trace the subconscious factors that underlie those attitudes and behavior. Mellan debunks common myths that equate money with love, happiness, power, freedom, self-worth, and security, then she adapts an old gestalt technique to formulate a ``money dialogue'' in which the subject ``talks'' with a personified ``Money'' to reveal the emotional foundation for financial woes. Mellan then moves on to address the polarization of money types within a relationship, giving attention to gender differences. Working in a similar vein to Deborah Tannen (You Just Don't Understand, 1990), Mellan says that the genders are socialized differently about money, leading to miscommunications on the subject. Men, she says, use money in a competitive way, to assert themselves or improve their status. Women, on the other hand, see money as a cooperative tool. In charitable giving, for example, men measure power by the size of their contributions; women care more about the nature of the organization and their connection to it. The last few chapters are devoted to specific techniques for effective communication, resolving money conflicts, and achieving money harmony. Despite sometimes simplistic or redundant prose and occasional lapses in clarity and consistency (new money types not covered in the original quiz keep cropping up), this should be a useful aid for both individuals and couples to resolve their money conflicts. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Money Harmony Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0982289510
• ISBN 13: 9780982289518
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 270