The Secret Language of Money

Overview

If money were about math, none of us would be carrying any debt.

The numbers are simple. What’s complicated is what we do with money. We use money to soothe our feelings and buy respect, to show how much we care or how little. We don’t simply earn, save, and spend money: we flirt with it, crave it, and scorn it; we punish and reward ourselves with it.

Without realizing it, we give money meaning it doesn’t really have—what former psychiatrist and current business coach David Krueger calls our “money story.” And in the process of playing out that money story, we often sacrifice the most important things in our life: our health, freedom, relationships, and happiness.

What is your money story?

• Do you consistently spend more than you have?
• Do you follow the herd in your investments—even though you know the herd is usually wrong?
• Have you neglected to save for the future, even when you have the means?
• Do you feel controlled or shackled by debt?
• Is your money somehow never “enough”?
• Is money, or the lack of it, always on your mind?

The Secret Language of Money is a guided tour to the subconscious meanings we give money, the conflicted ways our braindeals with money, the reasons we tend to make the same money mistakes over and over—and most importantly, how you can change all that.

A brilliant blend of cutting-edge science and real-world application, The Secret Language of Money helps you rewrite your money story and find that elusive balance of wealth, health, and joy we all seek.

Table of contents

Introduction
Part I. Your Money Story
1. Money Talks ? But What Is It Saying?
2. Your Life Is a Story and You Are the Author
3. Your Money Story and Where It Came From
4. What Does Money Mean to You?
5. What Are You Compromising for Money?
Part II. Your Brainon Money: The Strange Inner World of
Wealth
6. Into Thin Air: The Abstraction of Money
7. Cautionary Tales: Money Stories from the Edge
8. The Psychology of Wealth
9. Green Matter: Money and the Neuroscience of Your Brain
Part III. Solving Money Problems
10. Why Do We Spend?
11. His Money, Her Money

Biographical note

David Krueger, M.D., formerly practiced and
taught psychiatry and psychoanalysis for
more than 25 years. He is currently CEO
of MentorPath, an executive coaching
practice serving corporate executives and
healing professionals, and he serves as
Mentor Coach and Dean of Curriculum
for the Coach Training Alliance. Krueger
lives in Houston, Texas.
John David Man has been writing about
business, leadership, and the laws
of success for more than 20 years. He
is coauthor of the Wall Street Journal
bestseller The Go-Giver and the Silver
Nautilus Award-winning A Deadly Misunderstanding
and author of The Zen of
MLM. Mann lives in Massachusetts.

Back cover copy

MONEY TALKS—
BUT WHAT IS IT SAYING?

“A fascinating exploration into how we think about money and why — and perhaps even more importantly, what we can do about it. I strongly recommend it.”
David Bach, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Start Late, Finish Rich and Fight For Your Money

“Quick question: Does dealing with/thinking about/earning/spending money
make you happy, or does it stress you out? If it’s not making you happy, you
need to read this extraordinary book, right away.”
Seth Godin, author of the New York Times bestseller Tribes


“Now more than ever, we need someone to help us make sense out of money
and the crazy things we do with it. David Krueger is that voice of sanity.”
John Assaraf, CEO of OneCoach and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Answer

“Our relationship with money is like an iceberg: only the very tip is in plain
sight. The authors do a masterful job of uncovering this information and
helping us fix that relationship. Don’t be surprised if
the result shows up in your bottom line.”
Bob Burg, coauthor of the international bestseller The Go-Giver

“This is not a how-to of personal finance, it’s a how-much: How much has your
personal money story been holding you back? And how much could you earn
if you changed that?”
Chris Widener, author of the New York Times bestseller The Angel Inside

“For every thousand books written on personal finance and success, there is
always that one gem that can truly make a difference in people’s lives.
This is that book—and it’s a must-read!”
Cameron Johnson, television personality and author of You Call the Shots