Customer Reviews

How Much Is Enough? Harness the Power of Your Money Story--and Change Your Life

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Pam Klainer's book is both readable and profound. I couldn't wait to get back to it each evening last week. She gets right to the point while making no judgements. Money is part of our life -- in good times and troubled times -- and each of us has our own "money story". She asks the best questions that really, really make you think about your own life. This is not a "How to..." kind of book. And it definitely won't give you "10 Steps to Happiness". But you will want to talk about it -- so buy 2 copies. One for yourself and one for the person you enjoy talking to or need to talk to. You will finally talk about the important stuff in your life. Pam includes stories that engage your imagination and asks questions that engage your heart, mind, and your spirit. Parts of the book are almost like a workbook. If you are reading it by yourself, you might want to take notes or keep a journal. Pam offers questions, ideas and concepts that need to be discussed because they impact how we relate to those closest to us. This book is also an excellent resource for any couple about to combine their financial resources or for any household of people trying to come to terms with their different attitudes about money.

Everyone can identify with the compelling stories Klainer shares with her audience. I found the writing easy to read and the honesty quite engaging. It is the type of book one wants to read over and over at different stages of life and I suspect new riches are uncovered each time. Great work!

I so enjoyed Dr. Klainer's unique and inspiring take on a subject that has been written to death about. This is a refreshing look at the psychological symbolism that money holds over us. Dr. Klainer rightly asserts that to understand your money behavior in a logical and powerful way you must first become aware of your own personal money story. She demonstrates the concepts of her book by relating personal and professional storiesof her own as well as the clients she has worked with in her executive coaching practice. This is done in an engaging and interesting way. The diversity of the people presented, black,white,rich and poor helps any reader find a story to relate to. There are suggestions and focused exercizes to encourage you to uncover your own money story. A useful and important addition to the other more traditional financial advice books already in your library.

Dr. Klainer uses her wit and wisdom to lead us through a process. Through tales and lessons, we start to think of money as more than just an end to a means but form a "biography" of why we accumulate or spend as we do. The reader gets a sense of what our core values are in life and how money adds or detracts from it. When you get to the point in life when cash is more than just a survival tool, you can use the common sense approach of "How Much is Enough" to make life choices. It begins to make sense...why we spend, why we save, how we plan for the future or ignore the fact that money can ever run out. This is a book you need to read more than once. You will change as you move forward in life and you'll need to do a money attitude tune up every so often. Klainer can help you make choices with a caring voice and a steady guiding hand. A good read and a great gift for anyone who really does have it all.

I never thought of money as a lens to view my life, but after I read this book, which I received as a gift, I now understand that money has played a significant role in my life. And it started when I was very young with how my parents viewed money. It was easy to come to this understanding since the author uses many vignettes from her practice to illustrate her points. I saw myself and people that I know in many of these stories. But one important point is that Dr. Klainer very softly yet effectively challenges you to make conscious your own money story and to assess its impact on who you are. It's a highly readable book -- I finished it in two days. But I envision going back to it from time to time as I process these new understandings. And although this is a book about individual money stories, I saw how the theme can apply in the workplace, i.e., the provider/organizer dilemma is applicable to people who bring in revenues through sales efforts, versus others who provide support services. Almost anyone can get value from this book -- it's not a surface approach to money and investments, but rather a thought-provoking depth approach to understanding how money has shaped your life, and how that understanding is a powerful tool for change, if that is what you want.

WOW!

Pam Klainer has written a book that breaks new ground.

Many authors have written on the subject of "how to get ahead", how to "empower yourself" to realize wealth and success, but Dr. Klainer has found the words to uncover an essential piece of human discovery that is yet uncovered in this genre.

The likes of Napoolean Hill, Covey, Blanchard, Dyer, Robbins and their peers have contributed much to the understanding of the human condition, but Klainer's work breaks new ground.

Her simple, yet essential, insight into the role each person's "money story" plays in his/her life, in their happiness and their definition of "success" is a must read for anyone who is motivated to find happiness and purpose in life.

My reaction, after reading nearly every book known on the subject, was "where has she been? Why has this key insight not been put to words before?"

Dr. Klainer shares her insights through the real life stories of friends, clients, colleagues and national models of success. She shares her insight from years experience as a financial advisor, executive coach and friend to other self-made people.

Whether you are the beneficiary of inherited wealth,creator of new-found money, or simply long to build a successful money story for yourself, this book is a MUST READ.

Do yourself the favor. Put down whatever you are reading and order this book.

Thank you. Dr. Klainer, for helping me to discover my "money story" and freeing me to realize that the equation is not "money + success = happiness," but rather that "money, success, then happiness" is a formula everyone can define for themselves!

It is a rare occasion indeed when you are referenced to a newly published "finance related" book, and are both shocked and amazed to find once you dive into it that it is actually covering fresh uncovered territory. That was exactly the experience I enjoyed when I recently read Pam Klainer's new work, "How Much Is Enough". The story of The Money Story, illustrated with the use of many wonderful stories, by a gifted and talented storyteller; what a fresh, interesting way to look at the whole issue. She approaches a subject that can be taboo, bringing it out into the open. She inspires reflection, conversation and, if necessary, action, but in a subtle and guiding way. Money + Success = Happiness: An equation for life, the root of all confusion, or just a funny twist on "new Math".Pick up the book and see for yourself. Well worth the read.

Well written, thoughtful and "no nonsense" book about money from a bigger perspective than buying or earning power. It's more about money and meaning -- a slippery subject that deserves more careful discussion, especially in a down-economy. Found the "provider vs. organizer roles" discussion particularly interesting...helped me gain new insight into a work situation that's been a challenge for some time.

I started reading this book and became so involved in the process, and so impressed by the book, that I cannot recommend it highly enough. Intuitively, I have always felt that our upbringing had a lot to do with our attitude towards money. Klainer goes one step farther and asks you to look at your entire "money story"-which is your retelling of significant events in your life from the money perspective.

She offers a framework through which you can explore whether your history with or predefined ideas of money are interfering with your happiness. Klainer's writing style is special, almost completely devoid of buzzwords and jargon. The book is laid out with very short chapters with liberal use of italics for emphasizing key thoughts or notable points. This is a book you need to read now, or at least have on your bookshelf when you wonder how much longer you can keep up this pace.

I couldn't finish this book. It just had nothing of value for me since I'm not rich, and I don't have any "money issues" such that this book could be of help to me. I sensed the author has some political views which differ from mine, and don't have any place in a "self-help" book like this.