The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge : 5 Principles to Transform Your Relationship with Money [Hardcover]

Ted Klontz (Author), Rick Kahler (Author), Brad Klontz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2005

Discover the 5 Essentials to Financial Freedom and Prosperity!

Do you wish you had more money saved for retirement? Do you and your partner fight about money? Do you want to make an investment but are unsure in what? Do you make yourself promises about finances that you just can't seem to keep? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a problem-but it's not the problem you think it is. Your money problems are a consequence of the relationship you have with your money. A problem in that relationship is what's really holding you back. In this compelling book, The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge, you will learn the breakthrough approach that is transforming lives-a method which The Wall Street Journal hails as "an innovative effort that combines experiential therapy with nuts-and-bolts financial planning." Finally, a practical plan to be your money's master instead of its servant.

Ebenezer Scrooge would seem an unlikely source from which to glean financial wisdom: He was a wealthy man who kept his living quarters cold to save shillings and lived a reclusive existence because he worried someone would take his money. However, Dickens' classic tale of how Scrooge found his true course in life is a powerful model we all can benefit from today.
Unlike other financial planning books that focus narrowly on the "dollar and cents" of money, The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge is an easy read. Written for the layperson, this book provides advice that is simple, transformational, and timeless.

Through the process they've used successfully with their clients, the authors will show you how to recognize ways unconscious Money Scripts may keep you trapped; how to deal with the relationship between your net worth and your self-worth; how to discover your authentic goals and values; how to permanently change self-destructive money behaviors; and, through 5 essentials of financial prosperity, how to leave a family legacy of financial wellness.

"These are five essentials indeed, they have literally changed my life Clients, friends, and family will all be receiving this book as a gift from me. They will no doubt thank me later."
-Kerry Hansen,
Career Management Specialist for Wynonna Judd

"The authors have hit a grand slam with this outstanding book. Brilliant, clear, moving... a must-read."
-Jerry Moe
M.A., National Director of Children's Programs, Betty Ford Center

"This will be on my clients' 'must-read' list."
-Elizabeth Jetton CFP®,
Chairperson of The Financial Planning Association, 2005

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book provides several weeks of therapy in 188 pages.
The Washington Post (The Washington Post )

An innovative effort that combines experiential therapy with nuts-and-bolts financial planning.
The Wall Street Journal (The Wall Street Journal )

About the Author

Ted Klontz, Ph.D., MAT, MAC, CSAT, is the CEO of Onsite Workshops, an organization that helps people heal from dysfunctional behaviors and relationships. He is a personal and relationship coach, consultant and certified therapist who lives in Tennessee.

Rick Kahler, CFP, CCIM, is co-founder of the Financial Integration Workshop offered by Onsite Workshops and the Financial Integration Residency Program for financial professionals. The president of Kahler Financial Group, he lives in South Dakota.

Brad Klontz, Psy.D., CSAC, is a licensed clinical psychologist, certified substance abuse counselor, psychotherapist, consultant and coach. He is the president of Coastal Clinics, Inc., in Kauai, HI.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: HCI (November 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757303544
• ISBN-13: 978-0757303548
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative and illluminating, August 20, 2006

By 

P. Brown (Kauai, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge : 5 Principles to Transform Your Relationship with Money (Hardcover)

As one of the authors of this book says, "We all know the formula to good financial management is to earn more and spend less. So why don't we do it?" This book shows us that the secret is in our emotional response to money: having it, not having it, feeling that we shouldn't have it and why. Often these responses were formed when we were quite young and we're not conscious of them and how they direct our money-related actions.

The authors explore many people's dysfunctional relationships with money and unravel how and why they came to be, thus allowing them to form new, healthier patterns. The book is filled with illustrative examples from real people, so it's juicier, more interesting and more informative than a theoretical treatise about money management. There's also one story about a woman who makes buckets of money and still has money problems. Money challenges are examined from all angles.

The authors also share their personal stories, all of which are powerful.

The comparisons to Ebeneezer Scrooge are fun and illustrative too, though he's obviously an extreme case.

Highly recommend this book. It's small, easy to read and you'll easily be able to make positive changes in your life from reading the examples and doing some of the suggested exercises.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life changing wisdom...from a classic to a classic, April 5, 2006

By 

Gerri Detweiler "host, Talk Credit Radio" (Gulf Coast, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge : 5 Principles to Transform Your Relationship with Money (Hardcover)

While this book is small and an easy read, don't let it fool you. It packs a powerful punch. I found it to be one of the most entertaining "money psychology" books I've read, probably due to the Christmas Carol story as the theme. Also, the authors blunt honesty about their own challenges make the message that much more accessible. I had the opportunity to interview both Ted and Rick on my Internet radio show EverydayWealth Radio about the book and found them to be just as engaging on the air.

While you can breeze through this well-written book, the real challenge is applying it and that will take some time. I am still digesting it and working on my money scripts but already have realized some interesting insights. I would have liked more examples from other readers -- maybe on the website or on the next book?

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Financial Read Ever, January 8, 2006

By 

John Cartwright (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge : 5 Principles to Transform Your Relationship with Money (Hardcover)

This book was a really good and easy read that freed me up to completely revamp my thoughts and actions around money. I used to experience fear and loathing when I read those run-of-the mill financial books that tell me what I should be doing with my money (as if I didn't know, and as if I didn't have to eat and pay rent). This book is different, and it feels so REAL. I have already been able to benefit from the principles the authors set down in the book, and I feel like I have really CHANGED. I already feel wealthier, and my bad habits are melting away effortlessly. Highly recommended, I think a lot of people are going to like this and benefit from it.