Mind over Money: Your Path to Wealth and Happiness [Hardcover]

Eric Tyson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2006

When I started doing personal financial counseling back in 1990, I believed that because most Americans had never learned how to manage their personal finances (for example, in the schools) that they needed more personal financial education. While I still believe this to be the case, over the decade plus that I was actively involved in financial counseling and now getting inquiries from readers, I have developed a modified view. Ingrained behaviors also clearly stand in the way of people making the best financial decisions and moves.

Mind Over Money: Your Path to Wealth and Happiness presents a compilation of common financial obstacles (overspending, investing errors, working harder thinking that more money will solve problems, spousal disagreements over money, etc.) and proven methods for developing and retaining the best financial habits. The book also synthesizes research that explains why we do what we do and who is most at risk and why for certain behaviors. The book takes a holistic approach to fitting money and financial decisions into your life.

Mind over Money offers proven solutions you can use to stop self-defeating financial habits and get yourself onto the right path. Too many people end up unhealthy, overstressed, and without significant financial resources despite decades of long work hours. Are you giving sufficient attention to your family, personal life, happiness, values, and health? Mind over Money explains how you can achieve both your financial and personal goals and is written to show how you can successfully relate to and deal with money — and each other.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...readable, comprehensive...chockfull of useful examples and advice for both new and experienced investors." -- Kim Campbell, Christian Science Monitor on Mutual Funds for Dummies

"Among my favorite investment guides are... Eric Tyson's Personal Finance for Dummies." -- Jonathan Clements, the Wall Street Journal

"Best new personal finance book." -- Michael Pellecchia, syndicated columnist, on Personal Finance for Dummies

"Eric Tyson doesn't tell you what to do or consider doing without explaining the why's and how's... -- Clarence Peterson, Chicago Tribune

"Eric Tyson is doing something important - ... helping people at all income levels to take control of their financial futures." -- - James C. Collins, co-author of the national bestsellers Built to Last and Good to Great

"Eric Tyson provides detailed, action-oriented advice on everyday financial questions . . .. Tyson's style is readable and unintimidating." -- Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine

"Practitioners like Eric Tyson, who care about the well-being of middle-income people, are rare in today's society." -- Joel Hyatt, founder, Hyatt Legal Services

"Smart advice . . . skip the tomes, buy Personal Finance for Dummies, which rewards your candor with advice and comfort." -- Newsweek

"Straightforward, readable . Tyson is an authoritative writer ." -- The Orange County Register

"Tyson handily dispatches both the basics and the more complicated." -- Lisa M. Sodders, The Capital-Journal

From the Publisher

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See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: CDS Books (January 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593152388
• ISBN-13: 978-1593152383
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Tyson is a best-selling personal finance book author and has penned five national best sellers. He is also the only author to have four of his books simultaneously on Business Week's business book bestseller list.

His Personal Finance for Dummies, a Wall Street Journal best-seller, won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Business Book of the Year. Eric's syndicated newspaper column is read by millions of readers weekly. He is a former columnist and award-winning journalist for the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle. His website, www.erictyson.com, rocketed into the top one percent of financial websites within its first year of operation.

Eric's work has been featured and quoted in hundreds of local and national publications and media outlets including Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Money, Worth, Parenting, USA Today and on the NBC Today Show, ABC, Fox News, CNBC, PBS Nightly Business Report, CNN, and on CBS national radio, NPR's Marketplace Money and Bloomberg Business Radio. He's also been a featured speaker at a White House conference on retirement planning.

Tired of working as a management consultant to Fortune 500 financial service firms which more interested in maximizing short-term profits than in providing sound financial products and services, Eric founded in 1990 the nation's first financial counseling firm which works exclusively on an hourly basis. He started his new company with a simple mission: to provide objective, cost-effective personal financial advice, especially to non-wealthy Americans. Through family and friends, Eric had seen many otherwise intelligent people make horrendous mistakes in managing their money, in part, because the failure of our schools and colleges to teach personal finance.

In addition to his counseling work, Eric also hoped to make an impact in the writing and media fields. Much of the personal finance writing and reporting he saw and heard was biased, jargon-laden and, in some cases, filled with bad advice. For example, rather than telling people the hard truth - that one must live within one's means as a prerequisite to building wealth - many publications offer up hyped and unrealistic "get rich without making sacrifices or taking risk" type approaches.

In addition to his writing and counseling, Eric also taught the nation's most highly attended personal financial management course at the University of California. He has spoken at many corporations and non-profits. His educational background includes having earned his bachelor's degree in economics at Yale and an MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Eric is the only best-selling personal finance author who has an extensive background as an hourly-based financial planner and who does not accept speaking fees, endorsement deals or fees of any type from companies in the financial services industry or product or service providers recommended in his articles, books and his publications.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books you will ever read, January 20, 2006

By 

Born2Read - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind over Money: Your Path to Wealth and Happiness (Hardcover)

This book really puts into perspective the life/money relationship and is very helpful in making rational decisions when it comes to money. It also gives a great deal of tips on how to conquer and avoid financial barriers. I highly recommend this book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Book!, March 21, 2006

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mind over Money: Your Path to Wealth and Happiness (Hardcover)

I picked up this book just to review the contents and ended up reading it right there and then from cover to cover. Sound odd for a book with the subject matter being financial advice? It is, because few financial advice books are written with the heart of the everyday Joe in mind, but this one is.
Author Eric Tyson has packed his new work chock full of top of the notch information to help everyone from the everyday Joe to the multi-millionaire tycoon have a better understanding of achieving financial goals and the many pitfalls to avoid. Think this work is boring? Think again!
Our author breaks down his work down into nine chapters with subtitles after each, such as:

3 -The Workaholic: Fitting Life into Your Work (my favoritie chapter)
Why do we work so much
The Damage Done by Working So Much
Working Solutions
How Do I Know If I'm A Workaholic

I particularly enjoyed this chapter on the Workaholic because that is who I tend to be. The insight was amazing and certainly left me making a strong decision to make some changes. Excellent!

6- The Supersaver: Hoarding and Cheating
The Supersaver personality
Overcoming Oversaving

I had to giggle some in reading this chapter since I know a few people that I would personally call 'cheap,' you know the ones always afraid to buy a coke because that dollar has to be saved for the rainy day. This chapter really brings it home, as do all those inside this outstanding book.

In each chapter he talks to you not just about your money but about your life and how important it is that money does not control your life, who you think you are, or where your going. His advise helps you set priorities in order and get your financial situation to line up with your life. He shows the pitfalls of excessive spending and living beyond our means by using credit cards and explains the harm that can do. He even takes you back to your childhood and asks you to uncover any reasons why you are controlling your money the way you are, bringing to remembrance youthful memories that have now influenced your financial behavior. Interesting.
To be honest with you I have never seen a book on financial planning quite like this one. It is fresh, full of heart and has a real feel that this author actually cares if you win or lose in this game; that's something you don't see everyday. The information given is so detailed that even someone like me can pick it up and run to victory with it.
You see, this is a book that isn't all about money, but all about you first and money second. It will help you to put priorities in order, understand many pitfalls and help you avoid them, and make you think, what am I doing, where am I going, and what is important to me and what am I sacrificing to achieve that. If I were to give this book a sub-title it would have to be, "Money and Me," because our lives definitely do revolve around our money and in this work you will find how to make money work for you, not you work for money. I highly recommend this book; it is a gem and a keeper.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a find!, January 27, 2006

By 

KnoxJournalist - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind over Money: Your Path to Wealth and Happiness (Hardcover)

I picked up Tyson's book not sure about another personal finance book but this one helped me and my husband come together on our money issues. This is NOT your average personal finance book! I'm usually very reluctant on personal finance but I loved this book! Very helpful!