The Mindful Money Guide: Creating Harmony Between Your Values and Your Finances [Paperback]

Marshall Glickman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 1999

Money and conscience are often at odds--but now with this practical, easy-to-follow guide you can create a balance between strong financial health and a rich, meaningful life.

Why is it so difficult to stop seeing the world in terms of money--who has it, who doesn't, what things cost? How much is enough? After several years as a stockbroker on Wall Street, Marshall Glickman left the fiscal stress behind and moved to the serenity of Vermont. There he re-evaluated his relationship with money. Now, in The Mindful Money Guide, Glickman shares his unique, practical approach to reconciling your money with your ideals. Along with sound advice on how to save for college, finance a car, and invest in the stock market, this holistic strategy will help you to

- Learn the crucial difference between what you want and what you need
- Remove the anxiety--and dread--from money management
- Develop benign and effective financial tactics for every stage of your life
- Reconcile your social and environmental concerns with your cash flow
- Spend your money while making the world a better place
- Change the socially irresponsible policies of corporations whose stock you own
- Integrate your holistic principles into decisions about insurance, real estate, educating your children, retirement, wills, and much more!

A reassuring, practical resource, The Mindful Money Guide offers you a transforming opportunity--to develop a wise financial plan while maintaining your principles.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Take it from a Wall Street stockbroker turned Vermont environmental activist: Life is about more than just making money. In The Mindful Money Guide, Marshall Glickman lays out a "holistic" approach to wealth. "Holistic money is about striking an appropriate balance: finding that golden mean--between a life that neither bows down to money nor neglects financial responsibilities; getting a good return for yourself without forgetting about others; between curbing materialistic impulses without becoming austere or stingy," Glickman writes. In a New Age twist to personal finance, he talks of "the cosmic laws of money," "tax yoga," and socially responsible investing to make "Wall Street gurus green--with envy."

But behind the philosophical musings is some practical advice. Glickman tells you how to cut consumption as a way to boost your bottom line and save the environment. He explains how to reduce your taxes while increasing charitable contributions. He even advocates owning stock in some of the worst polluters, like General Electric, and exercising your rights as a shareholder to bring about change. Glickman, publisher of the magazine Green Living and treasurer of a $7 million natural-foods cooperative, left a career as a stockbroker in the 1980s after saving $135,000. He practices what he now preaches. But he concedes to an ongoing struggle between being mindful of money and becoming obsessed through greed or stinginess. While Glickman targets people with likeminded philosophies, the book can help anyone make money with a conscience. --Dan Ring

From Publishers Weekly

In this latest addition to the kinder, gentler personal finance shelf, Glickman, a former stockbroker who is publisher of the environmental journal Green Living, offers a holistic mix of money and lifestyle advice. For Glickman, money is a means to enjoying ones life, not an end in itself. The heart of Glickmans message: be mindful of the environment and the world at large whenever youre making financial decisions. Instead of buying everything at a large superstore, patronize a small independent. Dont buy all your tools; share them with a neighbor. Since daily life can be daunting enough, investing, spending and tax issues as should be kept as straightforward as possible. Glickman also faults some of the simplicity gurus who fail to critique the culture of disposable, nonearth-friendly products and practices that drive our economy. The specific personal finance advice isnt original, and, despite chapters on Giving it Away, Glickman includes some of the same tightwad advice that he criticizes in others. Nevertheless, he does offer some insightful recommendations for socially responsible investments and charitable donations, and he includes effective exercises on how to find work that is truly rewarding.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: Wellspring/Ballantine; 1St Edition edition (May 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345430506
• ISBN-13: 978-0345430502
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #872,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book; Great Advice, June 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mindful Money Guide: Creating Harmony Between Your Values and Your Finances (Paperback)

The Mindful Money Guide is a wonderful book. It's clear, funny, and wise. In the tradition of Andrew Tobias's The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need, the financial advice makes good practical sense and you're happy to read it--sometimes even laughing out loud. The biggest differences between this and Tobias' book is The Mindful Money Guide has a social conscience, it brings more awareness of the nonfinancial issues that create a sense of well-being, and it's more comprehensive. Read it and pass the word.

65 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing really new in here, April 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mindful Money Guide: Creating Harmony Between Your Values and Your Finances (Paperback)

After reading "Your Money or Your Life" by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin and the "Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn, both of which I found revoluntionary and greatly inspiring, this book fell flat.

There is nothing in this book that couldn't be gleaned from a few basic investment and financial advice books with a little social conscience thrown in. Why not try Charles Given's "Financial Self-Defense" or "Charles Schwab's Guide to Financial Independence"? They cover everything in Mr. Glickman's book and then some.

As far as his money-saving tips for around the house, yes! it is good advice. Did you know that buying energy-efficient appliances can save you money in the long run? (A revelation). I guess this is good stuff for people who really aren't paying attention to such things, but then again, people like that generally don't bother reading books about how to be financially responsible or how to retire early. They're too busy working to keep up with those credit card payments...

Personally, I would have found it INFINITELY more interesting if the author explained to his dear readers how he managed to "retire" on $135,000 at the age of 24. Even at a 10% yearly return, this is only a $13,500 a year income. Not to mention, he has a wife and two kids? How did he manage it? (He writes financial advice books, I guess!)

To add insult to injury, he advises his readers how to calculate their retirement income - at age 65! I plan on retiring FAR earlier than that. Mr. Glickman certainly did.

This book provides the same cliched advice you can find just about anywhere these days, but without adding anything really interesting or new. For those looking for something with REAL answers on how to get out of the rat race, why not read Janet Luhr's "The Simple Living Guide"? For example, she has a whole chapter devoted to inexpensive, alternative housing that REALLY can make a difference in your lifestyle and values.

The author of this book dispenses lots of advice, and a lot of it IS very good, it's just that it isn't very revoluntionary, inspiring or heart-warming.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hit the Perfect Chord, April 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mindful Money Guide: Creating Harmony Between Your Values and Your Finances (Paperback)

I loved The Mindful Money Guide. It's humor, economy, and wisdom were a delight. I appreciated how the book synthesized the best of the alternative financial books, while still being fresh and original. Do note in some ways the book is subtle, it's not intended for those looking to get rich fast or retire young. Rather it's aim is to help the reader find financial security (both fiscal and psychological) and meaningful work without becoming obsessed with money or neglecting their social conscience. It's about balance. Since that's what I was looking for, the book struck a chord in me. And unlike so many other financial guides, it's fun to read. I've been heartily recommending it to my friends--and getting good feedback from any who've read it.