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

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

Book Description

Release date: October 3, 2008

—The Wall Street Journal

Ebenezer Scrooge would seem an unlikely source from which to glean financial wisdom. However, Dickens' classic tale of how Scrooge left behind his miserly ways and transformed into a joyful, compassionate and generous man 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 five principles of financial prosperity, how to leave a family legacy of financial wellness.

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 )

The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge packs a powerful punch. I found it to be one of the most entertaining 'money psychology' books I've read.
--Gerri Detweiler, host, Everyday Wealth Radio (Gerri Detweiler host, Everyday Wealth Radio )

This rather unique book deals not only with net worth but self-worth. It will help many people learn how to see and live with money not just for money's sake but as a way to free their inner-selves with a guiltless freedom borne of financial security.
--Steve Bucci,  President, Money Management International Financial Education Foundation and syndicated "Debt Adviser" columnist (Steve Bucci "Dept Adviser" columnist )

About the Author

Ted Klontz, Ph.D., is the President of Klontz Coaching & Consulting (www.klontzcoaching.com) and a noted pioneer in bending the fields of psychotherapy and financial planning. He is a speaker, workshop leader, and has an active private coaching/consulting practice. Ted has been a contributor and coauthor of a number of books, including Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul and Facilitating Financial Health. His work has been featured in Wynonna Judd's best-selling book Coming Home To Myself, and he has been a guest on Today and Naomi's New Morning on the Hallmark Channel.

Brad Klontz, Psy.D., is the 2008 President of the Hawaii Psychological Association. He is a licensed clinical psychologist, speaker, researcher, consultant, columnist, and personal coach. The CEO of Klontz Coaching & Consulting (www.klontzcoaching.com), Brad has been published in numerous professional journals. He is a leading expert in the psychology of money whose work has been featured on NPR and in the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. He is the coauthor of Facilitating Financial Health and the creator of the Financial Health Scale.

Rick Kahler, CFP®, MS, ChFC, CCIM, launched his professional career in real estate at age eighteen and went on to earn a master's degree in personal financial planning. He founded Kahler Financial Group in 1981 and became South Dakota's first fee-only financial planner in 1983. Between 1998 and 2003, he served as a member and then chairman of the South Dakota Investment Council. He oversaw a six-billion-dollar portfolio and was widely recognized for making exemplary strides in a time of unprecedented market volatility.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 151 pages
• Publisher: HCI; Reprint edition (October 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757307663
• ISBN-13: 978-0757307669
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 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: #330,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

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

By P. Brown

Format: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

Format: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

Format: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.