Mindful money - Jonathan K DeYoe

As the Buddhist practice of mindfulness takes root in Western culture, publishers relentlessly churn out mindfulness-themed books on topics such as mindful sports, mindful leadership, mindful parenting, mindful eating, and more. Unfortunately, these titles leave out a huge aspect of modern life: money! Author Jonathan DeYoe, an experienced financial planner and practicing Buddhist, aims to remedy the problem with Mindful Money, a guide to managing finances in accordance with Buddhist principles. Mindful Money comprises three basic sections: "Unmasking Illusions," "Defining Happiness," and "Making a Plan." Mindful Money begins by debunking common money myths (e.g. investing is the same thing as speculating) and shows how those illusions lead to mindless spending, procrastination, and risky investments.
From there, the author moves beyond finance and examines the legitimate motives for acquiring money, showing how sound money management fits into the overall goal of a happy life. In the final section, Mindful Money gets into the nuts-and-bolts details of financial planning. Here, Jonathan DeYoe draws upon his two decades of industry experience as he walks the reader through basic concepts of financial planning in chapters devoted to investing for retirement, creating an emergency fund, paying off high-interest debt, and so on. Mindful Money contains no gimmicks or get-rich-quick schemes;; instead, it promotes a levelheaded, disciplined approach to building wealth without compromising our spiritual values. In the end, DeYoe's overarching message is that money is merely a tool for achieving our goals and not a measure of our self-worth. When we understand the true nature of money, we can put it into proper perspective and not let it rule our lives. By following the author's program, we can achieve greater peace of mind and attain a valuable non-material good - what DeYoe calls "the happiness dividend."