Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence

Description

A book advocating a frugal approach to personal finance. CONTENTS Preface to the New Edition xv Prologue * Why Read This Book? xxiii 1. The Money Trap: The Old Road Map for Money 1 Step 1: Making Peace with the Past 29 A. How Much Have You Earned in Your Life? 30 B. What Have You Got to Show for It? 33 2. Money Ain't What it Used to Be -- and Never Was 40 Step 2: Being in the Present--Tracking Your Life Energy 59 A. How Much Are You Trading Your Life Energy For? 59 B. Keep Track of Every Cent That Comes Into or Goes Out of Your Life 69 3. Where Is It All Going? 76 Step 3: Monthly Tabulation 82 4. How Much Is Enough? The Nature of Fulfillment 109 Step 4: Three Questions That Will Transform Your Life 112 Question 1: Did I Receive Fulfillment, Satisfaction, and Value in Proportion to Life Energy Spent? 113 Question 2: Is This Expenditure of Life Energy in Alignment with My Values and Life Purpose? 118 Question 3: How Might This Expenditure Change If I Didn't Have to Work for a Living? 127 5. Seeing Progress 146 Step 5: Making Life Energy Visible 146 6. The American Dream--on a Shoestring 166 Step 6: Valuing Your Life Energy--Minimizing Spending 170 7. For Love or Money: Valuing Life Energy-- Work and Income 219 Step 7: Valuing Your Life Energy--Maximizing Income 247 8. The Crossover Point: The Pot of Gold at the End of the Wall Chart 259 Step 8: Capital and the Crossover Point 263 9. Now That You've Got It, What Are You Going to Do with It? 292 Step 9: Managing Your Finances 292 Epilogue. Nine Magical Steps to Create a New Road Map 328 Resources 337 Notes 345 Index 353