What Will I Do With My Money
One of the things that has both fascinated and frustrated me in 15 plus years of teaching about money management is this: While it's relatively easy to teach people the how-to's of wise money management, it's often really hard to get them to do. Of course, the how-to's are necessary, but it's also important that we understand our attitudes and beliefs about money--"where we're coming from" with regard to money--because this is the stuff that so often interferes with the best laid plans.
Five years ago, I started to study the impact that our personality type has on how we manage money and some new light bulbs went off. Many of the money-related conflicts in marriage, for example, are based on the frustrations of wanting to other person to change certain habits. Learning how to utilize each person's inherent strengths, and learning how to manage each person's weaknesses could help people avoid some of those conflicts.
Understanding our personality type is a fascinating journey of discovery, and Ray Linder is an excellent guide. He's an authority on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, one of the most widely used approaches to personality types. His book, What Will I Do With My Money, is a great resource for understanding the impact that our personality type has on our financial behaviors, and for learning how to make the most of our type.
If you're looking for quick money management tips, this is not the book for you. But if you're willing to do a little work (the book contains over 10 self-assessments), you're in for some powerful, life-changing insights that'll help you understand the motives behind some of your financial tendencies.
Matt About Money
- Diet is Not a Four-Letter Word; Fresh Foods for Less; Economizing in a Tough Economy; and more in the latest issue of the Matt About Money eNewsletter.
“We had Matt come and speak at our Generosity Conference. He did our Debt Reduction breakout session, and Matt delivered the perfect balance of scriptural basis, practical tools, and humor for an excellent presentation. Our attenders not only raved about the session for weeks afterward, but they have put many of his tools into practice and are challenging one another through their small groups. I’d recommend Matt for any gathering dealing with stewardship and finances, especially as it relates to debt reduction and financial freedom.”