Money Happiness

Wealth means different things to different people. That's why the road to financial happiness begins with identifying your values. When you know what you believe and are focused on your highest priorities, you have control. You can earn, spend, save, and invest in meaningful and effective ways. You can banish money anxiety forever. You can manage your money so that it reflects your energy, imagination, and passion.

In Money and Happiness, award-winning print and television journalist Laura Rowley reveals the secret to financial happiness: aligning your money and your values.Through powerful stories of real women—their money choices, how money has shaped their lives, and how they've used it to facilitate their genuine happiness—Rowley skillfully details the practical financial tools and positive strategies you need to create "the good life" in a meaningful way.

As the personal finance columnist for Self, a women's magazine with over 5 million readers, Laura Rowley has corresponded with many women who are ambitious, educated, and earn competitive salaries. And yet many feel overwhelmed by money and don't understand how to manage their money so it maximizes their happiness.

From self-assessment tests to checklists for analyzing your spending patterns, this book will give you the financial knowledge you need to succeed. But first, you'll find tools to help you discover the source of your values—family, community, and personality—and learn how your experiences and character come together to create a larger belief system about money. Here's where Money and Happiness moves on to discuss other important financial issues, such as:

• Controlling your spending habits, paying off debts,and improving your credit score

• Saving now for what you value most and the countlessways to make your money grow for your golden years

• The risks and rewards of the investment opportunitiesavailable to you

• "Money milestones"—marriage, changing jobs,buying real estate, and having children