cover image The Cure for Money Madness: Break Your Bad Money Habits, Live Without Financial Stress—and Make More Money!

The Cure for Money Madness: Break Your Bad Money Habits, Live Without Financial Stress—and Make More Money!

Spencer Sherman, . . Broadway, $24.95 (233pp) ISBN 978-0-7679-2855-7

Sherman, founder and CEO of a small financial firm, offers sage and soothing advice for taking the emotional factor out of making money decisions. “Money madness” is the author's diagnosis for the unhealthy behaviors that stem from seeing how money was handled in childhood households and linger long into adulthood: e.g., the inability to talk about money, compulsive spending and debt, the conviction that no amount of money can keep one secure enough, ruthless self-measurement in terms of wealth. Sherman describes how these neuroses can impair income and undermine net worth by adversely influencing the financial decisions people make and keeping them in a state of anxiety, avoidance and fear. A series of scripts and charts offer strategies for tackling such common issues as credit card debt and portfolio diversification. Less a treasure trove of new information, this book provides a sensible framework to understand—and conquer—the emotions and habits that hold individuals back from financial freedom and security. (Feb.)