During the U S stock market rise in the late 1990s, we were all in a state of "irrational exuberance." I lost a lot of money when the technology bubble finally burst in March, 2001. I felt terrible about these losses and became paralyzed about making any money decisions for the next year. I threw all my monthly statements in a box I never looked at them. I avoided thinking about money and tried to block all these losses out of mind. I nearly went "out of my mind" until I began realize that I wasn't the only one who had gotten caught up in the good times. Slowly I began to have compassion for myself and come back to my senses. This event propelled me to write Crazy About Money so that other people might learn about thier relationship to money and avoid making big money mistakes.
In Crazy About Money, psychologist Maggie Baker helps us grapple with our “money devils.” Through her insights and exercises, we can understand more deeply and fully where our money attitudes originate, learn how to change them, and eventually become Money Masters. A priceless contribution to the field of money psychology, this book is a must-read for individuals and couples facing money conflicts or money avoidance. Mental health professionals, money coaches and financial professionals will also find it a great resource for themselves and their clients.
Olivia Mellan, psychotherapist, money coach, speaker, and author of Money Harmony, Overcoming Overspending, and Money Shy to Money Sure (with Sherry Christie) (www.moneyharmony.com)
Maggie Baker’s Crazy About Money is a critical and extremely timely contribution to dialogues about money, our number one source of stress. Bringing together personal, clinical, and behavioral finance knowledge in a clear and understandable way, Maggie suggests real solutions for individuals and families across the wealth spectrum who have difficulty dealing with money. Read this book — and insist that your financial advisors read it as well! G. Scott Budge, Ph.D., Psychologist and Managing Director, RayLign Advisory, LLC
Maggie Baker’s Crazy About Money is unique in describing how we form and act on money scripts at various stages of life, from childhood through retirement. Using her own story as well as her experience as a clinical psychologist, she has created a readable, useful book that can help you build a healthier relationship with money.
Rick Kahler, M.S., CFP ®
Kahler Financial Group and Board Member, Financial Therapy Association
Crazy About Money takes a uniquely direct approach to how and why so many of us struggle with money. Dr. Maggie Baker draws on her extensive professional experience with financial psychology and her personal journey with her own finances to teach us that a healthy relationship with money is both freeing and attainable. Her straightforward tell-it-like-it-is style makes this book a great read for anyone looking to understand his/her own attitudes and spending habits. For the financial professional, this book is a valuable tool to help build a strong, open and honest dialogue with clients.
Leslie Gordon Mayer, Ph.D. President &CEO, Mayer Leadership Group; Fellow, WhartonSchool of Business
What about this: In Crazy About Money, Dr. Maggie Baker taps into her 30 years of counseling clients and distills her advice into an entertaining blend of actual cases, why we REALLY see talking about our money as the last taboo, and what just understanding what money type we are is so important to understanding why we handle it the way we do. Those childhood experiences with money, and how they fit into the rest of our background, doom us to being enslaved by old and destructive patterns until we see them, clearly. Because we see other people’s cases, we can painlessly recognize our own money blind spots. As a person who has worked with couples and individuals full-time for 15 years, I find this book is the most down-to-earth, absolutely useful tool I’ve seen. Financial advisors will find it indispensable, and will want to hand copies to clients, for sure. Funny, humane, and to the point, this will be the most fun you’ve had while learning why we act as we do. This will be a bible for anyone who teaches or counsels people about their money. Kent Engelke,Managing Partner and Chief Strategist, Capitol Securities Management and quoted often on the Dow Jones newswire.