All books about managing personal money seem to come down to fundamentally the same principles, because there are only so many ways to save it and manage it. But there are huge differences in approach in terms of what kind of life you want, what you are willing to do in order to make money, and what your emotional attitude is toward making, spending, saving and investing money.

It must have been pointed out a million times now that Americans in general have not been saving money, and that boomers in particular are ill-prepared for retirement. As always, this is more descriptive of women because we have generally earned less, invested less, and have learned to have less confidence in our financial intelligence. For those of us living without a second income, this can be an especially serious problem as we get older in an unstable economy with costs rising continually.

Lots of us are a little nervous or downright scared about our financial futures. And every single one of these resources will make the same point - because of the way compound interest works, you simply cannot afford to put off getting your finances in order. If you are in this situation, whatever the reason, this is the moment to face the reality of your situation and begin to turn it around.

Of course many of these books are written by investment counselors, and they are pretty clear that you need one. If that’s within your means, good! However, you still need to take responsibility for your money and understand what a financial consultant is recommending, why, and be sure it's in your best interests.

If professional help is not in your budget, that is really not an excuse! Then you simply must learn to do this yourself - and you don't have to do it alone.  Invest in more than one of these books and begin the process of clarifying your goals and organizing your spending and saving. Get some friends together to set financial goals and help each other work toward them, check out online groups [see sidebar for links]. If you are an UnconventionalWoman member, indicate in your personal profile or advertise in the Forum that you are interested in a goal group focused on money.  Addressing your financial situation could be the most important thing you do for your present calm and future happiness.

There are basically three approaches:

• Get clear on your values, figure out what you need to have in order to become financially independent and live the kind of life you want, set those goals, plan how you can achieve those goals. This is more easily achievable if you drop out of the status game and simplify your life. This approach makes time the core value. If you are not trading the hours of your life for money but are doing what you want, whether it is working at a profession you love, studying, gardening, caregiving, art, or social action, you have freedom. Your Money or Your Life is the best guide for this choice.
• Go for the gold, leap the hurdles - aim at finding a way to make as much money as you can so you can use it to live your dreams and take action in the world. This approach puts money as a resource as the core value. Undoubtedly you will need to put massive time into making money, if possible doing something you love and believe in. Once you have money, and understand how to use it, you have power to arrange your own life and contribute to society however you wish. All of Barbara Stanny’s books address this choice.
• Shift from the left brain to the right brain and focus on your attitude toward money. Money is just energy, like everything else in the world that appears to the five senses to be material. What attitudes and beliefs might you have inherited from your family or learned from your own experience which are blocking your ability to do what you need to do in order to receive more money?  This approach makes your passion for your work the core value, and receiving money the inevitable result of clearing your inhibiting beliefs. Attracting Abundance is the best guide for this approach

Likewise, if leaping into the fray and earning bundles of cash appeals to you, you are probably already making enough money -  perhaps at some cost to other aspects of your life - and you might want to read Your Money or Your Life for its discussion on prioritizing your values.

Written by Lisa Wagner

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