Matching money with meaning can be one of the biggest challenges for financial planners. Building wealth is the means to reach an end goal, not the end goal in itself. The end goal is to have a fulfilling life, free of any financial worries.
The Geometry of Wealth, written by Brian Portnoy, explores the concepts of ‘more’ and ‘enough’ when it comes to financial wealth
The Geometry of Wealth
There are plenty of books on the market that bridge the gap between wealth and purpose, including the book Wealth with Purpose, written by David Andrew who is a certified financial planner from Australia. For investors who are interested in learning more about the subject, there is a new book on the market called The Geometry of Wealth, written by Brian Portnoy, who is an expert in financial planning.
In the book, the author explores the concepts of ‘more’ and ‘enough’ when it comes to financial wealth. As humans, wanting more in life and being happy with what we have are two of the most deep-rooted evolutionary instincts. But in order to live a fulfilling life, we must learn to strike a balance between the two.
In a recent interview, author Brian explains his motivation behind the new book, why it is important to develop a connection between wealth and happiness, and how we can achieve the right balance between wanting more and being content with what we already have.
Why He Wrote This Book
As a financial planning expert, Brian gets a lot of questions from his clients about money-related decisions and how they can lead to happiness.
This led him to dig a little deeper to find the answers. He talked to a number of financial advisers and clients about the psychology behind financial planning, but most of the responses he received were technical, ‘in-the-weeds’ explanations that talked about investing, understanding the markets and building wealth.
But very few people he talked to were able to build a connection between money and living a life filled with contentment and happiness.
Anyone who has a savings account or a retirement fund has invested in a mutual fund but most people don’t care much about the stock market returns. They only want to know if their future is going to be secured. As they grow older and amass more responsibilities, this concern becomes all the more pressing.
Brian has children of his own and he often worries if they’ll be able to afford the quality of life they wish for. In order to answer some of the questions surrounding money and financial planning that most people struggle with, Brian chose to write the book, The Geometry of Wealth.
We are often taught that money is the only accurate way to measure our self-worth, which is why most people will never be satisfied with what they have
How Money Can Lead to Happiness
Most people want to know how money can play a role in creating happiness in life. To answer this question, the author first makes a crucial distinction between being rich and being wealthy. People who are rich do have a lot of money, but their quest for more is never-ending, therefore their money never really leads to life of satisfaction and fulfillment.
On the other hand, wealth is rooted in the idea of contentment. In his book, Brian focuses on the ‘four Cs’: control (in the form of self-direction), connection (relationship with others), context (a sense of purpose that exceeds your own being) and competence. When you align your money – whether in the form of investing, saving, spending or earning – with these four Cs, it is possible to become wealthy and live a life of contentment.
How Much Money is Enough?
Our society teaches us that money is the only accurate way to measure our self-worth, which is why most people will never be satisfied with what they have.
But if you think about the things that add true meaning to your life, you’ll quickly realize that money isn’t the only thing you need in life to be happy. Of course, it does play a very important role – but to what extent? That is what you’ll need to determine in order to find out how much money is considered ‘enough’ for you.
