Money Messages: Get Out of the Red and into the Green,
Emotional and Financial Freedom to Transform Your Life
Jody Robinson
non-fiction, self help, adult and continuing education
Robinson Publications, January 13, 2020
212 pp
$14.99 Print
$5.99 Ebook
Buy on Amazon
About the Book
This isn’t just a book about money, it’s a book about the
emotional side of how we choose to live in relationship with our past stories
and money messages we’ve internalized.
With Karen Putz (best selling author of Unwrapping Your Passion), Jody Robinson
weaves stories, interviews, and practical exercises to reflect deep to
understand your relationship with money and how it is present in your life
today.
Stop listening to that voice in your head that says you’ll never make it. It’s
time to transform your Money Messages to live your financial dreams.
Filled with Jody’s personal stories, her interviews with everyday people like
you who have found financial freedom and happiness, and practical exercises to
help you reflect on your finances and set financial goals, Money Messages is
the book you should have been given in school. Once you open it, you will be
standing on the brink of your new financial future. Get ready to dive in!
My Review
“Money is a sensitive topic,” Jody Robinson says. A
self-described humanitarian and financial counselor, Robinson is a fiduciary,
certified Accredited Wealth Management Advisor, former public school educator
and librarian. Experience matters. Robinson shares from her heart and her past
situations in a well-laid out interactive workbook to encourage her readers “to
move to a better lifestyle and mindset with money.”
I found myself copying quotes every few pages. Robinson
talks the reader through a series of lessons geared to encourage a positive and
healthy, happy outlook on personal finance. Each chapter includes a section
called Reflection and Soul search with a place to jot answers. Money Messages
has three sections: Understanding Your Money Messages, Rewriting Your Money Messages,
and Investing in You. The introduction defines money message as the perceptions
about money that we’ve absorbed and developed throughout our lives. The reader
is encouraged to not only ponder but write down how we view fulfillment,
success, using money, and mistakes in money management. The goal is to think of
our lives, our money, and our time “in terms of purpose.” While pegged as a
financial management book, Robinson shows the reader how to understand our
motives and take control of our actions.
Making use of lessons she has learned from other
professionals both money managers, life coaches, clients, and even TV reality
stars, Robinson says her happiest clients are those who can save and spend as
they wish, are not jealous or lustful of others’ possessions or lifestyle, and are
not in deep credit card debt. Little quotes pegged on the pages create pleasant
visual callouts. A bonus section at the end includes advice when seeking a
financial advisor, and includes other practical tips for making the most of
what we buy.
Robinson’s friendly, folksy voice makes me trust her. From
the first inkling of money awareness to planning our last days, she shares her
own ups and downs, down-to-earth interviews, and client stories to get her
message across. About debt, Robinson says “pay it off.” A simple set of charts
help the reader visualize income and spending. If our expenses exceed our
income…the message is clear but too often ignored: Find a way to make more
money, or spend less. A few examples and exercises help the reader sort needs
and wants.
Personally, I learned that I didn’t feel deserving of
professional fees, even though I am proud of my work and do a good job. My
clients are generally happy, but I will obsess over the one person who looks
for a problem, or the one who doesn’t come back. I need to work on challenging my
message of worth, and allowing myself to shift my happiness quotient. I feel
confirmed in an earlier decision to begin scaling back and move on. Plus, plus,
plus!
Money
Messages is a great, readable book on developing positive life
habits which encompass our financial habits. Highly recommended for everyone,
high school and up, although parents who mind should be aware there is minor
cussing and some sections more suitable to adults with established careers.
About the Author
An English teacher by training, Jody Robinson bumped around
after quitting teaching, including janitorial work. She snagged a job at a
top financial software company in the Silicon Valley during the tech bubble and
bust. After moving to Chicago, the twists and turns in life led her to over a
decade of financial advising in her own practice. As a fiduciary, Jody
addresses Money Messages (perceptions of money) so people can live their best
lives.
Jody enjoys cooking, gardening, swimming, and enjoying
audiobooks. You can also find her out walking her dog or singing like a crazy
woman while driving.
