Making good money decisions takes more than sober calculation and information-gathering, say the authors of these forthcoming personal finance titles. It also requires understanding the emotional aspects of one’s financial life and coming to terms with any trauma one might have about money. These books work to settle nerves and balance sheets.
Deeper Than Money
Elise, host of the Deeper Than Money podcast, decries two common types of money anxiety: austere self-deprivation and guilt over a less-than-perfect financial history. Aimed at younger women who want to shore up their future without subsisting on ramen, Elise’s debut urges readers to eschew dreary restrictions in favor of creating rules that make sense for them.
A Healthy State of Panic
Journalist and So Money podcast host Torabi’s immigrant family taught her to be cautious and take no chances, a fear-driven message that colored how she approached life and money. As an adult, she discovered that fear had actually given her the tools to achieve financial stability and help others do the same. Torabi covers nine common fears (e.g., rejection, missing out, uncertainty) and how mastering them can benefit both one’s mood and one’s wallet.
Make Money Move
Simmons, host of the Money Moves podcast—and the youngest-ever equities trader to work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange—offers simple advice for dealing with topics such as debt and investing, aimed in particular at readers conventionally underserved by the personal finance industry. Her goal is to improve readers’ mental health as well as their bank balances. “Financial wellness,” she writes, “means freedom for your body and freedom for your mind.”
Mindful Investing
In a follow-up to 2017’s Mindful Money, financial adviser DeYoe draws on Buddhist principles to help readers tone down money anxiety and to avoid expensive mistakes. By acknowledging emotions without judging or becoming enmeshed in them, he says, readers can avoid some of the most common potholes of investing.
Money Out Loud
Podcaster and financial literacy educator Anat starts with the basics, explaining budgeting, savings, and a banking system that can be intimidating to young adults who don’t know an IRA from APY. The first step to financial health, she says, is talking about it and owning up to debt and gaps in knowledge. The book then takes up what to do from there.
MoneyZen
Thakor, a financial services veteran and the author of Get Financially Naked, offers advice on ditching toxic attitudes and approaching money from a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. She calls on readers to consider both their financial health and emotional wealth to achieve fear-free money management.
Naked Money Meetings
Marital money disputes often have root causes unrelated to finances, says financial educator Kelly. This follow-up to 2021’s Get the Hell Out of Debt encourages couples to have frank discussions about mental blocks, flawed financial beliefs, and awkward communication habits—whether between the bedsheets or in a budget spreadsheet.
