Description
An NPR "Best Books of 2023" Pick
A leading financial expert breaks down the personal, cultural, and societal forces that have led us to falsely believe we can never have, do, or be enough, and shows us a fresh new path toward “MoneyZen”—her joy-based approach to living a life rich in financial health and emotional wealth.
For anyone who has ever felt that they can never measure up, MoneyZen is your cure.
No matter your age, income, or profession, it’s all too easy to fall prey to the false belief that the amount of money you earn, or accomplishments you achieve, or praise you receive is just Never Enough. In MoneyZen, financial industry veteran Manisha Thakor candidly shares how she overcame toxic behaviors around work, money, and prestige that had threatened her relationships, her health, and her career, told alongside the inspiring stories of individuals from all walks of life who reveal their own struggles with “Never Enough.”
Through Thakor’s interviews with a wide range of interdisciplinary experts, you’ll learn how personal traumas, cultural influences, societal pressures, and even our own biology have conspired to make us believe that “more” is the answer to all our problems. And you’ll discover a unique way to reclaim your life using a formula that’s ultimately rooted in less: Financial Health + Emotional Wealth = MoneyZen.
The result is a powerful, research-based framework for getting off the hamster wheel of 24/7 striving so you can start to live a life fueled by authentic joy, connection, and meaning.
About the Author
Manisha Thakor has worked in financial services for more than thirty years, with an emphasis on women’s economic empowerment. A nationally recognized thought-leader in this space, Thakor has been featured in a wide range of publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, NPR, PBS, CNN, Real Simple, and Women’s Health. Prior to writing MoneyZen, Thakor co-authored two personal finance books for women in their twenties and thirties. Today her work focuses on helping women of all ages to balance financial health and emotional wealth. Thakor earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and BA from Wellesley College. She splits her time between Portland, Oregon and rural Maine. Her website is MoneyZen.com.
Praise For…
“Why are so many of us unhappy and exhausted? In this honest, provocative, and intelligent book, Manisha delivers a powerful answer: We are devout followers of the Cult of Never Enough. MoneyZen is an essential book for anyone who wants to reimagine their relationship with work and money, create more time for the things that really matter, and live a happier, more meaningful life.” — Ashley Whillans, professor, Harvard Business School and author of Time Smart
"Manisha has a rare gift for digging beyond the cursory to get to the underlying—often messy—truth about what's really holding people back from living their best financial and emotional lives. In a world of non-stop comparison that subliminally encourages people to equate their self-worth with their net worth, it is all too easy to fall prey to 'Never Enough' thinking. In MoneyZen, Manisha teaches us how to liberate ourselves from this destructive world view and create lives rich in financial health and emotional wealth." — Jean Chatzky, CEO and founder, HerMoney Media
“Many of us struggle to figure out how work and the rest of life should fit together. In this thought-provoking book, Manisha shares wise advice on how strengthening our financial health and our emotional wealth in concert can lead us to a place that neither factor can totally reach on their own." — Laura Vanderkam, author of Tranquility by Tuesday and Juliet’s School of Possibilities
“Hiding behind the hungry ghosts of money, fame, and power lies one that is even more subversive: worry. Specifically about whether we have enough or are ourselves enough. Manisha Thakor’s MoneyZen is the perfect prescription to uproot your deepest money fears once and for all. Through vulnerable stories combined with practical strategies, Manisha gives us all permission to finally drop our financial self-worth scorecard.” — Jenny Blake, podcaster and author of Free Time, Pivot, and Life After College
“Too many professionals are caught in a never-ending trap of seeking 'more.' Manisha Thakor provides a way out—a sustainable path to building the lives and careers we want.” — Dorie Clark, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game and executive education faculty, Duke University Fuqua School of Business
"If 'doing it all' so you can 'have it all' was a successful strategy for health and happiness, it should have worked by now. Our exhaustion, sense of overwhelm, and joylessness begs us to take a very different route. MoneyZen offers you a seat on the life raft of ENOUGH. Get on it." — Mary LoVerde, work/life balance expert and author of I Used To Have a Handle on Life and It Broke
"MoneyZen is a manifesto for finding calm, confidence, and clarity around the role work and money should play in our lives. Drawing on her years of expertise, Manisha proves it’s never too late—and never too early—to embrace the MoneyZen mindset. An empowering must-read." — Deepa Purushothaman, author of The First, The Few, The Only
"A potent call to get away from one’s desk." — Publishers Weekly
"I feel personally attacked by this book. I picked it up hoping for some helpful perspective on personal finance—and I got that. But what MoneyZen is really about is our deeply harmful obsession with work. In her decades in finance, Manisha Thakor worked herself into the ground—damaging relationships and becoming so physically sick from stress that she had to take months off. And health statistics suggest that she’s not the only one. Even if your work obsession is less severe, it’s nice to be reminded that life has value and meaning outside the workplace." — Lauren Migaki, NPR, senior producer