Money and the People You Love

Book excerpt: As a financial adviser, one of the simple truths Bruce Helmer has learned is that relationships are the single greatest influence on how people use their money and plan for the future. When people talk about their hopes and dreams, they talk about the people they love. Their future, the life they wish to live, is always full of the people most important to them. They don't talk first about dollars and cents, Dow Jones averages, or bond yields. They talk about a spouse, a parent, a child. When imagining their financial futures, even those without family often focus on others, such as employees, friends, faith communities, and charities. In Money and the People You Love Helmer outlines a new way to approach financial planning based on this important and nearly universal principle.