The truth is, your environment and your upbringing has an effect on your finances. Everyone brings their own thoughts and feelings into the decisions that they make with their money. Finance for the People does an excellent job in getting the reader to address their belief systems around money so that they can step into their power, all while navigating an unequal system. This is not a typical finance book that just tells you how to invest, budget, and save. Instead, Paco de Leon takes into account the world we all exist in and gives practical advice about how to make it anyway.
You will walk away from this book with a better understanding of why you feel the way you feel about money and what to actually do about it. With chapters on various types of debt, investing, and savings strategies, this is a book for people who are starting their financial wellness journeys and features some pretty fun illustrations along the way.
Paco de Leon does a great job in talking through how you can navigate within a system that is set up to take advantage of you. She says herself that she does not have all the answers but she gives you very practical advice in 'how to play the game' of the financial world.
“Sometimes dealing with debt requires us to take responsibility of the position we’re in, even if the circumstance or situation is not entirely our fault.”
Finances can often feel overwhelming and many people are not sure where to start. This book gives you realistic and specific steps to start to take control.
Emotions and beliefs play into every step of your financial wellness journey. How you feel about money impacts the choices that you make. Here are some common thoughts people may have based on their beliefs:
Earning money is hard and I will never be able to retire
The system has set me up to fail
There is always an emergency around the corner and I can never save because of it
VS
I am good at my job and can use that knowledge to move up and make more money
I understand the system and can use it to my advantage
My priority is saving for an emergency and I will set aside some wants for that need
Reading the differences in these thoughts feels obvious, maybe, but these bigger thoughts seep into your everyday decisions. Paco de Leon does a great job in picking through these belief systems while validating your experiences – yes, the system is difficult and not made for the average person to succeed AND there are things you can do about it. You are not stuck.
If you are looking for a beginner friendly book on where to start, what things mean, and how you can begin to control of your financial life, there are multiple chapters that dig into the true processes of these. Paco de Leon does a great job in explaining how to:
Whether it is getting out of debt, building up emergency savings, or just trying to be less overwhelmed with the state of your bank account - even if you are having a hard time deciding what is going wrong - this book is for you.
Getting 'a grip' on your finances when you are young will set you up to be the most successful. Take care of your money beliefs early so that you can move forward, take your power, and not let your bank account rule your life.
Even if you are have a comfortable retirement account, a home that you love, and you car paid off, Finance for the People takes time to address the beliefs people have around money - good and bad - and how it can affect you in ways you never would have realized.
Paco de Leon is an author and illustrator with over 16 years of experience in the financial world. She has held various jobs in financial services – from debt collector to financial planner and throughout that time, came to realizations about money and belief systems. Looking for more from Paco? You can also listen to her podcast, Weird Finance and read her monthly advice column on Refinery 29.
Learn more about Paco de Leon and get the first two chapters of their book, here: https://thehellyeahgroup.com/
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