Does Money Enable Freedom?

Written by: Marjorie
June 2, 2008

It may well be that money is the root of all evil and that it can’t buy you love; its true time is more valuable than money. Then again, there are those who have a different view.

“A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of“– Jane Austen (Mansfield Park)

“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping.” – Bo Derek

“Money, if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort.” – Helen Gurley Brown

In this month’s Calm Space topic of Freedom I say I’m all for being miserable in comfort :) but more significantly, money does enable freedom. Freedom to formulate choices and the opportunity to make them.

From the woman trapped in an abusive marriage to the woman who reckons she needs 500 pairs of shoes in every colour of the rainbow; from the child dying of starvation to the child who’s deciding which private school he should attend.

Here are a small selection of titles on money as an avenue to the procurement of this genus of freedom.

The Money Club

Sheba Investment Network (SIN) is a group of women who meet once a month to have fun and make money. Money ClubNine years ago, only one of them had ever owned a share before. Now, they hold stockmarket investments that have a 30%-35% return - an excellent investment by anyone’s standard. They taught themselves how to do it, and in The Money Club they show readers how they, too, can set up their own money club.

The group was an offshoot of a book club. Its members thought, ‘If we can have fun together reading and discussing books, why don’t we expand our skills, acquire an understanding of investment, and make some money!’ And so they did. With almost half of all Australians now dabbling in the stockmarket, this subject continues to be of interest to the general public.

The book is a great, lively read - as you would expect from a group where the social aspect is as important as the money. In it, the women tell their stories, both their successes and their mistakes. It includes all the administrative aspects of running such a club as well, so all readers have to do is copy the Partnership Agreement, or follow the prompts on keeping accounts. It couldn’t be easier.

The Martha Rules

Martha Stewart is an undeniable force in the business world. One of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, she Martha Rulesturned her personal passion into a billion dollar business. Now, for the first time, Martha Stewart shares her business knowledge and advice in this handbook for success.

Tapping into her years of experience in building a thriving business, Martha will help readers identify their own entrepreneurial voice and channel their skills and passions into a successful business venture. Her advice and insight is applicable to anyone who is about to start or expand a venture of any size, but also to individuals who want to apply the entrepreneurial spirit to a job or corporation to increase innovation and maintain a competitive edge.

Featuring Martha’s top principles for success, as well as stories and anecdotes from her own experiences, The Martha Rules is sure to appeal to business readers, fans and anyone who has a great business idea of their own.

Don’t Bitch Just Get Rich

Knowing how to get rich is easy; knowing why you don’t just get up and do it is the hard bit. Seven ordinary Don't Bitchpeople addicted to bitching about their struggles to make ends meet and convinced that their lives will never be much more than sheer slog, enrol in a personal development course that changes their lives.

A philosopher-cabbie, a cynical hard-nosed English woman and her estranged husband, a middling salesman and his boss, a cafe manager and a hairdresser find themselves at the mercy of a teacher who refuses to pamper them with the usual, empty get rich prattle. Mixing fiction, experience and teaching, he leads them through ruthless self-examination, preparing them to break through the Bitch barrier to the richer world beyond.

Eventually, they face the most serious choice of their lives; either they will make the one, unbreakable, lifelong promise that will radically change the directions of their lives or they will remain forever in a state of self-induced inertia. Not all make it. Packed with common sense, original insights into human change, management and practical advice about money matters. Toney Fitzgerald keeps his own promise in the book; by the time you get to the end, you will no longer have an excuse to bitch.

The Rules of Wealth

Money - it makes the world go round. We all secretly believe that it can make us happy. After all, wouldn’t Rules of Wealthit be great to have enough of it so you don’t need to worry? Enough to buy that dream house, car, or simply enough so you don’t have to think about what you’re spending? So how do the wealthy get rich? Is it luck? Or do they know something we don’t? Yes they do, they know The Rules of Wealth.

The rules of acquiring it. The rules of growing it. The rules of keeping it. And the rules of spending it. Richard Templar is back and this time he will make you richer. Forget practical “how to reduce your weekly outgoings”, forget “how to choose a mortgage”. In his inimitable, wry style, Templar delves deeper, revealing the simple, golden rules for creating and growing wealth. Are you ready to discover the Rules to becoming a richer you?

Why We Want You to be Rich

The world is facing many challenges and one of them is financial. The entitlement mentality is epidemic, Whycreating people who expect their countries, employers or families to take care of them. Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki, both successful businessmen, are natural teachers and have joined forces to address these challenges. They believe you cannot solve money problems with money. You can only solve money problems with financial education.

Trump and Kiyosaki want to teach you to be rich. “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” They each could have written a book on the subject, but they chose instead to write a book together because of their shared passion for education and their desire to bring emphasis to the importance of financial education.

In addition they have designated a portion of the profits from each book to be donated to charitable and educational organisations that also support financial education.

Marjorie Engage Your Passion! Slim Ink Book Rental - your premium library on the internet | http://www.thecalmspace.com/about#marjorie

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