How Much Is Enough? Why Money and Success Don't Equal Happiness...and How to Discover What Does

by Pamela York Klainer

Whether we are CEOs of our own start-ups, senior executives with stock-option packages, or keepers of modest 401(k) accounts who watch the NASDAQ with terror, our relationship to money and work... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465037488
• ISBN13: 9780465037483
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

If you ask yourself "why am I doing all this?" Read the book

Everyone can identify with the compelling stories Klainer shares with her audience. I found the writing easy to read and the honesty quite engaging. It is the type of book one wants to read over and over at different stages of life and I suspect new riches are uncovered each time. Great work!

This book is more than enough!!

I so enjoyed Dr. Klainer's unique and inspiring take on a subject that has been written to death about. This is a refreshing look at the psychological symbolism that money holds over us. Dr. Klainer rightly asserts that to understand your money behavior in a logical and powerful way you must first become aware of your own personal money story. She demonstrates the concepts of her book by relating personal and professional storiesof her own as well as the clients she has worked with in her executive coaching practice. This is done in an engaging and interesting way. The diversity of the people presented, black,white,rich and poor helps any reader find a story to relate to. There are suggestions and focused exercizes to encourage you to uncover your own money story. A useful and important addition to the other more traditional financial advice books already in your library.

An "AHA" moment!

WOW!Pam Klainer has written a book that breaks new ground.Many authors have written on the subject of "how to get ahead", how to "empower yourself" to realize wealth and success, but Dr. Klainer has found the words to uncover an essential piece of human discovery that is yet uncovered in this genre.The likes of Napoolean Hill, Covey, Blanchard, Dyer, Robbins and their peers have contributed much to the understanding of the human condition, but Klainer's work breaks new ground.Her simple, yet essential, insight into the role each person's "money story" plays in his/her life, in their happiness and their definition of "success" is a must read for anyone who is motivated to find happiness and purpose in life.My reaction, after reading nearly every book known on the subject, was "where has she been? Why has this key insight not been put to words before?"Dr. Klainer shares her insights through the real life stories of friends, clients, colleagues and national models of success. She shares her insight from years experience as a financial advisor, executive coach and friend to other self-made people.Whether you are the beneficiary of inherited wealth,creator of new-found money, or simply long to build a successful money story for yourself, this book is a MUST READ.Do yourself the favor. Put down whatever you are reading and order this book.Thank you. Dr. Klainer, for helping me to discover my "money story" and freeing me to realize that the equation is not "money + success = happiness," but rather that "money, success, then happiness" is a formula everyone can define for themselves!

Pam Klainer asks questions we've been waiting for

Pam Klainer's book is both readable and profound. I couldn't wait to get back to it each evening last week. She gets right to the point while making no judgements. Money is part of our life -- in good times and troubled times -- and each of us has our own "money story". She asks the best questions that really, really make you think about your own life. This is not a "How to..." kind of book. And it definitely won't give you "10 Steps to Happiness". But you will want to talk about it -- so buy 2 copies. One for yourself and one for the person you enjoy talking to or need to talk to. You will finally talk about the important stuff in your life. Pam includes stories that engage your imagination and asks questions that engage your heart, mind, and your spirit. Parts of the book are almost like a workbook. If you are reading it by yourself, you might want to take notes or keep a journal. Pam offers questions, ideas and concepts that need to be discussed because they impact how we relate to those closest to us. This book is also an excellent resource for any couple about to combine their financial resources or for any household of people trying to come to terms with their different attitudes about money.

More to Life

Dr. Klainer uses her wit and wisdom to lead us through a process. Through tales and lessons, we start to think of money as more than just an end to a means but form a "biography" of why we accumulate or spend as we do. The reader gets a sense of what our core values are in life and how money adds or detracts from it. When you get to the point in life when cash is more than just a survival tool, you can use the common sense approach of "How Much is Enough" to make life choices. It begins to make sense...why we spend, why we save, how we plan for the future or ignore the fact that money can ever run out. This is a book you need to read more than once. You will change as you move forward in life and you'll need to do a money attitude tune up every so often. Klainer can help you make choices with a caring voice and a steady guiding hand. A good read and a great gift for anyone who really does have it all.