Views on money are vast. Start a conversation about any aspect of money and you’ll soon have people offer up their views, opinions, and expertise. Our culture has even come up with some popular money phrases that are quite revealing. Here are some you’ll recognize:

• Money Talks

• Money Makes the World Go Around

• Cash is King

• The Almighty Dollar

Without a doubt, money is important. Anyone who says otherwise is either ignorant or unrealistic. Considering that the average person will spend 1/3 (90,000 hours) of their life working for the primary reason of making money, I’d say it’s a topic we must engage in and understand better.
 

Money is a tool
 

Money is a tool. It’s a medium of exchange. It was created to make trading for goods more efficient.  Money is neither good nor evil; it’s just a tool we use in providing for the things we need and value.  Think about the things you need or want in life, and more than likely, money will be involved in obtaining them.  Zig Ziglar, a talented author and speaker, said this about money, “Money isn’t everything, but it ranks right up there with oxygen.”

Understanding money and how it impacts your life is the first step toward having a healthy perspective on money. This will not only lead to financial well-being, but more importantly, a happier life. 

Too many people have an unbalanced view of money. Some believe money and wealth are evil, that they're the source of all the problems in the world. Others believe money is the most important thing in life and are driven to do everything they can, legal and illegal, to acquire it. 

A balanced view is understanding that money and wealth are just things that can be used for accomplishing the good we want to do in life. Paying too much or not enough attention to money will cause you to be out of balance and experience negative consequences. 

My desire is to make money and wealth a common and frequent part of our conversation so that we can learn about it, improve the way we manage it, become more generous with it, and live a happier and more fulfilled life through it. 
 

There are 5 things we can do with money. 

We can:

1. Make it to provide for ourselves and our families.

2. Spend it on the things we need and want.

3. Save it for future needs.

4. Invest it to create passive income.

5. Give it away to others who have need.

Over the next few months, I will share my thoughts and experience with making, spending, saving, investing, and giving money away. I am not keen on having a monologue, so I hope you’ll join me by sharing your thoughts and ideas through the comments.
 

Start now!  Which one or two of the five things you can do with money have been the most challenging for you to do, and why?