Monkey Money Mind

Book Reviews

• "The authors have delivered an excellent book on the psychology of money and how it affects us all. In general, we all overspend and then regret that there’s not enough money to pay the bills at the end of the month, or worse, not enough money for retirement. Each chapter features money experts that give great tips, insights and advice on how to make more money and more importantly, save more. There’s also a “Financial Meditation” section in each chapter to help with the establishment of healthy spending and savings habits. And two concepts that stood out are “The Latte Factor” and “The Paradox of Loss” which are worth the read of the book on their own because they highlight how spending occurs subconsciously and how regret manifests when there’s a loss of money or value. The authors’ approach to the subject of money is inspiring and makes the book a very interesting read from beginning to end. Definitely worth 5 Stars ! (Amazon.com)"

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• "Lightly written, full of facts and research, yet practical. Nice to have a book on money and the psychology behind it with humor, self-reflection and real examples of a cross-section of society. Not only fun and educational to read, but also to give as a gift. This is really a topic that should be discussed more. I really learned something about money and how my family and I deal with money. Very valuable! Recommended. (Bol.com)"

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• "A book worth reading that makes an interesting link between psychology and money. Nice to take in the many examples that show how decisions about and with money often lead to subjective decisions. The authors have a background in fintech which makes it extra worth reading for me. Recommended. (Bol.com)"

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• "Another book full of surprises. Nice, certainly educational to read.  Definitely worth it with the extra bonus that the entire proceeds go to the UK gorilla Organization. I would definitely recommend it. (Bol.com)"

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• "After this book, I started looking at money from a different perspective. Not that I want to spend less, but more consciously. I know quite a bit about money, but when reading this book I often had to chuckle at the examples where I also often fall for or in. Very entertaining to read, many practical examples and tips. I put it directly on my girlfriend's bedside table, on top of the Linda [magazine]. Testing next week! (Bol.com)
  “I read [the first few chapters] already and I really enjoyed it and laughed out loud sometimes because it is so recognizable or just absurd to think about. So a good start of the book and I can’t wait to read the rest of it :-D” – Marjolein van der Heide (email) "

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• "In this book the authors show in a personal and accessible way how your brain is fooling you when it comes to spending money and other financial decisions. You are presented with a mirror and that is confronting, but luckily the authors know how to bring it with humor, so that you can also laugh at yourself. The book inspires you to think about how you handle money and how it could be better. A lot of information is reviewed, so it is certainly worth the effort to regularly review and re-read the book. Because before you know it, your Monkey Money Mind will outsmart you again! (bol.com)"

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• "This book is a refreshing alternative to all the stuffy books on personal finance, money advice and how our mind and psychology influence our behaviour. It contains real life examples from the authors Chris and Angelique and interesting celebrities from across the world. They openly, and without filter, share mistakes, successes and lessons learned which made it relatable. This combined with old and new research makes it relevant for people from different backgrounds and provided me valuable insights. The book doesn’t stop with just an explanation, it gives tips and different suggestions so that you could see what would suit you personally. I really liked that the writers introduced a fictional character, Tobin, which makes it easy to follow and fun to read from start to finish. Liked the ‘financial meditation’ part at the end of each chapter which was a reflection point for me every time. Nice touch that all proceeds go to a charity called The Gorilla Organization. Love the end of the book! (Amazon.co.uk)"

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• "One of the things that caught my eye about Monkey Money Mind is that line, "(it) focuses on why we stop thinking when we start spending." I was like, holy crap, that's me! Ha! So then I said, well, why not? To tell you the truth, I felt like the authors hit the nail on the head and basically felt like they were talking to me. I was caught at the park nodding my head and throwing a small burst of laughter as I was reading. Freaked out a lady with her two kids. The content is pretty insightful on how to plan your life out. I am at 38 and I am in constant fear of one day losing my job and having to live out of...nothing. No robust bank account and no unemployment insurance. Every time I try to save some money, there is always a "need" that drains the couple of bucks I managed to save. But I stopped to consider all the things I have and even all those subscriptions I don't really use (wow, that was crazy!) and started to snip some stuff. You can tell the authors of this book know what they are talking about and will pass on that knowledge to you. Please read it. This is a guide on how to plan for a prosperous life and not for a rich death."

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• "A quick perusal of the financial section at any public library should yield several books and guides on money and financial management. However, while financial principles, tools and spreadsheets could dominate the pages of these books, veterans in the financial sector and authors of Monkey Money Mind, Chris Zadeh and Angelique Schouten veer toward the person-al, embarking upon a psychological approach to financial decision making. There’s some math and calculations, certainly, but in this case, you would be observing the thought processes prior to carrying these computations. Quite fascinating beginning with well spelt out examples, you’re going to love the first chapter. Quirky and amusing, the mental track taken toward simple decision making. You’re going to have a rather strong ‘argument’ with your reasoning, as you traverse the first few pages. Favorite chapter: “Experts give advice, not directives”. Always been an advocate opting toward personal choices and decisions, specially in area of finances."

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• "Monkey Money Mind: How to Stop Monkeying Around with Your Money by Chris Zadeh and An-gelique Schouten is a unique guide to learn about handling your money. This book looks at how little recognized psychological influences make a difference in how you manage your money. How you think about money, and how you perceive its value greatly change the choices you make when it comes to managing your money. This book also has a touch of humor and some illustrations as well to make a point. This book has some practical examples that really illustrate effectively what the authors are trying to say. For instance, are you willing to drive out of your way to save $5.00 dollars? Thinking about these things greatly impact how you manage your money. A well researched and well written book that gets its message across in a straightforward manner. Highly recommend."

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• "This book is about personal money and how you handle your finances, but rather than try to give you budgets and other templates, this book focuses on the mental aspect of handling your money. By dissecting why we do certain things with our money, why we think the way we do about budgets, credit cards vs. cash and so on, the authors give us plenty of food for thought. Rethinking how we handle our finances, what comes in and goes out and how we save it, will certainly help us to keep more of our hard-earned money and possibly to change the way we do things for good. This was very well written and interesting. I never really thought about this aspect of money be-fore, beyond the “hard to break bad habits” mentality. I liked what I read and I think there is plenty here to take away and implement into my own life."

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• "This last year I have really been focusing on changing my money habits and trying to save and make better choices for my future as well as my daughters future. I picked up this book because the reviews seemed to mostly agree that it’s worth reading and had plenty of great information. I’m happy to say that the reviews were correct and I am glad I ended up picking it up! It’s not your typical charts and budgets tryoe of money management book. It really delves into the men-tal part of money management and made me think about why I’ve been unsuccessful at saving in the past. I am confident that in reading this book I am now on my way to being in the right frame of mind and on the track to the savings I should be building as well as hopefully working toward smart investments in our future!"

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• "Monkey Money Mind: How to Stop Monkeying Around With Your Money is a fundamental book to have in your Finance Bookshelf. In it, the authors Chris Zadeh and Angelique Schouten, ex-plore how our shopping impulses can destroy our savings or how bad investments are often taken because we haven’t paid enough attention to the small letters. When it comes to money, our brain is still dominated by impulses and the authors explain how to make better and more informed decisions, trying to optimize our investments and decrease the risks. One of the things mentioned is how we easily lose track of the amounts we spend using cards. And that is true. If we need to spend the same amount using bills or card, I can bet that using bills will make you think 2 or 3 times if it’s worth it. Using simple language, life exemples and a good sense of humour, Monkey Money Mind will teach you some basics on how to improve your financial life."

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• "“Monkey Money Mind: How to Stop Monkeying Around with Your Money” is a practical look at the psychology of spending and how to identify and change unhealthy spending habits. This book is great at giving real life examples and explanations of how people view and relate to money and it was interesting to see that there is a real psychological reaction to spending. This book would be good for anyone to read, whether struggling with money or not, in order to break down finances and how to use money wisely. One person found this helpful"

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• "Everyone has some trouble with financial discipline, at least from time to time. Impulsive spend-ing, not keeping track with where your money goes, stupid stuff we buy for God knows what reason... All of that can add up and left us with an empty wallet. This book has some great ad-vice and strategies on how to be aware and present in moments we reach for our back pocket. It is written so that anyone can follow it, the authors didn't try to make some elaborate financial textbook. Some advice, some examples, some real life experiences and you have an easy to read, useful book that can really make a difference in everyday life. I enjoyed it very much and can certainly recommend it to everyone, there isn't a single person I can think of that wouldn't take something out of it. Check it out!"

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• "Monkey Money Mind: How to Stop Monkeying Around With Your Money by Chris Zadeh and Angelique Schouten is such a unique and informative book. Looking at why we stop thinking when we start spending, makes me look differently at the way I spend money. The book con-tains tips, lessons learned and stories of success on how to overcome debt. Teaching how to save money, invest and improve the relationship with money. I needed this book and recom-mend it to anyone wanting to improve their finances."

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