Good Leaders: How well do you share your finances?

Most people would rather speak about their sex lives or spirituality than talk about their money. Somehow discussing our “finances” creates an uncomfortable window into our souls. That’s why I invited Nathan Dungan to be our speaker at the Good Leadership Breakfast this Friday.

Big day on Friday

This Friday is also the book launch party for The Bucket List Book – a collaboration between the inventor of the HANDy Paint Pail, Mark Bergman, and me. All guests who attend the breakfast will receive a complimentary copy…it’s our version of how Oprah or Ellen developed a buzz to generate book sales!

Giving away the book is fitting with Nathan Dungan’s core message – the name of his firm is “Share, Save, Spend.” What started as a book in 2003: Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not to Become your Child’s ATM has become a movement of products and services teaching a values-based approach to how we use our money. He literally recommends: share first, then save, before spending on ourselves. It’s goodness at work.

I like Nathan’s message because it fits so well with how we teach “Finances” as a part of The Seven Fs: Finances is how well our money funds our priorities.

“What started out as my dream for a book, has now become an exciting business, where we really help people through the emotional issues that surround money,” Nathan explained.

Nathan’s research is both fascinating and immediately applicable: how we think about money has as much or more to do with our well-being than diet and exercise. It’s a philosophy he brings to life in his own family.

“The most rewarding work we do today is helping wealthy families design their legacies, and helping them learn how their money can bring them together, instead of tearing the family apart.”

“It’s so exciting to see children and families realize the joy of sharing as a fundamental part of how they think about finances,” he adds. “Instead of a dialogue about guilt, shame, and anguish.”

Changing the Future of Finances

While most of the people who make a living in the financial coaching or consulting industry exist to help people build and preserve wealth, it’s refreshing to see and feel the goodness of someone who is changing the dialogue. The breakfast is sold out. But if you have a ticket, you will hear a fantastic Seven Fs story of faith, family, finances, fitness, friends, fun, and future.

Good leaders embrace their finances as a way to express their values. And they live with generosity as a strategy to get the most out of their life and leadership.