Ellen Rogin - Picture Your Prosperity: Smart Money Moves to Turn Your Vision into Reality

What does prosperity mean to you? Close your eyes for a moment and think about what comes to mind.

Weve conducted hundreds of Prosperity Picture workshops across the country based on the ideas in this book, and thats always the first question we ask of our participants. Its a fascinating one because it results in a full spectrum of answers. Some people immediately say that, to them, prosperity means security or peace. Some say it means having time to do the things they find most rewarding. Some associate it with having money or being able to buy whatever they want. And some connect it with something very specific and seemingly unrelated, like the ocean.

as the condition of being successful or thriving; especially: economic well-being. So its a word that refers to money, but it also refers to the rest of life. And its true. The answers we hear when we ask, What does prosperity mean to you? fall into both of those categoriessome are about money and some are about life. We love that! Your money is important, of course, but lets face it: money is meaningless if it cant be connected to the rest of your life. Who cares what the totals on your balance sheet or in your bank account are if you cant use them to build the kind of life you want? What good is having a brilliant investment strategy if you worry incessantly about losing it, constantly fight with your partner about money, or come home and kick your dog on days the market drops?

What if instead you felt positive, peaceful, and prosperous?

Most people see the logic in the fact that our money and our lives are inextricably linked, but ironically that doesnt necessarily lead them to think about their money as the exciting, potentially life-changing tool that it is. More often than not, we see people who think of their money as being contained in a silorelegated to a special area they see as a necessary but separate part of life. They view their money silo in a variety of wayssometimes its a source of pain because theres not enough in it and sometimes its a source of pain because theres too much in it. Some people are afraid of losing it, some cant wait to spend it all, and so on and so forth. Regardless of the specifics, most people tend to view their silo as something needing to be managed, but which is not intuitively linked with the rest of their life.

But what if we look at money differently? Not as a project that needs to be managed or an obstacle that needs to be overcomeand certainly not just a means to help us get more stuff or add to a collection of belongings. Instead, what could happen if we all began to view money as an incredible tool? A way to help us get closer each and every day to living the most extraordinary lives we possibly can, and also a tool we can use to help other people do the exact same thing? We see awakening to this possibility as incredibly exciting and inspiring. And so weve written this book as a way to help you define your personal version of true prosperity and to share ideas and direction on smart money moves you can make to turn that vision into reality.

As you begin reading, it will probably be fairly clear this book was written with women in mind. However, in the same way that we hope men will read magazine articles on How to Keep Your Relationship Steamy, How to Throw the Perfect Summer in the United States. Women are earning more bachelors and masters degrees than men. They comprise more than half of the U.S. workforce. And as women ourselves who have made our careers in the financial services industry, we wanted to build on this momentum and create a book that we hope will uniquely inspire women to create their own personal prosperity, use their money as a force for good in the world, and change the face of finances. This is