Launch Day: Would you help?
Good Money: Six Steps to Building a Financial Life with Purpose
Readers,
I’m so grateful for you, and I have a favor to ask. Today is the release of Good Money: Six Steps to Building a Financial Life with Purpose (more on the book below).
TLDR: Launch day is incredibly important for authors, and I’d be so grateful if you would consider a few things:
Purchase a copy (and some for friends!) at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, or other sites and share this email with others. Launch day/week are essential to helping a book get noticed!
Write a review on Amazon or Goodreads as soon as you can. Early positive reviews are essential for new books! Goodreads and Amazon are now open. 30-50 reviews in the first week on Amazon dramatically improve the algorithm (with a goal of reaching 250+ over time). Yours would be important!
Consider posting about the book on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, or other channels (selfies with the book are the best!). If you tag me (my profile is in the preceding links) I will reshare!
This will be my only marketing email about the book on Substack. I’ll be getting back to normal posting from here out. But I am hopeful you will consider helping this week as Good Money comes available. If you’d like to contact me directly, my new website is now live or you can reply here.
So what is good money?
I’ve spent 15 years researching and writing about meaning, purpose, and human flourishing. In my day job, I’m an investor privileged to work around remarkable individuals and families who are thinking about money and flourishing deeply; and the firm I help lead has an explicit thesis around flourishing for its investments.
The intrinsic goods that lead to human flourishing are reasonably straightforward in the research: positive relationships, character and virtue, meaning and purpose, impact, engagement at work, generosity towards others, experiences of beauty, positive emotions, and strong mental and physical health. Money is not intrinsically good, but it can be either an enabler or distraction from those things depending on how it is viewed and used.
That’s why I’ve spent three years researching and writing Good Money. This is my best stab at the habits, mindsets, and values about money that can most effectively enable human flourishing while avoiding the unique temptations of money that sometimes throw us off course.
This book is intended for a broad range of people: high school and college students thinking about the future, middle aged professionals in the thick of their most challenging professional and financial moments, and older people reflecting on the time they have left. It can apply to the middle class family attempting to raise kids with the right perspective on money, or the ultra-rich sorting through the unique challenges and opportunities of excess wealth. It’s for anyone contemplating the role of money in their lives and how they can cultivate the right attitudes towards it.
I get to tell wonderful stories in the book of everyone from Jackie Robinson’s son David and the founder of Patagonia, to Mother Theresa and Ebenezer Scrooge. I profile incredible people like Henry Kaestner, Casey Crawford, Davis Smith, and Anand Kesavan. And I attempt to draw on a combination of ancient wisdom and modern research.
But my goal is to help anyone reading the book understand money more fully and think now about critical topics—earning, spending, giving, investing, retirement, and money and kids—in a way that can help them achieve not just financial prosperity but an integrated and flourishing life.
I am grateful to the hundreds of people who contributed to this book in various ways, from Tyler Vanderweele at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program to my wife and kids—who helped me experiment with these practices at home. And I hope it’s something you, your friends, and your family will find valuable in your own journey.
If you’re wondering what others are saying about Good Money, here are a few initial reviews spanning leadership and finance:
“Think bigger and live better with this timely and transformational guide.”
— John C. Maxwell, author, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
“We live in a world saturated with financial advice but starving for financial wisdom. Good Money cuts through the noise and asks the deeper questions: What is money for? How do we use it well? A book for professionals and families alike.”
—Wendy Dominguez
Cofounder and President, Innovest Portfolio Solutions
“John Coleman equips you with simple tips on how to survive and thrive in the financial jungle.”
—Bear Grylls
Celebrity survivalist; star, Running Wild; and author, The Greatest Story Ever Told
“Good Money is a thoughtful and timely exploration of how our relationship with money shapes our humanity. John Coleman invites us to reimagine wealth as a catalyst for connection, generosity, and flourishing.”
—Lynne Twist
Author, The Soul of Money
“A fresh take on a timeless truth: When you do well by doing good, there’s no limit to what you can achieve for yourself and for others. John Coleman provides the tools and guidance for anyone who seeks to apply this lesson and build a good life.”
—Brian Hooks
Chairman and CEO, Stand Together
“Good Money is a profound reminder that how we earn, spend, and give matters. It asks us to look beyond wealth accumulation and toward legacy—to lead lives of purpose, generosity, and long-term vision.”
—Asha Varghese
President, Caterpillar Foundation
“Good Money skillfully draws out the various aspects of our relationship with money, connecting the dots that lead to true satisfaction in our lives and enabling us to smile at the future.”
—Mark Wesson
Founder and CEO, EverSource Wealth Advisors®
Thank you for your support!
