CONTACT: Jared Sharpe 413-325-8296 sharpej@plannedtvarts.

com

David Hahn 212-593-5847 hahnd@plannedtvarts.com

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH

UNDERSTAND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY AND ACHIEVE PROSPERITY

By Dr. Charles Richards

How do you define wealth? Is it the number of zeros in your salary? The size of your retirement nest egg? The square footage of your home, or even the number of houses that you own? Or is wealth instead the ability to find the joy and potential in your current situation, and the knowledge that with a little extra effort, understanding and motivation, the next rung on the ladder of life is always within reach? If the Great Recession has taught us anything, it is that "wealth" in the traditional, purely financial sense is fleeting. With record numbers of home foreclosures and investment portfolios decimated, not only must we redefine the idea of wealth beyond the simple collection of material objects, but we must also re-examine our personal and collective psychological understanding of how to obtain wealth. With his thought-provoking book THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH: Understand Your Relationship with Money and Achieve Prosperity (McGraw-Hill, Jan. 2012), psychotherapist Dr. Charles Richards aims to expand our general understanding of wealth and instill individuals with a new process for seeking and achieving wealth in the future. An eye-opening sociological and psychological investigation of the history of wealth in America over the last 250 years, THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH provides a 360-degree view of how anyone, regardless of their current situation, can reach their personal wealth goals and pass that wealth on to future generations. With THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH, Dr. Richards will compel readers to: Reevaluate their perceptions of wealth Question the messages about wealth that they received in their youth Create a new vision of wealth based on their personal values, goals and expectations Appraise and rebuild their self-esteem and overall self-image to pave the road toward wealth After helping readers shed the constraints preventing them from achieving prosperity, Dr. Richards then explains some of the tools they can use to rise above their current situation. He looks at debt and credit as a function of society, from its beginnings as a tool employed by the rich to increase financial holdings, through the introduction of consumer credit, to the recent boom of credit cards and "home equity piggy banks." THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH shows readers how they can make the most beneficial decisions and chart their best possible financial course by taking the responsibility to educate themselves. Dr. Richards explains that one of the keys to conscious financial living and creating prosperity is seeking out knowledge about our options and resources. Put simply, it is learning how money works. To that end, the book explores the benefits and pitfalls of various forms of credit and debt, steering readers away from the trappings of unconscious debt, like revolving credit, and toward conscious debt that promotes responsibility, sets a clear goal, and creates a feeling of accomplishment when paid. To do so requires a -more-

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rejection of the herd mentality and marketing messages that have dominated the financial landscape of the last 30 years, which have told us that, because we have credit cards, we absolutely need the newest, greatest, shiniest, next-best-thing right now. Dr. Richards states that conscious debt does much more than simply provide a necessary bridge for whoever assumes the debt. From one-time expenses to help start a home business to a vacation that brings a family together and creates lifelong memories, Dr. Richards explains the lasting rewards that can be achieved by wisely utilizing debt. Finally, THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH explores the roles of charity and service, detailing the ways that others have given of themselves and how this has fueled their own journeys to wealth and prosperity. Dr. Richards has spent hundreds of hours researching the roles that wealth plays in our lives and conducted dozens of interviews with some of the nation's most knowledgeable and inspirational experts in numerous fields, from law to finance and politics to business. Presenting numerous real-life anecdotes from some of the country's most successful individuals, and a step-by-step process for changing our mentality about wealth, THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH proves that, with the right mindset and a responsible attitude toward debt, anybody regardless of past or present circumstances can achieve the wealth to which they aspire.

ABOUT CHARLES RICHARDS, Ph.D. Charles Richards, Ph.D., is a licensed psychotherapist and author in private practice in Encinitas, California. He has developed and refined an innovative and highly effective therapeutic process that allows clients to achieve greater health in all areas of their lives. For over ten years, he has also trained and coached senior executives of Fortune 100 corporations in management and leadership skills at the Center for Creative Leadership, La Jolla. His clients at CCL have included General Motors, IBM, Motorola, Qualcomm, Sony, Apple, Whirlpool, Honda, SAP, and other well-known companies. He is an international speaker and presenter.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH Understand Your Relationship with Money and Achieve Prosperity By Dr. Charles Richards Publication Date: January 17, 2012 Format: Hardcover, 256 pages ISBN-13: 9780071789295 Publisher: McGraw-Hill List Price: $26.00 ISBN: 0071789294

To schedule an interview with Dr. Charles Richards, please contact Planned Television Arts: Jared Sharpe 413-325-8296 / sharpej@plannedtvarts.com David Hahn 212-593-5847 / hahnd@plannedtvarts.com