Bobbi reveals her favorite new money related books, and how to decide if they are right for you. This month’s picks include “Take the Leap” by Sara Bliss, “The Remix” by Lindsey Pollak, ”Limitless” by Laura Gassner Otting and “The Wealth Creator’s Playbook” by John Christianson

Some ground rules:

There will be only positive comments. Because why waste your time telling you about something I don’t think is worth your time. 

Also - we limit our selections to books written by authors that appear on the podcast. In most cases they will have already appeared- so you can then go back and listen to their episode if you want to learn more. Occasionally, the episode will be in the future - so hopefully you will subscribe so you don’t miss it. 

Here are 4 books I truly enjoyed in the past month!

Book #1

Let’s start with Take the Leap. Change Your Career, Change Your Life by Sara Bliss. The book focuses on stories of people who left a career they were pretty settled in.. and well took the leap into something very very different. Taking the term career pivots to the extreme- more like pirouette’s.. And I love that the stories are told in a very short format- you can dip in and just read one in about 5 minutes and then come back to the book and be drawn to another- individual lite stories combined to make an in-depth resource. 

Here’s what I liked about it:

1. Her Mantra: Begin Anyhow. Because there is always going to be a reason not to start to move towards a new career. so begin anyhow.

2. While the book is as you would expect cheerful, upbeat and inspiring it is also extremely specific and detailed about the hard work and sacrifice often involved. Want to go from Wall Street to wine making? You may not need to but the person profiled went way downscale for a year to learn his craft before he actually started the career change. No magic pills here. 

3. She is totally transparent about the money focus. 70 percent of those profiled make more in their new and happier careers- so this isn’t about working for the love of the work- it is very much about finding ways to get paid more by disrupting your ideas about how to sell your skills. 

Who is this book for?

I’m tempted to say people unhappy with their careers but that’s not enough. To really get the most out of Take the Leap you have to be dreaming of something better and self aware enough to understand the work involved. 

Book #2

The Remix. How to lead and succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace by my friend multi-generational expert Lindsey Pollak. 

Did you know that there are 5 generations now in the workplace? The book’s title refers to the idea that at parties when a DJ wants to get everyone excited to dance- he plays a remix because the younger guests know the new song but it is also familiar to the older guests.. and next thing you know the dance floor is packed. 

Here’s what I liked about it:

1. Lindsey gives very easy to do things that can bring us all together. Like if workers feel displaced because of not having a permanent desk or office anymore- she presents solutions such as personalizing the things we bring with us everywhere like our computers. And Lindsey reframes the way we think about popular workplace concepts- instead of work/life balance. It is work life integration.

2. She recommends apps that also make it easier to implement her strategies. Like feedback apps to keep a continuous conversation going because some generations want feedback a lot more often than one annual review. 

3. The original research that Lindsey has done is what really sets this book apart. While she absolutely does interview the top thought leaders in the industry, and presents a ton of data,  The Remix is full of information that we have not read elsewhere because it is her original content.. from misperceptions about remote work, to the reality of whether ping pong tables and free lunch really work to retain employees in a tight job market. 

Who is this book for?

This book is for people who want a big picture look at the changes in the workplace in the last decade or so -along with specific solutions that they can implement in their own day to day work environment to just enjoy the time more and learn from other generations. 

Book #3

Book #3 is by Laura Gassner Otting and it is called Limitless. How to Ignore everybody, Carve Your own path and Live your Best life

This book is a bit woo woo self help book but in a good and literal way- trust me. It focuses on 4 functional elements to help us break through external and internal limits. 

Here’s what I liked about it:

1. It doesn’t so much tell you what you need to change in your life to be happy- rather, limitless focuses more on How you can figure it out for yourself. because we are all different and there isn’t a one size fits all. It gives you the framework. It’s up to each of us to determine our own personal version of success

2. As much as there is a cheerleader tone to this- it is balanced out by tough love. For example, being busy is not the same as getting results. So we need to have some honesty there- and that is something I personally have been struggling with recently. 

3. She is candid  about her challenges as a mompreneur. The author started her company with a 6 week old child. Why? Because that’s when an opportunity for a first client fell into her lap- so she seized the opportunity- and I think that is a great point- the best opportunities don’t always come when we are ready- but we can become ready very fast when they do come- often when we have the least amount of time. 

Who is this book for?

People who need someone to tell motivate them to achieve their potential. It’s like those of us who know we should eat healthy but need someone to write out the menu. Or want to work out but need a trainer to get us to the gym. Laura knows how to say things in a way that gets rid of the excuses and helps the reader get things done. 

Book #4

The Wealth Creator’s playbook- a guide to maximizing your return on  life and money by John Christianson. 

This is not a beginner investment book- and it speaks to a very specific demographic if we are being honest. People who have money and consider themselves wealth creators. So just go in knowing that. 

Here’s what I liked about it:

1. The author is not afraid to be honest about who his audience is and therefore comes across as uniquely authentic- he isn’t talking down- he is talking with a very specific segment of the population who don’t want to simply settle for being wealthy- but are looking for a more fulfilling life regardless of their bank account. 

2. It’s kind a of now what for people that have acquired a certain degree of financial success.. and really calls onus to evaluate why we spend such a high percentage of our time and effort focusing on the accumulation of wealth, and how our identity changes once we have it. 

3. While it is, as they say, a first world problem, the Wealth Creators Playbook does address the challenges that come with wealth including the isolation, relationship challenges, spiritual aspects of dealing with money. 

Who is this book for?

The book is clearly aimed at those who have accumulated money but are looking for guidance in dealing with the changes it has brought on- including assessing their values, how they deal with their kids and money, and the best way to be generous with their wealth. 

Episode Links:

• Blinkist - The app I’m loving right now. Please use our link to support the show and get a free trial.

• Sara Bliss’ Financial Grownup episode + Get your copy of Take The Leap

• Lindsey Pollak’s Financial Grownup episode + Get your copy of The Remix

• Laura Gassner Otting’s Financial Grownup episode + Get your copy of Limitless

• John Christianson’s Financial Grownup episode + Get your copy of The Wealth Creator’s Playbook

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Sara Bliss liked her career writing for prestigious magazines, but she loved being able to pay her bills and have the financial freedom she deserved for her hard work, even more. So she decided to write for clients who had the budgets to pay her more, and has never looked back. She also shares tips on how to level-up careers from her bestselling book "Take The Leap".

In Sara's money story you will learn:

“I hustled a lot and wrote for everyone, and when you need to make money that is actually a great career motivator.”

I started in the art world, and I realized, pretty quickly, it just wasn't for me. I felt like we were moving art from one Park Avenue apartment to another, and I just wasn't super psyched about how much art sold for, which is what you have to be focused on if you're in that world.

I was writing all the time, on the side, so I took a writing for magazines class at NYU at night. Then, I ended up getting hired at House Beautiful, as an assistant, and then, that led to a whole magazine writing career. A few years later, I started freelancing, and I wrote a couple books, and that really took off.

Bobbi Rebell - Let's go back and talk about the money situation. So, first of all, the money, when you're working in the art business, how does the money work there? What would be your path, at that point, as a desk assistant, working at the front of an auction house, doing all these other tasks? What was that picture like, and then, what was it like transitioning to being a writer, from a financial standpoint?

Well, the job at Christie's actually paid hourly, with no benefits. It was ridiculous. It was basically designed for people who have wealthy parents. I needed to make money, but then, I chose another career, where you don't make a ton of money, starting out, which was in magazines. But, I was salaried, and I had benefits, and I made a little bit more than I did at Christie's, so that was exciting.

Bobbi Rebell - Was that first job your dream job?

It wasn't. It was my dream job to be in magazines, but it wasn't to be writing about design. I wanted to be in women's magazines, but you get pigeonholed really early, even if you want to change your career. If you don't have stuff on your resume, that directly correlates to what you want to do, people just can't see it, even at a super young age, I think.

So, for me, that writing for magazines job, was kind of crucial to getting me there, but the stuff that I was writing and publishing, in small local papers, was about art and design, because I had that experience, so it made sense. So, even from my first job, I always wanted to leap, and keep leaping, so I've always had that mentality.

Bobbi Rebell - Let's talk about that. You were constantly trading up jobs and assignments. How did you get to a level where, financially, it was sustainable to be a writer?

I went freelance way sooner than I should have, in all honesty, because I got married, and my husband was in business school in Boston. We had plan to leave New York for a couple years, and I saw, from being on the editorial side, that actually, the freelancers did pretty well. At that time, a feature story for a magazine, averaged around $2,000. Then, I got a book assignment pretty early on. So, you can make a living. It wasn't a huge amount of money. It was definitely under six figures, but I hustled a lot, and wrote for everyone, and when you need to make money, that's actually a great career motivator.

I did well at my career, because I needed to make an income. It wasn't just like a fun, hobby job for me, it was a serious career, but then, in 2008, the financial crisis really ended up affecting my industry. That, combined with the advent of the internet, has really killed magazines, and also has really devalued my work as a writer.

Bobbi Rebell - So now, how have you adjusted and pivoted, to maintain financial viability?

The key for me, was I realized early on, that ... or pretty quickly into this, that a lot of the brands I wrote about, they started wanting branded content. They wanted to create their own in-house magazines, or their own online blogs. They wanted copy that sounded really enticing and cool, and the way it would in a magazine, if a editorial writer was writing about it. So, I jumped onboard with that bandwagon, and I've worked for some amazing clients. I've worked for Bobbi Brown and Estee Lauder, and Erin, and Rosebud Hotels. I've done all that, and it's wonderful, because the brands pay a lot better than editorial now.

Editorial now, if you're writing on the internet, you can get, sometimes, your pay based on your traffic, which is ridiculous. Sometimes, you're paid based on assignment, and that's anywhere from 50-$250 for an editorial online assignment. It pays a little better if you write for the magazines, but those assignments are less and less and less. So, branding has been the key, for me, to financial viability, in this career.

In Sara’s money lesson you will learn:

“I did well at my career because I needed to make an income.”

I think the lesson is, you really need to see the direction your industry is going. I really saw, pretty quickly, that magazines were shrinking, and that opportunities were less and less. I can pretty much write for any editorial outlet, but if I want to have a career, and be financially successful, I had to really lessen the editorial side, and up the branding side. I'm actually okay with that. I love the branding work that I do. I'm very happy that I can make money from it, and that I can add value. It allows me, to then, take on projects that I really love, and think need to be out in the world, like Take the Leap.

In Sara's everyday money tip you will learn:

“70% of the people in my book are making more money at their new careers than they were at their previous careers.”

I am a bit of a cheapskate. I hate spending money on things that don't matter. When we go out to lunch or breakfast, or a bite with our kids, we always have the kids order water. I hate it when they want to order like mango smoothies, that cost like $10 each, and all that adds up. And the-

Bobbi Rebell - Yeah. They're not necessarily ... Mango smoothies are not really bad for you, but they are sugary. Water is better, I would argue.

Yeah. It's like soda and apple juice, and of all, it's just so expensive and silly. The next step that we're supposed to do, that I read about in a magazine, was to put that money, that you would save on the drinks, into a savings account for your kids, and then they can see the benefit of making those kind of small choices, and how quickly they add up.

Bobbi - I like that. You're taking it to the next level, so they're making the commitment.

In My Take you will learn:

Financial Grownup Tip Number One - I'm going to reveal something, that I don't actually talk about directly on this show, but I think you guys should really understand how money works, in a lot of somewhat creative industries. I did what Sara did, only for on-camera work. I looked at the time involved, and the pay tied to working in editorial content, on-camera work for a corporation, and I made a career pivot, to doing more working in partnerships with brands.

Not only does it pay more, I truly love the work. So, think about what you do now, and if there is a different kind of employer, or a different kind of client, that will have the financial resources to pay you more, for the work that you already love to do.

Financial Grownup Tip Number Two - I want to add to what Sara said about learning a new craft, and being real about what it takes. For example, when I decided to talk more about personal finances, as opposed to the stock market and economic news that I covered as a journalist, before writing my book, I decided to become a Certified Financial Planner. It was so challenging, guys. Tears of exhaustion and frustration, were involved on a regular basis, but I did it, so I could make a career transition, with the street cred that I wanted.

I encourage and support all of you to do the same in your ventures. Sara's mantra is, "Begin anyhow." You are ready now. This is the time to take control. Please be in touch. Let me know what you are doing to level up your career, and the money you earn.

Episode Links:

Blinkist - The app I’m loving right now. Please use our link to support the show and get a free trial.

Sara’s website - www.SaraBliss.com

Sara’s Book Take the Leap

Barbara Corcoran’s Financial Grownup episode

Christina Alger’s Financial Grownup episode

Follow Sara!

• Instagram - @SaraBlissNYC

• Twitter - @SaraBlissNYC

• LinkedIn

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.