Friends, I have a book recommendation for you that is all wrapped up in stories about friendships old and new, the incredible power of mindset and perspective, family histories that come full circle, and much more. It’s all so rich and gooey and delicious that you might not expect the word “money” to appear in the title.
The Emotional Side of Money: A Roadman to Financial Wellness is so far from what most financial advice books are like that I believe it also belongs in the behavioral psychology genre. And yet it so firmly does belong in the financial category that a couple of weeks ago, it won a silver medal in the Fincance/Investment/Economics category for the 2026 IPPY Book Awards. Throughout its 253 pages, author and financial adviser Tari Vickery maintains a warm, inviting tone as she helps the reader explore thought processes around money. She tells fascinating stories about people of all ages, from a wide variety of backgrounds and walks of life, and she explores not just their financial conditions but their mindset around it all, how they reacted and responded ot life events, how their childhoods might have informed their perspective, their relationship fallout or repair, and so much more.
This is not a book about how to write your budget or which investments yield the most; rather, it is a slow, gentle coaching session. In each of the nineteen chapters, Tari focuses on a particular common human experience related to finances, then at the end of each chapter, she provides deliciously specific food for thought, encouraging the reader to put pen to paper and reflect on their own thoughts and emotions. She covers topics like gender roles and income inequality, personal identity around money, financial crises and how they impact our lives, family planning, and how to talk about all of it, in general, especially if you never have.
By the way, if you are reluctant to talk about money to most people, I don’t think Tari is condemning that. In fact, in the Introduction, she cautions readers to be selective about the confidants they choose with these weighty subjects. At the same time, she makes the point eloquently that never discussing money with loved ones is like avoiding the topic of sex because it, too, is so private and sometimes uncomfortable. Unexamined taboos can work against our well-being.
Also in the Introduction, she suggests that we write a letter to money before reading the book, and then write a new one afterwards. That is how fruitful the exercises and reflections in this book are: a person’s perspective can shift and evolve in material ways over the course of a few days’ reading. It’s incredible.
After reading the book myself, taking scrupulous notes, and answering many of her questions in my journal, I was not surprised to notice that I picked up on her rhythm of scarcity versus abundance. Once again, the mindset shift that has so beautifully enhanced other parts of my own life seems to be available here, too. Amazing! I also noticed a repeated declaration: “What works for them might not work for you, and vice versa.” She illuminates so many perceived successes and failures, so many widely varied financial modalities and lifestyle choices, but never once does she preach that this is the way. Instead, she urges you to look deeply at your foundation, your upbringing, your mindset, and your circumstances and discern whether how you operate financially is working for you and your loved ones.
It’s just so deeply refreshing to read anything but a how-to manual about what people have mostly regarded as just a practical aspect of life. Inspiring, truly, to see how much thought-work is available here.
I was so curious about Tari’s target audience with this beautiful book. She does not declare a specific demographic, but I sensed a deep affection in her writing voice. She is aiming this with absolute love at whoever will read it. And I can attest to the wide appeal her book had to the motley crew we gathered here at the farm for her book release dinner party (more on this event soon!). We hosted both men and women, from college age to retirement. She answered questions from singles and newlyweds, plus one couple soon celebrating 44 years of marriage. People were rapt. We saw professionals and students alike chatting it up passionately, and many guests who attended the event just for the fun of it, maybe with a touch of openness to the subject matter, listened to her speak and afterwards stood in line to buy the book. It’s compelling stuff.
Her readers seem to run the gamut, and with good reason. Everyone needs money to survive. Everyone’s life story shapes their relationship with money, and that relationship plays a vital role in their life story. Maybe more importantly, perhaps humans tend to repeat patterns handed down to us, for better or worse. So there is immense value in looking closely at what financial habits we might be unconsciously reinforcing for the next generation.
This is not a book for breadwinners alone, and it is not a book for only the very rich. Although, sure, those people should read this book too! As she shows us over and over again, a certain kind of bank balance hardly exempts a person from pain and turmoil. This book is for anyone who wants to cultivate their financial wellness as lovingly as they do their physical health or relationship vibrancy. It’s just so lovingly written, so filled with hard-won wisdom. It feels like when someone who loves you looks you straight in the eye to tell you something slightly uncomfortable, but then smiles and says, “You can do this.”
Congratulations on your first book, Tari! A masterpiece that will bless people for a long time! I hope you pursue that excellent idea for a follow-up. I’ll be the first to order. Congratulations on your award and a successful book release tour across the country, too. Oklahoma was so honored to be your final stop, your baby’s homecoming. Thank you for writing this, for distilling all of your experiences and knowledge so the rest of us can widen and deepen our view, so we can enhance our financial well-being. What a gift you have given us.
“For our dreams to come true,
we must first believe in their validity,
fall in love with them,
and hold their hands to their fruition.”
~Ashima Sarin
108 Blessings
XOXO