Synopses & Reviews
A silent struggle with our money is raging across America, each of us is harboring secret financial desires and discontents, but few dare confess. No matter how much we refuse to admit it, our contentment is based not on the size of our bank account but on how we measure up to those around us. Everyone, regardless of income, occupation, or net worth, wants to keep up with the Joneses, even when it means making financial messes and covering them up.
In this myth-shattering tour of America's mind-set about money, Shira Boss offers a tantalizing mix of hard facts and juicy gossip as she peers into the lives and checkbooks of our neighbors...and exposes the shocking gap between public image and what's really going on behind closed doors. Meet:
- The young couple who move in next door. They pay cash for their apartment, go on shopping sprees, and the wife quits her job to start having babies. You wonder how they can afford it all...
- The up-and-coming manager and his family who move into a gated community. Within five years their savings are gone, their credit-card debt is over $100,000, and they are still spending.
- The newly elected U.S. congressman who wants everyone to think he's arrived. Meanwhile, he has to sleep on a cot in his office for the next fifteen years!
- The baby boomer at fifty. Some of his old classmates are lawyers and doctors with safety nets, but he's got kids in college and no retirement fund and the clock is ticking.
These financially stressed Americans are the rule, not the exception. And with more of our nation's families going through bankruptcy than divorce, it's time to bring the problem out into the open and tackle it head-on. A compelling tell-all about what's really going on with the Joneses,
Green With Envy offers a whole new perspective on financial well-being and simple, practical steps for how we can stop trying to keep up once and for all.
Review
"[A] fascinating morality play about what can happen to those naive about the dangers of trying to 'keep up...'" The Houston Chronicle
Review
"It's an intriguing book because, as Boss points out, people will talk about sex and the drugs they are taking for depression before discussing money issues." San Antonio Express-News
Synopsis
In this myth-shattering book, a leading business journalist exposes the shocking gap between personal finance and public image, and reveals how Americans are caught in the trap of living beyond their means.
Synopsis
A silent struggle with our money is raging across America. Everyone wants to keep up with the Joneses, regardless of income, occupation, or net worth. Our contentment is based not on the size of our bank account but on how we measure up to those around us. But how can anyone make realistic comparisons to others when everyone's personal finances are shrouded in secrecy and shame? GREEN WITH ENVY offers a tantalizing mix of hard facts and juicy gossip while exposing the shocking gap between public image and what's really going on behind closed doors. Boss peers into the lives and checkbooks of our neighbors--from a U.S. Congressman to a New York City couple to a suburban family--and gives readers practical steps to improve their financial well-being without touching their bank account.
About the Author
A graduate of Columbia University, Shira Boss has been a fulltime freelance journalist writing mostly on personal finance and business. She has been a regular contributor to Forbes.com, Good Housekeeping, Christian Science Monitor, Crain's New York Business, and NPR's "Marketplace." She and her husband live in Manhattan.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Green with Envy
Chapter Two
The Money Next Door
Chapter Three
Keeping Up with the Joneses
Chapter Four
Capitol Secrets
Chapter Five
Baby Boomers Beware
Chapter Six
Behind the Hedges
Chapter Seven
Conclusion
Endnotes
Suggested Resources
Index