Green Money: How to Reduce Waste, Build Wealth, and Create a Better Future for All

by Kara Perez, Angela Juarez (reader)

Discover the path to a wealthier, more sustainable future

Green How to Reduce Waste, Build Wealth, and Create a Better Future for All is a startlingly insightful and compelling book that redefines personal finance through the twin lenses of environmental sustainability and community, offering actionable steps to not only improve your financial health but also make a positive impact on the planet.

Kara Perez, a visionary in sustainable personal finance, shares her unique approach to breaking free from outdated financial advice, demonstrating how you can achieve a fulfilling life that values community, sustainability, and financial well-being. Filled with real-world anecdotes, cutting-edge research, and hands-on money exercises, this book equips you with the tools needed to take immediate action towards a brighter, greener future.

You'll explore topics

How to navigate the challenges of thrifting, tackle eco-anxiety, invest ethically, and engage in environmental justice, all while securing your financial future How overconsumption and reliance on fossil fuels became the norm and how we can find practical alternatives that work better for us and the planet Why systems, and not individuals, are the real problem Ideal for young professionals, growing families, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and financial planners alike, Green Money is more than a book—it's a movement towards integrating financial success with environmental stewardship. Join Kara Perez in transforming how you think about money and take the first step towards building wealth and creating a better future for all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance

1 pages, Audio CD

Published November 27, 2024

Reviews

[Mercedes · Rating 5 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced copy of this book from the author.

I'm a long-time fan of Kara's work. Her company, Bravely Go, has been instrumental in my journey towards improving my finances.

Simply put, I love the way Kara thinks about money. She always speaks from a place of non-judgement and provides genuine hope for navigating a broken system through her strategies.

This book is no different. Green Money educates, relates, and — mostly importantly — provides actionable advice.

I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in personal finance, and especially those interested in how that intersects with the climate crisis.

[Kara McIver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kara Perez just understands how the world works for real people. I liked that this book had chapters and interviews that focused on small-scale approaches I can take to harness the power of my money and also large-scale projects to tackle on a societal level. I do have to continue living in this society, but I can make my every day better for my self and the planet, while also advocating on a larger level when I have the capacity. I'm not an ultra-wealthy person, but I can use my money to create the life, and the society, that I want (and so can you!). Kara tells me how, and the folks she interviews in the book shows me how they've already done it. All in under 200 pages! Quick, useful read. Highly recommend!

[Laronda Blessing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to periodically read finance books and recently found Kara Perez's GREEN MONEY at the library. Perez examines personal money management through the lens of environmental sustainability and community. She has quite a few helpful resources like websites that detail rates and types of community investment by banks and credit unions as well as sustainable stock funds, and she gives a nice overview of basic money management. It's definitely a book written by and for younger people--at one point Perez talks about today's high mortgage rates while those alive in the 70s and 80s remember double-digit rates--but it's a quick and accessible read and gives a nice intro to how to use money in a way that aligns with personal values.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Green Money is a loving hug and a map towards aligning out money with our values. Perez is so thoughtful about how she writes: each historical example provides context while connecting it to the present moment; each interview grounds the ideas in lived practice; and her sense of humor helps this big topic feel engaging and fun. This book is like a conversation with a friend who sees me in all my complexity and loves me thoroughly. It fills me with hope about what is possible when we imagine. I highly recommend this book.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perez has beautifully laid out an alternative financial landscape for those of us who are interested in a socially conscious approach. This book addresses topics that would interest complete beginners, like the basics of money management, and those that are more familiar with personal finance. She breaks down specifics and answers so many questions about investing with equity and environmental justice, or whichever causes are important to you. Green Money provides a really great framework to structure budgeting, general money management, community care, and investing.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Kara's personal finance content on social media and was excited to read her book. I especially enjoyed reading about the creative ways people have found to save money, build community, and practice eco-friendly living all at once. I'm glad I bought it and will be able to refer back to it when I need to - that said, the editing here leaves something to be desired, some odd errors here and there. Regardless, I enjoyed it!

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kara does a fantastic job at giving historical and world context about how we got where we are, but also what can be done with what we have, where we are, and all while giving ourselves grace. I have been following Kara for a while and I love her global, realistic, but optimistic outlook on the world, money, and building community and this all shines well in this book.

[Lauren Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a big fan of Kara Perez’s work as a financial educator and activist, I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy of this book. Perez’s sweet spot has always been educating while entertaining and engaging, and her debut book does exactly that. I know that this will have a permanent spot on my lending bookshelf for all my friends that want to know where to start in building a sustainable financial plan and ethical lifestyle. And I know I will return back to re-read this book whenever I want to be reminded of the power we have to shape our futures and support our community.

[John Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there were some very good overall ideas, some the monetary advice, history, and other points were if not wrong, very selective. Also for a book on money and wealth, it didn't talk enough about those subjects.

[Zena · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read. very informative interms of where to invest money so that your money does not get invested into fossil fuels.
Influencing others to make small changes and the small change can be a big impact to reduce carbon footprints.

[Jessica Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what we all need to understand the full scope of money and the power we have with our own no matter how little of it we have.

[Kristy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Political jabs before chapter two? Pass.

[Samantha Weil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love Kara’s online content about sustainability and finance. This book had a lot of interesting information (how banks use your money to invest in fossil fuels) and stories (how people have created community gardens). However, I was at times distracted by editing mistakes and the disjointed sections within the chapters.

[Lexi Bruner · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ARC Review**
Green Money explores the challenge we face at the intersection of finance and sustainability with a hopeful lens that knows system change is both possible and necessary.

A few things I loved about this book:
-Kara’s humor and personality come out in the writing
-I appreciate how she uses historical examples to challenge the idea that things have always been this way or have to stay this way
-The book poses the important question of “why do we punish individuals instead of changing systems.” Throughout the book, she does a good job of balancing the interplay between individual action and systems
-Kara includes some really helpful metaphors/analogies for understanding complex financial concepts
-Some of the interactive components/activities were really thought-provoking

Things I think could be improved:
-Though I appreciated that the themes had a through line within the book, I found parts of it redundant. There were also some stylistic choices (syntax, a few of the section breaks/structuring) that were distracting
-As a book primarily focused on American financial systems and how we can change them while operating as ethically as possible within them, I find it ridiculous that it never once touches on slavery’s social and economic impacts in the US. In spite of this glaring oversight, I still think Kara acknowledges how people from different backgrounds have been differently impacted by environmental injustice and financial systems, as evidenced through some of the examples she provides and in her line, “We are all in this together, but we are not all equally vulnerable.”

Overall, I think Green Money is a realistic but hopeful exploration of money, environmental justice, and community.