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The Geometry of Wealth: How to shape a life of money and meaning
How does money figure into a happy life?In The Geometry of Wealth, behavioral finance expert Brian Portnoy delivers an inspired answer, building on the critical distinction between being rich and being wealthy. While one is an unsatisfying treadmill, the other is the ability to underwrite a meaningful life, however one chooses to define that. Truly viewed, wealth is funded contentment.At the heart of this groundbreaking perspective, Portnoy takes readers on a journey toward wealth, informed by disciplines ranging from ancient history to modern neuroscience. He contends that tackling the big questions about a joyful life and tending to financial decisions are complementary, not separate, tasks. These big questions • How is the human brain wired for two distinct experiences of happiness? And why can money “buy” one but not the other?• What are the touchstones of a meaningful life, and are they affordable?• Why is market savvy among the least important sources of wealth but self-awareness is among the most?• How does one strike a balance between striving for more while being content with enough?
This journey memorably contours along three basic A circle, triangle and square help us to visualize how we adapt to evolving circumstances, set clear priorities, and find empowerment in simplicity. In this accessible and entertaining book, Portnoy reveals that true wealth is achievable for many - including those who despair it is out of reach - but only in the context of a life in which purpose and practice are thoughtfully calibrated.
This journey memorably contours along three basic A circle, triangle and square help us to visualize how we adapt to evolving circumstances, set clear priorities, and find empowerment in simplicity. In this accessible and entertaining book, Portnoy reveals that true wealth is achievable for many - including those who despair it is out of reach - but only in the context of a life in which purpose and practice are thoughtfully calibrated.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2018
207 people are currently reading
1870 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
July 27, 2018
I always struggle to know how to rate a book like this. For me personally: this book had no value. But am I just the choir that it is preaching to? Would others get more out of it? I'm not sure. I think this book is really targeted for people who need a "religious conversion" in money matters and I'm not sure it can really do that.
In many ways this book is just a rehash of what I'll call "The Emerging Consensus". By which I mean: if you're the kind of person who reads The Atlantic (or at least skims the headlines when new articles come out) then you're going to be familiar with every argument and citation made. Behavioural finance, Carol Dweck, Thinking Fast & Slow, Daniel Pink's Drive, cognitive biases, buy experiences not stuff, the emerging science of happiness, and so on. I guess it is nice that so much of this is packaged up in a one-stop shop.
This is also a bit of a theoretical book. It is less about having tools & tactics and more about the broad strokes. For instance, it says the important things in life are "Connection, Control, Context" (and whatever the 4th "C" was...I'm drawing a blank right now). Sure, but concretely how does a person go about balancing those things, coming up with plans & goals for them, and then using a finite pool of money to achieve (some of? all of?) those things?
So I'm torn because I agree with basically everything in this book but I'm not sure I'd recommend...or if I did...who I'd recommend it to.
In many ways this book is just a rehash of what I'll call "The Emerging Consensus". By which I mean: if you're the kind of person who reads The Atlantic (or at least skims the headlines when new articles come out) then you're going to be familiar with every argument and citation made. Behavioural finance, Carol Dweck, Thinking Fast & Slow, Daniel Pink's Drive, cognitive biases, buy experiences not stuff, the emerging science of happiness, and so on. I guess it is nice that so much of this is packaged up in a one-stop shop.
This is also a bit of a theoretical book. It is less about having tools & tactics and more about the broad strokes. For instance, it says the important things in life are "Connection, Control, Context" (and whatever the 4th "C" was...I'm drawing a blank right now). Sure, but concretely how does a person go about balancing those things, coming up with plans & goals for them, and then using a finite pool of money to achieve (some of? all of?) those things?
So I'm torn because I agree with basically everything in this book but I'm not sure I'd recommend...or if I did...who I'd recommend it to.
March 21, 2019
Am I reading the right book?
When you have a "How to" in the title of your book, one expects that it is a more of a practical guide to whatever you are 'HowTo'ing. And it is that expectation that led me to explore this book. The book is almost a year old but there only were a handful of reviews on Amazon. Also, 91% of them were 5-stars. But more of that later.
You will be sorely disappointed if you also expect this to be a self-help or an investing guide as its title unbashedly markets the book. This is more of a long-winded and tangential exploration of how wealth can affect happiness and human behaviour. I still gave the book a honest chance to understand the arguments the author was making.
The author starts off by dividing the book into three parts - each a logical step in planning and building wealth. Once this clear and useful definition is set up, the author goes on a detour. Somewhere in the woods for finding happiness, he takes us on a wild goose chase before coming back to the point he was earlier making. At one point in time, I had to go back to GoodReads to figure out whether I was reading the right book or whether there was a glitch in the Amazon system that got me the wrong book.
Leaning heavily on other behavioural finance references, notably Kahneman, the author explains how he melded works from different authors and derived his own understanding of the effect of money on happiness. As one of the other reviews of this book on goodreads says, any one who is remotely interested in behavioural psychology/finance would have read about Kahneman, Tversky or Thaler. Knowing that this book doesn't bring any thing new to the table, it would indeed be redundant to read this, especially with the side quests that the author often participates in.
When the book takes almost half of the content to come to the point, I feel I would be doing the right thing in skimming the book instead of reading it thoroughly. And if you're really interested in completing the book, that is what I would recommend. Otherwise, the psychology of building wealth can be better understood through other well known works.
Here's my take on how happiness is linked with wealth. Yes, wealth can bring a certain level of happiness. But as is with any other thing in life, the marginal utility of wealth decreases as we have more and more of it. It should not be used as an end to itself, but as a means to achieving your true purpose in life, whatever you define that to be. Money may or may not directly give you happiness. But one thing I know for sure is that this book did not give me happiness at all. The proof of the geometry of wealth stays unsolved for me.
===
Read more of our reviews at Few Pages More
When you have a "How to" in the title of your book, one expects that it is a more of a practical guide to whatever you are 'HowTo'ing. And it is that expectation that led me to explore this book. The book is almost a year old but there only were a handful of reviews on Amazon. Also, 91% of them were 5-stars. But more of that later.
You will be sorely disappointed if you also expect this to be a self-help or an investing guide as its title unbashedly markets the book. This is more of a long-winded and tangential exploration of how wealth can affect happiness and human behaviour. I still gave the book a honest chance to understand the arguments the author was making.
The author starts off by dividing the book into three parts - each a logical step in planning and building wealth. Once this clear and useful definition is set up, the author goes on a detour. Somewhere in the woods for finding happiness, he takes us on a wild goose chase before coming back to the point he was earlier making. At one point in time, I had to go back to GoodReads to figure out whether I was reading the right book or whether there was a glitch in the Amazon system that got me the wrong book.
Leaning heavily on other behavioural finance references, notably Kahneman, the author explains how he melded works from different authors and derived his own understanding of the effect of money on happiness. As one of the other reviews of this book on goodreads says, any one who is remotely interested in behavioural psychology/finance would have read about Kahneman, Tversky or Thaler. Knowing that this book doesn't bring any thing new to the table, it would indeed be redundant to read this, especially with the side quests that the author often participates in.
When the book takes almost half of the content to come to the point, I feel I would be doing the right thing in skimming the book instead of reading it thoroughly. And if you're really interested in completing the book, that is what I would recommend. Otherwise, the psychology of building wealth can be better understood through other well known works.
Here's my take on how happiness is linked with wealth. Yes, wealth can bring a certain level of happiness. But as is with any other thing in life, the marginal utility of wealth decreases as we have more and more of it. It should not be used as an end to itself, but as a means to achieving your true purpose in life, whatever you define that to be. Money may or may not directly give you happiness. But one thing I know for sure is that this book did not give me happiness at all. The proof of the geometry of wealth stays unsolved for me.
===
Read more of our reviews at Few Pages More
July 19, 2018
Fascinating, throughly researched book that uses an easy-to-follow framework to address the mental and emotional aspects of financial planning. The concept of "wealth as funded contentment" and the Four C's of a meaningful life are very affecting and empowering. After reading plenty of books about the "hows" of investing, it was very refreshing to read one that addresses the "why" of investing and financial planning.
June 21, 2024
The author was unable to clearly and concisely get his points across. I read the entire book hoping it would get better, but for me it didn't. The author makes some very basic money management points, but nothing new, insightful, or significant. I was very disappointed.
May 10, 2020
OK in the beginning, not that useful onwards, as it went more into the financial domain
December 9, 2020
It's not written so well, but the book is so good because its message is so different from what you hear elsewhere. It echoes a bit what's in the Graham "The Intelligent Investor" book: The biggest problem in finance isn't which asset to pick, it's **psychology**. It's controlling your emotions and your expectations. So he made this whole method where first you decide what's your goal/purpose (financially, but more generally in your life), then you set your priorities (with triangles), and finally you execute these priorities by creating a suiting portfolio (the square).
October 21, 2018
Good analogies, was hoping for more depth
A good intro 101 book on investing. It was an easy read and covers the basics of investing very well.
A good intro 101 book on investing. It was an easy read and covers the basics of investing very well.
November 28, 2019
Thoughtful and thought provoking...
It’s not easy to write about how money impacts people’s psyches. Portnoy tries to simplify with the use of geometry. That did not really work for me. But the book does a better job than most in distinguishing what wealth really is and gives the reader a mindset that will help them achieve it.
It’s not easy to write about how money impacts people’s psyches. Portnoy tries to simplify with the use of geometry. That did not really work for me. But the book does a better job than most in distinguishing what wealth really is and gives the reader a mindset that will help them achieve it.
March 2, 2020
Heard its audio book and enjoyed to be well-equipped with theoretical knowledge of personal financial management and personal money management. No one should wait for attaining the age of superannuation for preparing post-retirement financial strategy. Rather the strategy must be cultivated much before even decades earlier. Having said that, the geometry of wealth best suits to devise the strategy ibid.
We can’t control every aspect of our financial lives, but we do have a surprising amount of agency.
Insecurity might be on the rise, but that doesn’t mean we’re doomed to monetary misery. Luckily, we all have a powerful tool for solving financial problems – the human brain. Now, the brain isn’t all-powerful, and it can’t resolve every conundrum or make us all financial moguls. But it does give us some leverage.
Let’s start by looking at our brains’ limitations. In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, the psychologist and economist Daniel Kahnemann argues that our default cognitive setting is “fast thinking.” This is an automatic reflex triggered by events in the world around us. When you’re driving a car and see someone dart into the road, for example, it’s fast thinking that makes you instinctively hit the brakes.
This is because our brains are constantly scanning our environment for threats. When we encounter danger, our reactions are lightning-fast and largely unconscious. That means we can’t control our “fast brain” – it simply makes decisions for us. Sometimes those are financial decisions. If you’ve ever spent a huge amount of money you don’t have, chances are your fast brain was in the driving seat.
But fast thinking isn’t the only setting on which the human brain operates. According to Kahnemann, we also have a “slow brain.” This is responsible for rational thought and analyzing complex data. It’s this setting that allows us to, say, calculate the annual returns on high-yielding savings accounts.
So what can our slow brains control? To answer that, we need to look at a study by social scientists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan published in the Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2015. It suggests that around 60 percent of our ability to make sound decisions and be happy is determined by genes and circumstances.
That puts a lot of decisions beyond our control, but it also means that a full 40 percent of the decisions we make over our lives are conscious choices. If you use your slow brain to make those calls, you’ll be well on your way to financial happiness!
When it comes to finances, it’s important to keep a level head and remember that luck plays its part in the financial markets. Recognizing this and staying humble is a crucial part of becoming a successful investor, which is all about limiting risks and avoiding bad calls. Once you’ve done that, you can stack the odds in your favor by investing in simple, reliable schemes, and sticking with your investments over the long term.
Diversify your investment: As you've seen, luck plays a big part in financial investment, since it’s impossible to be sure which companies will grow and which will crash. If you expect an average ten percent return on your investment, and only invest in one company, you’re liable to find yourself in trouble if that firm crashes or underperforms. The alternative approach? Simple: hedge your bets and spread your investment over multiple companies. If one set of stocks goes bad, you’ve always got a safety buffer.
Investing in bonds are also fascinating idea the author has offered since bonds are available in almost every country around the globe.
We can’t control every aspect of our financial lives, but we do have a surprising amount of agency.
Insecurity might be on the rise, but that doesn’t mean we’re doomed to monetary misery. Luckily, we all have a powerful tool for solving financial problems – the human brain. Now, the brain isn’t all-powerful, and it can’t resolve every conundrum or make us all financial moguls. But it does give us some leverage.
Let’s start by looking at our brains’ limitations. In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, the psychologist and economist Daniel Kahnemann argues that our default cognitive setting is “fast thinking.” This is an automatic reflex triggered by events in the world around us. When you’re driving a car and see someone dart into the road, for example, it’s fast thinking that makes you instinctively hit the brakes.
This is because our brains are constantly scanning our environment for threats. When we encounter danger, our reactions are lightning-fast and largely unconscious. That means we can’t control our “fast brain” – it simply makes decisions for us. Sometimes those are financial decisions. If you’ve ever spent a huge amount of money you don’t have, chances are your fast brain was in the driving seat.
But fast thinking isn’t the only setting on which the human brain operates. According to Kahnemann, we also have a “slow brain.” This is responsible for rational thought and analyzing complex data. It’s this setting that allows us to, say, calculate the annual returns on high-yielding savings accounts.
So what can our slow brains control? To answer that, we need to look at a study by social scientists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan published in the Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2015. It suggests that around 60 percent of our ability to make sound decisions and be happy is determined by genes and circumstances.
That puts a lot of decisions beyond our control, but it also means that a full 40 percent of the decisions we make over our lives are conscious choices. If you use your slow brain to make those calls, you’ll be well on your way to financial happiness!
When it comes to finances, it’s important to keep a level head and remember that luck plays its part in the financial markets. Recognizing this and staying humble is a crucial part of becoming a successful investor, which is all about limiting risks and avoiding bad calls. Once you’ve done that, you can stack the odds in your favor by investing in simple, reliable schemes, and sticking with your investments over the long term.
Diversify your investment: As you've seen, luck plays a big part in financial investment, since it’s impossible to be sure which companies will grow and which will crash. If you expect an average ten percent return on your investment, and only invest in one company, you’re liable to find yourself in trouble if that firm crashes or underperforms. The alternative approach? Simple: hedge your bets and spread your investment over multiple companies. If one set of stocks goes bad, you’ve always got a safety buffer.
Investing in bonds are also fascinating idea the author has offered since bonds are available in almost every country around the globe.
November 23, 2025
This book does a wonderful job weaving together insights from a wide range of great thinkers into a single, coherent framework. Brian Portnoy moves gracefully from classical Greek philosophy—especially Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics—to modern behavioral finance giants like Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky, and Dan Ariely, as well as voices like Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan) and Viktor Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning).
For me, the book helped gather these strands into one place and show how they inform real financial planning and investing. Readers who already know these thinkers will appreciate how Portnoy threads them together; newcomers will get a concise, approachable introduction to their core ideas.
The “circle” portion of Portnoy’s framework was the most inspiring for me—it's where the philosophical and psychological ideas come together most clearly. As a financial advisor, the “triangle” and “square” were more familiar ground, but still a helpful confirmation of what genuine financial planning looks like.
Overall, this is a terrific read for anyone who wants to understand how wealth, purpose, and decision-making fit together in a meaningful way.
For me, the book helped gather these strands into one place and show how they inform real financial planning and investing. Readers who already know these thinkers will appreciate how Portnoy threads them together; newcomers will get a concise, approachable introduction to their core ideas.
The “circle” portion of Portnoy’s framework was the most inspiring for me—it's where the philosophical and psychological ideas come together most clearly. As a financial advisor, the “triangle” and “square” were more familiar ground, but still a helpful confirmation of what genuine financial planning looks like.
Overall, this is a terrific read for anyone who wants to understand how wealth, purpose, and decision-making fit together in a meaningful way.
April 28, 2021
I'm newer to investing, but something I learned when I got sober almost 9 years ago is that money doesn't guarantee happiness. A week or two before starting this book, I noticed myself veering off my path by caring way too much about money as I started to see some of my investments perform well (and it didn't help that some unexpected bills hit). I've heard nothing but good things about The Geometry of Wealth, and I decided to read it at the exact right time. To be honest, I wasn't even sure what it was about, but it was perfect timing when I started reading it.
Brian Portnoy does an incredible job with this book reminding us about what really matters in life. As a psychology nerd, I was glad that Brian started the book off by discussing hedonic adaptation and why we're always striving for more. Portnoy then lays out a sort of roadmap/formula for how we can live a fulfilling life while also making good investments. He reminds us to remember to put our intrinsic motivations above our extrinsic motivations and to keep our priorities in line. I was pleasantly surprised that this book was leaned more towards philosophy and mental health than actual investments. But with that being said, there's also a ton of great investment advice in here such as being mindful of our fast vs. slow thinking and some of our biases.
I highly recommend this book to not just investors but anyone who ever stresses about money (which is just about everyone). I can definitely say that I'll be reading this book again when I need a reminder to get back on the right path.
Brian Portnoy does an incredible job with this book reminding us about what really matters in life. As a psychology nerd, I was glad that Brian started the book off by discussing hedonic adaptation and why we're always striving for more. Portnoy then lays out a sort of roadmap/formula for how we can live a fulfilling life while also making good investments. He reminds us to remember to put our intrinsic motivations above our extrinsic motivations and to keep our priorities in line. I was pleasantly surprised that this book was leaned more towards philosophy and mental health than actual investments. But with that being said, there's also a ton of great investment advice in here such as being mindful of our fast vs. slow thinking and some of our biases.
I highly recommend this book to not just investors but anyone who ever stresses about money (which is just about everyone). I can definitely say that I'll be reading this book again when I need a reminder to get back on the right path.
April 8, 2022
I really want to rate this book higher, but it just didn't quite go deep enough for me. Throughout the book, I felt like the author was building up to a larger point, but then he'd just move on to the next topic. Perhaps that was his point... there is no obvious solution to money or a one size fits all plan. It just fell short of 4 or 5* for me.
That being said, I really enjoyed his view on investing and money psychology. It helped that I have already read "Thinking. Fast and Slow" which he referred to several times. He describes what System 1 and System 2 thinking have to do with money, and how bad we are at making good decisions (especially in probabilities and exponentials).
I loved his description of wealth: Funded Contentment. While "rich" is a quest for more that usually ends badly, wealth is achievable by anyone with the right mindset and plan.
His the steps, centered on the geometry of a Circle, Triangle, and Square include Adaptation, Prioritization, and Simplification. Define your purpose, employ the right strategy, focus on good decisions. In most cases, it's better to minimize loss than attempt gains. But without some risk, goals are unlikely to be achieved.
I recommend this book as an entry level reading into investing and learning how money works for you in the long run.
That being said, I really enjoyed his view on investing and money psychology. It helped that I have already read "Thinking. Fast and Slow" which he referred to several times. He describes what System 1 and System 2 thinking have to do with money, and how bad we are at making good decisions (especially in probabilities and exponentials).
I loved his description of wealth: Funded Contentment. While "rich" is a quest for more that usually ends badly, wealth is achievable by anyone with the right mindset and plan.
His the steps, centered on the geometry of a Circle, Triangle, and Square include Adaptation, Prioritization, and Simplification. Define your purpose, employ the right strategy, focus on good decisions. In most cases, it's better to minimize loss than attempt gains. But without some risk, goals are unlikely to be achieved.
I recommend this book as an entry level reading into investing and learning how money works for you in the long run.
March 2, 2020
Book of the Day 3/2/20
“When it comes to finances, it’s important to keep a level head and remember that luck plays its part in the financial markets. Recognizing this and staying humble is a crucial part of becoming a successful investor, which is all about limiting risks and avoiding bad calls. Once you’ve done that, you can stack the odds in your favor by investing in simple, reliable schemes, and sticking with your investments over the long term.
Actionable advice:
Diversify your investment portfolio.
As we’ve seen, luck plays a big part in financial investment, since it’s impossible to be sure which companies will grow and which will crash. If you expect an average ten percent return on your investment, and only invest in one company, you’re liable to find yourself in trouble if that firm crashes or underperforms. The alternative approach? Simple: hedge your bets and spread your investment over multiple companies. If one set of stocks goes bad, you’ve always got a safety buffer.”
“When it comes to finances, it’s important to keep a level head and remember that luck plays its part in the financial markets. Recognizing this and staying humble is a crucial part of becoming a successful investor, which is all about limiting risks and avoiding bad calls. Once you’ve done that, you can stack the odds in your favor by investing in simple, reliable schemes, and sticking with your investments over the long term.
Actionable advice:
Diversify your investment portfolio.
As we’ve seen, luck plays a big part in financial investment, since it’s impossible to be sure which companies will grow and which will crash. If you expect an average ten percent return on your investment, and only invest in one company, you’re liable to find yourself in trouble if that firm crashes or underperforms. The alternative approach? Simple: hedge your bets and spread your investment over multiple companies. If one set of stocks goes bad, you’ve always got a safety buffer.”
July 5, 2024
The book seeks to reframe and structure decisions concerning money and a meaningful life while also interlinking the two. One can glean refreshing insights along the way. It doesn’t come without first separating the chaff from the wheat. However, if one gets to the end of the book, some worthwhile lessons are there to be grabbed.
Some key points:
1. Overcoming human biases that impeded good financial decisions
2. Experienced vs reflective happiness in clarifying the interlinkage between money and meaning
3. Money is more effective at alleviating sadness than making you happy
4. In matters of money, being less wrong is more important than being accurate
5. Embracing probabilistic thinking instead of desire for certainty to manage expectations
6. Understanding compounding and non-linearity
8. Striking a balance between more and enough; progress and presence
Some key points:
1. Overcoming human biases that impeded good financial decisions
2. Experienced vs reflective happiness in clarifying the interlinkage between money and meaning
3. Money is more effective at alleviating sadness than making you happy
4. In matters of money, being less wrong is more important than being accurate
5. Embracing probabilistic thinking instead of desire for certainty to manage expectations
6. Understanding compounding and non-linearity
8. Striking a balance between more and enough; progress and presence
June 22, 2020
Due to the nature of the content, the writing style is rather dry and it wasn't a fast read for me at all, I read it in small chunks over the course of a few months. That being said, it was interesting to me to learn about the concept of 'funded contentment'. It dealt with what do you need financially to feel comfortable as opposed to how much can you accumulate just to have more money. There are a few concepts in the book that mirror bits of the Science of Well-Being (coursera.org) that I'm taking simultaneously, so the timing was an interesting coincidence. Mostly I appreciated the insight on how humans are wired so to speak on making poor decisions/choices regarding investing, and how to recognize and consequently avoid those pitfalls.
February 27, 2021
Overall, this book was much more of a psychological assessment of "what is wealth?" versus an analytic viewpoint of what wealth is.
I really enjoyed the sections where Brian explained how the human brain functions and how we are "pre-programmed" to make poor financial decisions. It's wild that if most people are patient rather than making changes when the market swings, they will see significantly better long-term gains in their portfolio. Human nature might be one of the reasons why there is such a wealth-gap in this country.
Honestly, the shape analogies were challenging to follow... I think it was a valiant effort to have a framework that runs throughout the book, but the shapes / geometry were not "sticky" to me.
Summary section was superb! I wish more authors did this!
I really enjoyed the sections where Brian explained how the human brain functions and how we are "pre-programmed" to make poor financial decisions. It's wild that if most people are patient rather than making changes when the market swings, they will see significantly better long-term gains in their portfolio. Human nature might be one of the reasons why there is such a wealth-gap in this country.
Honestly, the shape analogies were challenging to follow... I think it was a valiant effort to have a framework that runs throughout the book, but the shapes / geometry were not "sticky" to me.
Summary section was superb! I wish more authors did this!
June 2, 2022
An exceptional, accessible primer on the human side of money and wealth. This is a must-read not only for those in the financial services industry, but also for those whose only exposure to money advice has to do with numbers, charts, and excessive lists of dos and don'ts. Portnoy expertly reveals the innate human desire of greed and the often singular focus on long-term goals and future selves and reorients the reader to the concept of "enough" and the delicate balance between presence and progress. While not overtly religious, the undertones in some of Portnoy's findings are compatible with Christian thought. I highly recommend this important work to anyone who wants to be better with money (which would include most of us).
August 29, 2020
The book introduced to me the concept of 'Funded Contentment' which he defines as wealth, as opposed to riches (more money). The book is then built around the 3 shapes: circle, triangle and square in that order (presumably to simplify for the layman). I found this a bit arbitrary but the corners of the square were the most useful for me. All chapters were well-researched and carried a detailed bibliography at the end of them. The final chapter pulled it all together for me and was well-written. It centers around the constant conflict between desiring more (how humans are wired) vs having enough. There is a summary chapter at the back for quick reference at a later stage.
August 21, 2018
How we manage our psychology in approaching wealth creation is far more important than the tactical things we do. When it comes to money, structure and consistency is far more important than skills and analysis.
A book that seemed to have potential by talking about the psychology of money that never fully delivers. It ends up talking stock picking and rehashes the tried and true case for dollar cost averaging and blended mutual funds. In the end, its a complicated version of 1000's of other books out there.
Can't recommend.
A book that seemed to have potential by talking about the psychology of money that never fully delivers. It ends up talking stock picking and rehashes the tried and true case for dollar cost averaging and blended mutual funds. In the end, its a complicated version of 1000's of other books out there.
Can't recommend.
September 6, 2018
I am not sure how to classify this book - it is essentially a very long, well-written essay on some of the basic tenets of behavioral finance and the humankind's pursuit of happiness; with some coverage of basic personal finance thrown in. While it makes for interesting reading, there is hardly anything new here for anyone who read more than a couple of behavioral finance and investment books. Worth reading if you have the time, but look elsewhere for applicable investment advice or an in-depth discussion of how money and happiness are related.
May 1, 2019
Extraordinarily unoriginal - Portnoy essentially aggregates all of the popular writings on behavioral finance and wraps them in a flimsy analogy (the "geometry" in the title) to create this book. I'm not sure he presents an original thought in the whole book. What's more, this book feels like a classic case of a book that could have been an essay - indeed, Portnoy explicitly summarizes the whole book in an essay at the very end (unfortunately it doesn't leave him as much room to name drop various behavioral finance writers).
May 16, 2021
Portnoy's The Geometry of Wealth contains great ideas. It's not a traditional money management book that discusses investment strategies, etc. Instead, he delves into the philosophical aspects of finance and financial planning.
My three stars rating reflects the author's writing style and the book's organization. It was hard to follow and required a level of focus which was exhausting.
Nonetheless, the book is insightful despite the abstractness of many concepts. Hopefully, Portnoy will write a follow up book which further clarifies his thoughts.
My three stars rating reflects the author's writing style and the book's organization. It was hard to follow and required a level of focus which was exhausting.
Nonetheless, the book is insightful despite the abstractness of many concepts. Hopefully, Portnoy will write a follow up book which further clarifies his thoughts.
October 24, 2018
I have read countless personal finance and investing books and most of them are not good. This one is good and is insightful on the concept of what it means to be "wealthy." Wealth is funded contentment is the idea behind the book. The author lays out the concept and then explains the process to achieve wealth. "A Wealth of Common Sense" is still the best personal finance/investing book I have read, but this is a solid companion book.
June 28, 2020
I liked this book (actually read the paperback not kindle). Really made me start thinking about my purpose in life (picked out two books to read about that) and wealth versus rich. Money doesn't need to be a number (I need $1 million to retire) it all depends on how you want to live and the standard of living you need. Definitely made me think. I am in a group that already teaches this, but this book really solidified it for me.
March 6, 2021
A unique approach to a wealth/finance/investment book. True wealth is funded contentment and the goal of wealth should be to underwrite a meaningful life.
Firstrst we must define what a meaningful life is for ourselves - connection, competence, control, and context.
Being more clear the the "why" of wealth is the foundation to then set priorities and tactics on investment strategies and the accumulation of wealth.
Firstrst we must define what a meaningful life is for ourselves - connection, competence, control, and context.
Being more clear the the "why" of wealth is the foundation to then set priorities and tactics on investment strategies and the accumulation of wealth.
October 25, 2021
A nice attempt to connect positive psychology with investing, to guide readers in how to fund their contentment, as opposed to endlessly yearn for more. Not all of the analogies and frameworks resonated but I did become convinced to…
1. Be more open about my “money life” with friends
2. Calculate an amount that could fund a contented life and measure my income/savings in relation to that
3. Don’t sell the dip, even if it looks like the market’s on it’s arse
1. Be more open about my “money life” with friends
2. Calculate an amount that could fund a contented life and measure my income/savings in relation to that
3. Don’t sell the dip, even if it looks like the market’s on it’s arse
June 20, 2018
Interview w/ Ted Seides
http://capitalallocatorspodcast.com/2...
Interview on Living with Money
https://www.livingwithmoney.com/brian...
http://retirementsavvy.net/the-geomet...
Question: Does Brian Portnoy have a credible track record of funded contentment?
http://capitalallocatorspodcast.com/2...
Interview on Living with Money
https://www.livingwithmoney.com/brian...
http://retirementsavvy.net/the-geomet...
Question: Does Brian Portnoy have a credible track record of funded contentment?
February 10, 2023
Reasonable survey of positive psychology field married with bevioral economics. Nothing groundbreaking and I found the concept relating to the shapes clumsy and not very intuitive. However, I did appreciate Portnoy's overall tone and came away with a sense he was trying to help the reader not fall into the usual traps that many people struggle with around money and happiness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2023
Book in a sentence: a stoic book about finance and the psychology and strategy behind managing it practically.
Key lesson learned:
1. Define purpose - illuminate the ingredients for a live well lived
2. Set priorities- chart a focused strategy to do the right things in the right order
3. Make decisions - employ simplified tactics to drive better outcomes.
Key lesson learned:
1. Define purpose - illuminate the ingredients for a live well lived
2. Set priorities- chart a focused strategy to do the right things in the right order
3. Make decisions - employ simplified tactics to drive better outcomes.
January 30, 2024
I decided to read this book because I have always felt a lost when it comes to wealth building and investing. I don’t work in finance, and these topics have always seemed complex and shrouded in mystery.
This book did an excellent job simplifying complex concepts into steps that are easier to understand and apply.
I would recommend it to anyone who finds investing confusing but is ready to learn about it.
This book did an excellent job simplifying complex concepts into steps that are easier to understand and apply.
I would recommend it to anyone who finds investing confusing but is ready to learn about it.
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