This short work demystifies the complex and (to many) daunting principles and facts that experts have come to embrace as behavioral finance. The psychological concepts that influence wealth-related decisions and behaviors--for better or worse--are clearly presented and the scientific basis made clear. The mental and emotional landmines that can sabotage financial decision making are presented in an engaging and understandable manner, emphasizing how "normal" are their influences in our lives.

Beyond that, the book provides behavioral guidelines for rational decision making that require conscious and unconscious awareness of the factors that influence wealth accumulation, on the one hand, and self-defeating "money spilling," on the other. As the director of a clinical science doctoral program, this exemplifies, purely and simply, "evidence-based practice" of the highest order. This is not pop psychology; rather, it is informed by a solid scientific base. - Foreword by Ronald Smith, psychology professor and former Director of the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Washington.