Your money personality is one of the most important factors to consider in making a financial plan that will succeed in giving you both satisfaction and security in life.  Your personality plays such an important role in determining your goals and how you manage your money, you must know your money personality, and be in control of it.  This is the best path toward reaping the potential rewards of whatever plan you put in place.

 What are your attitudes -- positive and negative -- toward money?  How are you using money now?  What fears and insecurities do you have about money?  In what ways do you handle money well?  In what ways could you handle it better?

 In light of the current recession, unstable global economy, layoffs and terrorist attacks, most people are feeling fragmented and anxious about their current situations.  Many of us are grappling with a greater sense of uncertainty and require a greater sense of personal security than we have for several years.

 Whether we like it or not, money is a very significant part of our lives.  We must recognize its importance.  Unless we have control over our money and accept full responsibility for it, we will have no power over it.

 Not only do we have a physical self, an emotional self and a social self, but we have a financial, or money self.  This money self is an integral part of our behavioral repertoire and influences the way we interact with our money.  In other words, your money personality is a major factor in how you utilize your money.  Your money personality makes an impact on how you earn, save, spend and invest your money.

 You have a healthy money self-concept when you know how you affect money and how money affects you.  You have a healthy money self-concept when you like how you deal with money more than you dislike how you deal with money.  If you have a negative money self-concept, you can alter your attitudes and formulate a new money style that provides richness instead of deprivation.

 Understanding your personal money style will be one of the most productive and satisfying goals to achieve in this new year.  Knowing your unique style will help you gain insight into how and why you react emotionally to money—why you have those reactions and how they affect your financial health.  First of all, if you don’t know your money strengths, you can’t use them.  If you don’t know what’s preventing you from getting money, you will remain frustrated with the money in your life.  You will remain a money victim.  If you don’t know what you want from money, you will never reach your financial goals.  If you aren’t willing to change your money attitudes and habits, you will stay in a financial status quo.

 Once you are aware of your unique money style, you can learn which financial traits are assets and which ones are liabilities.  You can reinforce those feelings and actions which are your financial assets and stop letting your emotions sabotage your financial success.  You can determine what part of you may be holding back your potential for greater financial and personal success and well-being.  You can bring your attitudes about money into harmony with the way you handle financial affairs.  This interaction is what determines the ability to accumulate wealth and enjoy it at the same time.