The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Most of us devote a substantial percentage of our waking hours to making, spending and having more. This desire to accumulate is natural. But when a bigger bank balance – or the things it can buy - becomes our animating purpose, disappointment generally follows. In The Secret of Shelter Island, nationally renowned financial analyst and bestselling author Alexander Green explores the complicated relationship we all have with money and reveals the road map to a rich life.

The timing could hardly be better. After more than twenty-five years of virtually uninterrupted prosperity, the U.S. economy has hit a rough patch. Yet to the extent that downturns like the current one shake up the status quo and force us to re-examine our goals and priorities, they also offer enormous opportunities. The Secret of Shelter Island provides an ideal starting point. Drawing on some of today’s best minds and many of history’s greatest thinkers, it is both a much-needed source of inspiration and an insightful look at the role of both money and values in the pursuit of the good life.

The book is arranged around four central themes. In Part I, "A Rich Mind," Green explores such key questions as: How important is money in your life? What is it giving you? What is it costing you? In Part II, "What’s Most Important," he discusses how to calculate your real net worth—without using a financial statement. In Part III, "Attitudes of Gratitude," he offers powerful insights based on a deceptively simple philosophy of life. In the final section of the book "The Search for Meaning," he delivers a refreshing take on the universal principles that guide us all – or should. The Secret of Shelter Island is full of practical wisdom. More than just a personal philosophy, it is a profound and utterly modern commentary on timeless values, the search for meaning and what it means to be truly wealthy.

From the Inside Flap
Most of us devote a substantial percentage of our waking hours to making, spending, and having more. This desire to accumulate is natural. But when a bigger bank balance—or the things it can buy—becomes our animating purpose, disappointment generally follows. In The Secret of Shelter Island, nationally renowned investment analyst and bestselling author Alexander Green explores the complicated relationship we all have with money and reveals the road map to a rich life.

The timing could hardly be better. After more than twenty-five years of virtually uninterrupted prosperity, the U.S. economy has hit a rough patch. Yet to the extent that downturns like the current one shake up the status quo and force us to reexamine our goals and priorities, they also offer enormous opportunities.

The Secret of Shelter Island provides an ideal starting point. Drawing on some of today's best minds and many of history's greatest thinkers, it is both a much-needed source of inspiration and an insightful look at the role of both money and values in the pursuit of the good life.

The book is arranged around four central themes. In Part I, "A Rich Mind," Green explores such key questions as: How important is money in your life? What is it giving you? What is it costing you? In Part II, "What Matters Most," he discusses how to calculate your real net worth—without using a financial statement. In Part III, "Attitudes and Gratitude," he offers powerful insights based on a deceptively simple philosophy of life. In the final section of the book, "The Search for Meaning," he delivers a refreshing take on the universal principles that guide us all-or should.

The Secret of Shelter Island is full of practical wisdom. More than just a personal philosophy, it is a profound and utterly modern commentary on timeless values, the search for meaning, and what it means to be truly wealthy.
From the Back Cover
Praise for The Secret of Shelter Island

"Times like these cause us all to reexamine what really matters in our lives. The Secret of Shelter Island provides fresh perspectives, deeply felt insights, and compelling ideas about how to lead a richer life. And the writing is shockingly good."
—Michael Masterson, bestselling author of Automatic Wealth and Power and Persuasion

"There are spiritual issues that adults have to think about. Alex Green recognizes that, and writes about them beautifully. I like these essays a lot."
—Charles Murray, bestselling author of The Bell Curve, Human Accomplishment, and Real Education

"In The Secret of Shelter Island, Alex Green shows one how to engage the material world without losing one's spirituality, meaning, and larger purpose. With an economy of words and poignancy of thought, Green cuts straight to the heart of what really matters in life."
—Michael Shermer, monthly columnist for Scientific American, and author of The Mind of the Market, The Science of Good and Evil, and How We Believe

"The Secret of Shelter Island is exceptional-indeed brilliant!"
—Edgar F. Puryear, author of Nineteen Stars: A Study in Military Character and Leadership

About the Author
Alexander Green is the Investment Director of The Oxford Club, Chairman of Investment U, Editor of Spiritual Wealth, and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Gone Fishin' Portfolio: Get Wise, Get Wealthy...and Get On With Your Life (Wiley). He has been featured on Oprah & Friends, CNBC, Fox News, and The O'Reilly Factor, and has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, and many other publications. He currently lives near Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife Karen, and their children Hannah and David.