Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 2 starts by contemplating what money really is. Money is not just currency such as the coins and dollar bills in a safe. Currency has no intrinsic value. It cannot be eaten, worn, or lived in. So money must be something else.

The chapter continues by discussing four perspectives of money. These four perspectives cover methods of handling money, psychological reactions evoked by money, culturally based theories of money trends, and personal responsibility and transformation with respect to money.

In the physical perspective of money, people earn money, save money, and spend money. Anything having to do with managing money is in this realm, including getting a job, balancing a bank account, investing, getting a mortgage, paying bills, buying insurance, comparison-shopping, using credit cards, and filing for bankruptcy.

The emotional and psychological perspective of money includes the reader's values, beliefs, and...