Money - Is That What You Want?

Recall specifics, not just generalities. One client of Klainer's, Barbara Moore, began to understand her money anxieties when she recalled that her mother used to rip the price tags off $3 cans of coffee (and other expensive groceries) -- because her father was so paranoid about spending money. "Both of my parents worked," she says. "But I always sensed their anxiety about money."

You don't to have to be Tom Wolfe. Many of Klainer's clients don't have the time, energy, or literary flair to write a polished narrative. No matter. What does matter, she adds, is not the finished product but the process of thinking about money. In fact, Klainer suggests that you date your autobiography and rewrite it periodically, using it as a guide whenever you make important decisions. "People today are the authors of their own careers," she says. "They're faced with so many choices. But how can you know what you're striving for and how hard you're willing to work if you don't really understand your feelings about money?"

Contact Pamela York Klainer by email (workplay@netapogee.com).