One of my French student is still at university but she wants to associate ethics and business in her future career.
Today I have 10 reasons for you to read the amazing and very informative book by Joel Solomon called Clean Money:
1. No taboo around money
“We all need to talk more about money and what it does in the world” writes Joel Solomon.
Yes indeed, we cannot bury our heads pretending money is bad and shouldn’t be talked about. Money is a fascinating subject.
“Terms like green economy, circular economy and sharing economy” are emerging and we need to be informed about them my friend my sister. This is a new world, let’s be part of it!
Today it is not weird anymore “to gather to talk about money and the meaning of life” and I love it so much. We can search for our life purpose while keeping business ethics along the way.
2. Alchemy as a way of life
Let’s transform everything. I want to transform my pain into inspiration for others. This is why I do youtube videos.
The author if Clean Money writes: “We can transform our anxiety into passion. Fear can become hope. The moment demands deep and unwavering commitment to transforming it all. The economy. The planet. The way we treat, see, and live with one another.”
Money is an agent of transformation.
3. What if wealth was different from accumulating costly objects?
Joel Solomon writes: “Generations before me were wooed by making millions on Wall Street or amassing material stuff as a symbol of success. Some in my generation are also attracted by this. But I couldn’t be prouder to work and live amongst a massive group of global peers who are just crazy enough, just bold enough to imagine a completely different future.”
I worked in finance my friend my sister, where some people are very wealthy. Do they mean they are happier? No and I am so grateful I got such a work experience. It taught me to look for a deeper meaning in life and for meaningful relationships.
I couldn’t care less about objects. Granted, I love a good blender, but honestly I live a very minimalist lifestyle. I moved across continents with only one suitcase. My wealth is in the people I love and care about, including you my friend my sister.
In the book Clean Money, its author writes: “We can find joy and meaning beyond unlimited consumption. The wealth that has perpetuated injustice can transform the world.”
New generations are so much aware of the limitation of living and working only for consuming afterwards: “To all young people who feel there is a better way of living and working : trust yourself.”
Furthermore, “The Millennial generation has had some environmental education. They know what the problems are, they know we’re destroying this planet, they want to do something about it. And they want to support the companies that are doing something about it.”
Times have changed. Money for money is completely outdated: “Our purpose can no longer be simply to amass and hoard ever – larger amounts of capital, whether for ourselves or for shareholders. There’s no good future in that.”
When I worked in Finance, I saw the rise of impact investing, when people will put their money in a product only because they want to impact the environment, the life of people and so on. It is very different from the traditional mentality of not caring where the money is investing inasmuch as it generates more money.
4. What is money?
I was taught in class that money is a tool to make exchanges easier. However it can be more than that. “Money is a powerful force for good” writes Joel Solomon.
Money can transform our world. Do you have money? Then you have a huge responsibility: “What is the world you’d like to see ? Start investing in those things.” recommends the author of Clean Money.
“How we use money is an expression of who we are and all that we believe” warns Joel Solomon so let’s be in alignment with our values in everything we do, including buying and investing my friend my sister.
In his book Clean Money, the author writes that “Money is embodied energy. It’s a tool. Making it into a god is tragic. Using it with a divine intention to help others is wonderful.” I love it! I always believed that money can bring out the worst or the best in people.
5. The deep transformation of the financial world
Even before diving deep into personal development, I learned that the financial sector is embracing the change of socially and environmentally responsible practices. This is the future. There is no way back.
Hence in France for instance, a law made it mandatory for companies to report on how the company is taking into account the social and environmental impact of its activity (Loi NRE 15 May 2001).
Moreover, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are widely used.
“The demand to align money with values is rising. Financial advisors are responding” explains Joel Solomon.
Furthermore, companies can generate value when they invest into their general responsibility. Taking into account all the stakeholders involved in its activity can help a company stand out on the market.
“The wealth management industry knows this marketplace disruption is real. New product growth is underway for pensions, endowments, mutual funds, banking, consumer goods, and savings” writes the author of the book Clean Money.
For instance, the socially responsible investment is developed right now, because while “The 20th century was the era of Buy Low / Sell High and Wealth Now / Philanthropy Later — what one venture capitalist called “ the largest legal accumulation of wealth in history”, the 21st Century will be the era of nurture capital, built around principles of carrying capacity, care of the commons, sense of place, diversity, and nonviolence.”
Some funds are also choosing to desinvest from companies which are not socially and environmentally responsible because it becomes risky.
To conclude, the financial sector is being reinvented with non-financial considerations, while corporations are understanding the new rules of the game: see the great video by Marie Forleo “Want to Innovate Like Apple? Play The Infinite Game with Simon Sinek“.
6. When divine femininity aligns with the tool of money
Joel Solomon writes: “After centuries of a male-dominated, maximum-financial-return-regardless-of-consequences exploitive capitalism, we are building a new regenerative business culture. Feminization of the economy is part of this, making our financial system relational, cooperative, and with more balanced representation.”
There is so much hope when I read: “My perspective moved from the prevalent patriarchal model — mechanistic accumulation for the smartest and most dominant — toward balance with more feminine principles. Shared abundance, love, relationship, and generosity.”
Clean Money also means “liberation from a structure of exploitation, racism, and patriarchy and toward one of shared prosperity and a clean economy.”
It is a matter of urgency because “diversity and interdependence are critical to resilience“. The world definitely needs more feminine values my friend my sister: “In the old – school patriarchal business world, emotional vulnerability is assumed to be a weakness. Leaders are taught to block emotions. Unfortunately that snuffs empathy and becomes the source of much trouble.”
On that note, I highly recommend watching the video A Must-Watch Video For Women Who Want To Love Their Careers | Marissa Orr on Women of Impact.
7. Love is a healthy strength
“Love is an excellent moral guide. Let’s be billionaires of good deeds. Billionaires of love.” writes Joel Solomon.
We need to act, in accordance with our values because “The task of infusing love and responsibility into the long-term future of civilization is a big one . It needs millions of us, and ultimately billions. We need every willing hand, heart, and mind.”
It makes me think of the presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, whose political message is founded on love.
A big part of personal development is around living an aligned life where “Career, money, and health, must be connected.” This is why I left the law firm. I did not feel aligned. Today I live according to my values.
I really believe that I can receive abundance in my life while staying connected to my purpose of being of service to others.
Lastly, the author of the book Clean Money reminds us that “our wealth is a demonstrative statement of our values“.
8. Why we need to wake up now
The past model did not bring money without consequences: “That was a very unusual period in which those returns were able to be given to investors, and looking back now, we can say that they were gotten at the expense of ecological capital and human capital.”
What is our current state of affairs? Joel Solomon writes in his book Clean Money that “We severely degraded our landscapes and our natural resources to achieve those kinds of returns. We’ve also exploited human resources both in our own country and in others. And so we have to ask ourselves : Is this really a model of sustainable growth ?”
“Everything we do now creates the future” so let’s get informed my friend my sister, let’s share this message of creating a new model and then let’s act.
9. What is your purpose in life?
At the end of our life, we may ask ourselves questions like: “How will we have contributed to making their world safer, more loving, more resilient ? Will we be satisfied that we lived our true meaning and purpose ?”
Indeed, it will not presumably be about how much wealth we have accumulated but the meaning attached to our life:
Moreover, “learning from spiritual traditions about the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death could show us how to live a legacy that matters. Who do we want to have been when we look back from our death bed? How did we leave the world better?”
This is why a book such as Clean Money really matters.
10. We are all interdependent
““ We’re all better off when we’re all better off. With inequality, we miss out on good ideas and relationships, unhappiness increases, and eventually systems collapse. Rather than ‘every man for himself,’ we understand that real security comes from community. We need to rebuild the middle class, engage in fair trade, and decentralize power and business ownership.”” writes Joel Solomon in his book Clean Money.
To conclude on a practical level, as I am setting up my company, I decide to give 10% of the profits to a charity I know well (I use the online accounting platform Dougs), such as charities helping children who survived abuse.
Lastly, the following quote from Joel Solomon brings me to tears: “Dying with the most money is pointless. It’s about what we do to help those who will follow us. Remember the land. Remember the future. Remember love.”
What do you think my friend my sister?
