HERE'S what others are saying
about the book...
I took the time to read your book all evening and I'm truly impressed.
Never have I come across a book on financial planning that delves so deeply into the psychology of money while providing such clear and actionable instructions for building wealth.
This is an absolute must-read for anyone serious about securing their financial future, not only for themselves but also for future generations.
The book is a treasure trove of wisdom that will inspire and motivate you to look beyond traditional retirement and embrace new experiences. Read it, and you'll find yourself truly inspired!
Elke B, West Vancouver BC
Your book helped me learn a lot in a field I'm admittedly not very knowledgeable in.
I really enjoyed your philosophies and how empowering it was. Wonderfully written! Thank you again for sharing it with me.
Cass D, Whistler BC
Congratulations on a fabulous book. It took a while to work through as I challenged myself to read the Black Diamond material.
You provided so much useful information. I love that it was more than just hard facts...a great mix of finance and feelings. We will be passing this along to our daughter and other young relatives.
Jane D-J, West Vancouver
I have worked with hundreds of financial advisors, consultants and experts - your Journey to WealthNess provides a road map, with clarity and a nice touch of humility throughout.
Randy S, Vancouver
I started your book with a stack of pink sticky notes for points that I want to revisit. Twenty pages in, every single page had at least one sticky. I switched to a pencil and have been using small tick marks or a star for a point that really hit home, and nearly every page has a mark.
Like you, I am fascinated by thought and behaviour patterns that allow us to grow. I value new ideas and chewing on them, to see where my own thoughts take me. One of the great joys is seeing things with new eyes.
I appreciate that you included spirituality and the soft elements of happiness, gratitude and inner self.
I am eager to read and savour every page of the rest of your book (I am only on page 90).
My husband and I are having good conversation as we think about your ideas and questions.
It is brilliant and so interesting!
Peggy L, Sechelt BC
I finished your book last night and my mind is still turning over and reflecting on many of your thoughts and ideas. Thank you for sharing your rich, rich perspectives and insights, and insights from many other brilliant thinkers, too.
I can only glimpse the depth of your life journey that brought you to be able to write this broad scope of work. I felt your passion.
I smiled when your partner would say that only an accountant could find beauty in personal finance, and when you said love your portfolio, love your personal finances.
I love, and am incredibly grateful for, the abundance in my life, but I never thought to use the word love for those two specific things.
Thank you for giving me more to explore and for taking me to places that I have never been and introducing me to thoughts I have never had.
Peggy L, Sechelt BC
When I reviewed The Ploughman and the Astronaut, I was struck by how decisively it moves beyond conventional financial planning and into a far more meaningful territory. This isn't just a guide about managing money, it's a thoughtful, interdisciplinary exploration of what money represents in our lives, our families and our communities.
The way the author weaves finance together with philosophy, science, and lived experience gives the book a depth that is rare in the personal finance space.
What stands out most is the concept of WealthNess, positioning financial health as inseparable from emotional, spiritual, and even physical well-being.
By integrating ideas from genomics, psychology, ecology, and thermodynamics, the author has created a framework that speaks to intellectually curious readers who want understanding, not just instructions.
His decades of experience as a financial professional and long-time educator clearly anchor the book in credibility while still inviting reflection and personal transformation.
BookBuzzMedia
I have read your book twice over, and compiled a 15-page brief to confirm my grasp of the material. It is an excellent book and I learned a lot as part of my on-going financial education in retirement.
You introduced me to a new concept - WealthNess. And add to that a duty to educate the next generation. You are a philosopher. I like your secular spirituality. The good things you can do with money are a bearer of one's moral qualities.
I love your two questions. The guidance is profound.
Thank you so much for this book. I very much enjoyed reading it and took a great deal from
it.
Gary H, Victoria BC
You are like a lighthouse on a stormy sea
Lorne LB, Vancouver
...half way through.....fascinating
Stacey B, Whistler BC
I've now read your first book for the third time! Its well highlighted
Rick L, Abbotsford
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your book over the past few days. I discovered several valuable insights and previously unknown concepts.
Your book offers a comprehensive approach to many crucial aspects of building wealth, aspects often overlooked, such as legacy planning.
I found the analogy of the sea anemone particularly insightful, highlighting the continuous learning process and its application to self-improvement.
I also learned new terms from your book, like alexithymia. I have underlined approximately thirty quotes... from you and others.
Thank you for generously sharing your financial expertise in your excellent book
K. Quiros, Papagayo, Costa Rica
My wife noted that, when doing pastel paintings, she has a tendency to use too many colours - she completely understood Birkhoff!
Loved Hughes' meteorite metaphor.
A GINI definition that I finally understand.
Loved your story about the two neighbourhood boys and charity.
I found longevity tectonics unsettling.
Loved "Discovery is the primary reward for living longer."
Gordon G, Vancouver
Being fully engaged in the Fourth Quarter and having the time of my life, I have found your book to be "grounding" and absolutely required reading.
I particularly enjoy the intellectualisation and, can I say, spiritalisation of financial planning-almost like Aesop's Fables. Adam Smith would be proud.
Our Family will be engaging in the Confab Process.
Here's to the Fourth Quarter with a good tour guide.
Lee T, Precipice Valley, BC
Although I don't know this for a fact, I think that your book might be the only financial planning book that uses concepts from genomics, ecology and thermodynamics. Just fascinating, and I can't wait to read it!
Isabella Z, Vancouver
With this book, you have done a great service to those of us who are idiots in money matters!
I am planning to buy copies to give to young family members who need to plan their finances.
Vidya V, Vancouver
Wow!
Tricia S, Vancouver
Who in the universe can't use your book as a handbook for successful investing?
Jay B, Regina Sask
So far I've read, there is an interesting surprise on every page.
F G, West Vancouver
I just got to page 55 of your book and already realized how my panic over money stems from how I learned about money as a child.
Tina K, Trail BC
I just purchased your book for my son and me.
Your book will provide my son with some good advice, as he looks forward one day to marriage and his own family.
Your chapter on Family touched a particular chord with me. Melding thinking on financial investing is critical and much more challenging to achieve than I could ever have imagined.
Deb K, North Vancouver
Well researched and I really like the way you have structured it.
I plan to pass it on to my nephew, who just landed his first career job and is keen to learn about saving for retirement.
Don R, Sunshine Coast
From the beach on Crete...
Both of us massively enjoyed the book! We will need a good chat with our daughter! Thank you for writing such a fantastic book!!
-Julia G, Vancouver
I started browsing through your book last evening. As a financial tome it is enchanting and comprehensive and wise. Well done!
-Sandra M R, Vancouver
Over the years, I have started reading financial and/or business books, and then find they are not worth my time, so I stop after the first chapter or two, but I read yours from cover-to-cover.
I found it very well put together, and very insightful (I really liked the ideas about generational wealth and the question about your relationship with money).
I have already adjusted how I think about things as a result of reading the book - which is always a good sign that it had a positive impact!
Very well done!
Darryl M, Vancouver
It is the first book of finance that is appealing, readable and insightful for me
And my three sons will also gain inspiration from your accessible writing
-Barbara McL, Vancouver
The book is fantastic. Its easy to read and has tons of great insights for all levels of readers - as well as great reference notations. Well done in concentrating so much information and insight into such a readable format.
I am going to buy a bunch of copies for my kids and their friends who are in their 20's and 30's - they need to know this stuff. Congrats on the book and I will be following it on the Best Seller list!
─Stuart McG, Toronto
I found it truly interesting and certainly intrigued by the sources of some stuff I knew but had no idea of its origin.
─Ken McC, North Vancouver
A very intellectual read. As stated in this book - knowledge is the precursor to understanding, which in turn is the precursor to wisdom, which is in turn the precursor to a good life.
Thank you for giving us yet another tool for our further learning and evolving in the quest for a life well-lived.
Your book will be my Christmas gift to my siblings and offspring this coming season.
─Rick L, New Westminster
The way you combine life's big questions with the nitti-gritti of personal finance with wisdom makes the book so fun to read. I love the imagery of the Ploughman and the Astronaut-I specifically need this balance between reaching for the stars and being grounded in reality.
Your insights are both practical and inspiring. Your concept of WealthNess is absolutely genius - combining financial health with overall well-being in such a meaningful way. Brilliant book! Its a must-read for anyone in this era.
─Liat Y, Israel
I love your book. There are so many threads of ideas in your book to explore.
You are a polymath. The stack of books you have read must reach to outer space by now.
I hope your visions for the future all come true!
-Ken W, Kelowna
What an amazing book....I just finished reading the last page this morning.....Transformed!
Additionally, your references are a treasure box for additional breadth and depth.
I think your approach, philosophy and broad view of WEALTHNESS can be applied by Wealth Managers like myself.
If we follow the detailed concepts on money management as illustrated, Canadians and the global village of citizens pursuing WEALTHNESS would be well served.
You have done it, and I am on it!
-Tony M, Toronto
