Morningstar Behavioral Economist Publishes New Book, LOADED

By: Christina Mancuso Apr. 25, 2016

CHICAGO, April 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ A new book from a Morningstar behavioral science expert distills the latest behavioral finance and psychology concepts to help individuals cultivate new ways of thinking and develop better money-management skills. LOADED: Money, Psychology, and How to Get Ahead without Leaving Your Values Behind (Wiley: ISBN: 978-1-119-25832-2), written by Sarah Newcomb, Ph.D., behavioral economist for Morningstar, Inc. (MORN), aims to offer hope and guidance to people who have a difficult relationship with money, demonstrating how a values-based money management approach can lead to more peace and satisfaction in their financial lives.

"There's no shortage of books available for people who love money, or guides to help you think rich, attract wealth, or beat Wall Street. These titles may appeal to people who aspire to great wealth and luxury and those who associate money with opportunity, happiness, and freedom, but I wrote this book to acknowledge the more difficult side of money and help people mindfully develop a healthier relationship with their personal finances, based on their core values," Newcomb said.

"I've explored this fascinating and important topic to better understand how smart, talented people can get in their own way financially. I've counseled and taught individuals, couples, small business owners, students, parents, professionals, and teachers with myriad financial challenges and needs. In every case, there is a story that runs parallel to the numbers. Those stories are as unique as the individuals who crafted them, and each plays a powerful, yet often non-conscious, role in the financial decisions they make. By working with the story first, I've found that people can change their daily money habits, feel more comfortable with how they use and save money, and improve their finances over time."

LOADED, whose publication coincides with Financial Literacy Month, is divided into two main sections. Written in Newcomb's conversational and empowering tone, the book opens with a broad overview of money and its place in people's lives as a cultural and social phenomenon. This section is intended to give readers a glimpse into the roots of their own financial narrative and identify problematic patterns of thinking that may contribute to an unhealthy relationship with money. The second section provides a new framework for tackling personal finances, including how people can take stock of their finances and plan a realistic, achievable path forward. The budgeting structure, which Newcomb calls the LOADED budget, incorporates several principles from psychology that are missing or misaligned in traditional budgeting methods. The framework offers a way of changing one's financial life by creating a plan that is both deeply satisfying, yet also sustainable over the long term.

LOADED (ISBN: 978-1-119-25832-2 $27.95; Hardcover) is now available wherever books and e-books are sold. Worksheets and personal money psychology assessments supplement the text. More information about the book, including the author's biography and headshot and cover art, is available on Wiley's website here. Visit Newcomb's blog at www.loadedbudget.com or follow her at @finance_therapy on Twitter.

Newcomb will lead a breakout session about the challenges and opportunities of goals-based investing at the 28 th annual Morningstar Investment Conference in Chicago on Tuesday, June 14. At the conference, she will also lead an educational and networking event for female financial advisors about how they can engage reluctant investors in their financial futures. To learn more about the conference, visit http://global.morningstar.com/MICUS.

About Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar provides data on approximately 525,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on nearly 18 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $180 billion in assets under advisement and management as of March 31, 2016. The company has operations in 27 countries.

About Wiley
Wiley is a global provider of knowledge and knowledge-enabled services that improve outcomes in areas of research, professional practice, and education. Through the Research segment, the Company provides digital and print scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising. The Professional Development segment provides digital and print books, online assessment and training services, and test preparation and certification. In Education, Wiley provides education solutions including online program management services for higher education institutions and course management tools for instructors and students, as well as print and digital content.

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Media Contacts:
Carling Spelhaug, Morningstar, +1 312-696-6150 or carling.spelhaug@morningstar.com
Melissa Connors, Wiley, +1 201-748-6834 or mconnors@wiley.com

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SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.