CRUSH Your Money Goals

October 14, 2024
Financial coach Joy debuts with a breezy primer on how to build wealth. Outlining the five-step program she developed to pay off in three years the $300,000 she owed in “student loans, mortgages, and everyday expenses,” Joy encourages readers to streamline their banking and investment accounts, set financial goals, assess their net worth, develop sustainable spending habits, and overcome unproductive mindsets. Of the numerous strategies Joy details to help readers accomplish each step, some track with conventional wisdom. For instance, she encourages setting aside enough money to cover three months’ worth of expenses and paying off current credit card balances weekly to avoid accruing debt. However, other suggestions are refreshingly novel. To cut down on unnecessary purchases, Joy recommends dividing an item’s price by the number of times one anticipates using it, and if the result comes out to $1 or less, it’s worth buying. Joy also pays welcome attention to the psychology of overspending, as when she urges readers to stay off their phones for one day each week because she believes that scrolling through social media drives people to buy things they don’t need to keep up with the idealized lifestyles they see on their feeds. Buoyed by Joy’s unconventional guidance and bubbly tone (“Give yourself a hug right now”), this is right on the money.

November 1, 2024
The pool of books providing financial-literacy guidance contains many titles that delve into complex investment formulas and savings strategies that can intimidate readers. Joy's contribution to the body of literature refreshingly leads readers through reflective stages that allow them to define the best actions for their unique situations. Joy's trademark CRUSH program directs readers to devote attention to existing accounts, consider what financial independence means for them, calculate their net worth, develop an awareness of spending intentionally, and care for healing money wounds. Presented in a friendly, supportive tone, the book contains advice such as using the "$1 Rule" to estimate the actual cost per use of purchases, providing pathways for beginning the journey to financial independence. An abundance of external resources reflects an attitude of generosity, allowing readers to experience a release from comparisons that contribute heavily to financial stress. Readers will benefit from Joy's book as well as her social-media presence, podcast, free money workbook, and more. CRUSH Your Money Goals is recommended for public-library collections.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2025

On its surface, this book has the flashy, pyramid-scheme appearance of content by many #goalgetter influencers. Joy shares how she conquered her own debt and what it meant to do that financial work on public platforms, including blogs and, ultimately, her podcast. She's a bold, brash self-promoter of her CRUSH Your Money Goals program (curate your accounts; reverse into independence; understand your [net] worth; spend intentionally; heal your money wounds), often steering readers toward her online one-on-one and group mentoring. The book, however, isn't about building her own wealth so much as it is about equipping readers to take ownership of their financial lives and advocate for their best financial selves. Throughout the book, Joy provides readers with information about personal finance and wisdom from her MBA studies, compounded by personal anecdotes and client stories. Her bulleted action steps feel manageable, in no small part because of the book's clear organization. VERDICT Joy is a big voice in debt management and personal finance, and her book empowers readers to realize their own lives are worth the investment.--Emily Bowles

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