Money Mountaineering is my new book where I explore the world of money and provide my views on its nature and the challenges we all face as we try to survive, even thrive, in this complex, uncertain, noisy and sometimes irrational wilderness.

So, is this another financial advice book? Not exactly, rather this is a book designed to help you understand what kind of advice you truly need. My goal is to help you gain a better understanding of the financial world you must live in and what you must do to make your way through it.

In particular, I want to help you determine:

• What you can decide for yourself- almost certainly more than you’ve been led to believe.
• Where you need help- probably in different areas than you think.
• What trustworthy sources are out there- fewer than you might hope.

This book is not for those who are “too rich to care,” nor will you get much value from this book if you have no financial resources at all and worry about simply getting by from one day to the next. This book is for the vast numbers of people who are in the middle; those who struggle with the trade-offs between saving for retirement and saving for a down payment on a house. It is for those who can’t decide whether to pay off a student loan early or “double down” and borrow more to start a business. It is for those about to retire who need to figure out when to take Social Security, how much to withdraw from their 401(k) accounts, and whether to downsize their home or take out a reverse mortgage to supplement their retirement income. It is for anyone who has a complicated financial life in which it’s not only challenging to find answers but it also isn’t clear what questions to ask.

You won’t find any easy solutions to your financial problems in this book. You may find, however, that this book will give you the ability to ask the right questions, and as a result, begin to make better choices.

Think of the world of money as a dangerous and unknown mountain wilderness full of unseen perils, inhabited by wily predators of all sorts. You have found yourself stranded and lost, and in addition to simply surviving and figuring out where you are, you also want to make your situation as comfortable and stress-free as possible so you have the time, energy, and resources to make the best of the rest of your life.

You can read more about Money Mountaineering and its ideas at www.moneymountaineering.com.