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Email: ted@tedmclyman.com
Stop Managing Your Money.
Start Managing Your Behavior.
Traditional financial plans fail because they ignore human nature. Discover the "Money Temperament" system that fixes your finances by fixing your behavior first.
Stop Fighting Your Brain. Start Spending Smart here...
Mea Culpa... Yep, like most everyone else, I got it wrong.
But not anymore.
Tdd McLyman, MS, MPA
"I used to be a traditional financial advisor. I’ll be honest: it was mostly BS. Traditional finance treats us like robots, assuming we're all identical. That’s why I quit.
Here's an important story. It will help you understand what I do.
If you asked me to teach you how to drive, I could give you tech manuals and YouTube videos and refer you to social media gurus. Then they ask you to pass a short online exam, and if you score at least 70%, issue your license.
Instead, I could start with a critical question and use your answer to create a personalized plan that helps you avoid accidents while driving.
My purpose is to help you find, uncover, and use your natural driving talents. I accomplish this by building a customized plan to guide you toward safer driving behavior.
The truth is simple: Biology drives your bank account. We aren't robots; we are emotional creatures with a unique 'Money Temperament'—our Financial DNA."
Your Money Temperament is like a financial fingerprint, specific to you. You can no more force yourself to stick to a budget that clashes with your personality than you can change the color of your eyes. You can't change who you are; so you need a system that fits you.
Your Path to Peace of Mind: Step 1: Uncover your Values. Step 2: Map your Temperament. Step 3: Know your learning style. Step 4: Automate your Strategy. Step 5: Execute your plan
I help people learn to "drive" their finances, rather than create a "bank."
There's a difference!"
Meet Ted McLyman
We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ted McLyman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ted, we're thrilled to have you on our platform, and we think there is so much folks can learn from you. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose, and so let's start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
The missing link in your financial plan? It’s you.
Download the roadmap that fixes the behavior gap.
Discover How Conventional Wisdom About Money Is Sabotaging Your Success
Finally, here’s the perfect book for people who avoid personal finance books but shouldn’t. It focuses on money habits and behavior rather than on the money itself. It guides you through discovering your money values, temperament, and learning style. And then, how to create your personal values-based and behavior-driven money strategy and plan. This should have been part of your school reading list. Surprisingly, this isn't something many financial experts know about.
Jeff Morris, CEO & Co-Founder, DreamSmart Behavioral Solutions
"So read this book with curiosity, not judgment. Let it affirm what you’ve always known deep down: how you behave with money matters more than what you know about money. And then—maybe—permit yourself to rewrite your own money story, one insight at a time."
5 STARS
Book Reviews
Conventional wisdom about money is wrong. How you behave with money is more important than what you know. - Ted McLyman
Validated Reviews. Read on Amazon.com
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A Quick Message From Ted
Conventional Wisdom About Money Is Wrong. Financial Success is
About Managing Behavior, Not Money.
I've spent years working with people and money, sharing my passion for economics as a teacher, thriving as a financial advisor, and even building and selling my own behavioral Registered Independent Advisor business.
I now focus on guiding exceptional individuals like you to uncover and master your money temperament through my straightforward Money Behavior System. Let’s join forces to transform the management of your finances into a behavioral journey instead of merely buying products and services and mindlessly chasing performance.
This book is for everyone, especially those who have never explored personal finance but should. It’s an easy read without numbers, graphs, or product recommendations. It explains why the concept of money temperament is often absent from most money and personal finance books.
Uncover Why What You Know and Believe About Money
May Destroy Your Bank Account.
This book should be on every school's reading list. It focuses on money behavior rather than money itself, revealing the flaws in traditional thinking about finance, investing, and planning. It's essential for anyone who deals with money, especially those who typically avoid such books, but should give them a chance.
We aren't naturally skilled at managing money. Our brains developed primarily for survival, which is why tasks like filing taxes, sticking to a budget, and planning for the future can be so challenging for many individuals.
The book is an easy read, free of complicated numbers, graphs, and product recommendations. It introduces the often-overlooked concept of money temperament in personal finance.
In Part 1, Ted McLyman explains why humans struggle with money and make poor financial decisions. Part 2 outlines the five simple steps of his revolutionary Money Behavior System. He offers practical examples and insightful tips to help you create a roadmap to financial security. You'll find that traditional financial planning often misses crucial initial elements—Steps 1, 2, and 3—while you may wonder why others seem to start at Step 5.
Drawing on his years of experience with people and money, Ted challenges conventional thinking about money, which he believes is ineffective. He shares the insights that transformed his understanding of financial security. This essential book is a must-read for anyone seeking to improve their relationship with money and make informed financial decisions.
Money is the common denominator in modern society. It's the fuel that drives the economy. Traditional thinking about money, financial planning, investing, and personal finance may be technically correct, but it might not be suitable for your money temperament. You need to know why and how to fix it.
Uncovering, discovering, and unleashing your natural money temperament is the key to financial success and peace of mind.
Who needs this book?
- Students and young adults.
- Anyone who struggles with financial matters.
- Financial planners, wealth managers, advisors, and agents.
- Small business owners and entrepreneurs.
- Financial educators, trainers, mentors, and coaches.
- Human relations and incentive managers.
- Serving in the military, ready to leave service, or retire.
- The relatively small number of people who "get money right" are seeking an edge or know someone who needs a fresh approach to managing their finances.
- You! Read it and share it.
The book includes a link to a FREE online course, a study guide,
and access to the behavioral financial wellness community.
Book Overview
(Click Image)
Check out the book's intro.
(No email required)
Confessions of a Reformed Financial Advisor
Table of content
Forward
Introduction
Chapter 1. I Confess...
Chapter 2. Humans Are Not Hardwired to Work Well With Money
Chapter 3. Your Money Beliefs and Values
Chapter 4. Technology Is Not (Always) Your Friend
Chapter 5. Your Money Values
Chapter 6. Your Money Temperament
Chapter 7. Your Money Knowledge
Chapter 8. Your Money Strategy
Chapter 9. Your Money Plan
Appendix
What You'll Learn
01
02
03
Everything You’ve Been Told About "Spending Smart" is Wrong.
I spent years as a financial advisor teaching the conventional wisdom about money, only to realize that it doesn't matter if the mindset is broken. Here is the truth about why you spend—and how to finally take control.
Meet Ted McLyman, MS, MPA,
Traditional Financial Advice is Broken.
Let’s Fix It.
"If spending smart were just about willpower, you’d be rich by now. The financial industry treats you like a robot, assuming you’ll always make the logical choice. But as you know, a "Sale" sign can defeat a logical plan in seconds.
I used to be a financial advisor, but not anymore. I stopped pushing people into one-size-fits-all plans. I created a system that uses behavioral science to make smart spending easier. Now, that's what I do.
Before becoming a 'Reformed Financial Advisor,' I served as a US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and an Economics Instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy. My experience spans from combat zones (Desert Storm, Urgent Fury) to the boardroom, where I served as Aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management.
Post-service, I managed money as a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), founded Apexx Behavioral Financial Group, and co-founded DreamSmart Behavioral Solutions. I hold degrees from Colgate (BS), Boise State (MS), and Pepperdine (MPA), and have published five books on spending smart."
I'm A Financial Choice Architect
A Financial Choice Architect is a professional (often with a financial planning, consulting, or product design background) who applies the principles of behavioral economics to help people make better financial decisions.
The term comes from the concept of "Choice Architecture" popularized by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in their book Nudge. The central idea is that the way choices are presented (the "architecture") inevitably influences the decisions people make.
- Behavior Over Numbers: Traditional finance focuses on math (rates of return, budgets). A Financial Choice Architect like McLyman focuses on behavior (temperament, values, habits).
- Structuring the Environment: Instead of just giving advice, a choice architect builds a system (like McLyman's "Money Behavior System") that aligns with your natural "money temperament," making it easier to stick to a plan without constant willpower.
I use my Money Behavior System to design the "environment" of decision-making to reduce friction and improve financial outcomes.
