All about Work and All about Money – (An Introduction)

Some of you know that I have been planning for a while to write a book (or two) about work and money. I want to write about how to work well, so that we can become happier and more fulfilled in our work. I want to tell about how to get enough money to live well, and how to save and invest it wisely.

Not everyone will want to read my books, but there not many people who lack interest in work and money. You may rightly ask if there is anything more to be said after so many books have already been written on these subjects. My answer is that many people do not succeed in terms of enjoying their work, even if they earn plenty of money and rise to positions of importance. Few people know enough about their work and money to use it to full advantage in their own life, and also in their family and community. Some people even suspect that money is mostly evil and that work is essentially organized to frustrate you (which is an understandable viewpoint).

You might also ask about my qualifications to write about these big subjects. I could mention a Harvard degree; years spent working in big banks and on Wall Street in New York, in Frankfurt, Germany, in Vancouver, Canada, and elsewhere. Furthermore, I have managed during my career to earn lots of money and to rise through the ranks to become a chief financial officer, a chief operating officer, and a chief executive officer of two public companies in Canada. I have been responsible at various times for managing groups of employees ranging from a dozen, 500 and up to 15,000 people reporting to me, directly or indirectly.

But my biggest qualification to write on these topics comes from a lifetime of survival in the school of hard knocks. Hopefully, by reading what I have experienced, you might avoid some difficulties and achieve your goals and ambitions more quickly.

These books will contain occasional anecdotes about the pinnacles of finance and corporate life but they will be more about the every-day work that most of us do. Right now, in my retirement, my work is gardening, managing a construction project, and cooking meals for those who live here or visit us. My career also began at simple level: working on a farm, and in carpentry, masonry and other basic jobs. In many ways, the most important aspects of our jobs are similar, whatever our job and function.

In the world of work and money we all experience failures, big and small. In recent years I have spent some time helping street people, the homeless, and chronically unemployed people. There seems to be very little I can do for them compared to their enormous needs. But if they had perhaps known the right things about work and money early in their lives, I believe some of these unfortunate people might have avoided extreme poverty and wrenching disappointments.

I am trying to write for a large cross section of people in various types of jobs, those with little or lots of money. The issues and questions are similar, whether we work on a high-up level or in a more “ordinary job”.

Until I get ready to publish my books, there will be no tight outline of the topics – sorry for the disorganization! If you want to correspond with me, please write an email to paul.wagler@gmail.com. I would appreciate your comments, questions and feedback!

Meanwhile, enjoy your work and save some money!