“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” - Norman Vincent Peale

The last taboo subject on earth is money. Not incest, divorce, mental illness or addiction. Why is it that commerce and basic economics are still muttered by wise old men, either behind closed doors or blasted on CNN and FOX News? I think one of the answers to this question is cultural. In China and Japan, people will openly ask what you earn, how much you have. In Egypt they haggle over prices like a boxing match without gloves. And in Germany, the general population has a pretty solid grasp of basic math and money matters. They know that what you have is what you have, and spending needs to have a cap.

Here in the US where credit is king, and you are considered a solid citizen if you are in debt, the rest of the world looks on in disbelief. I spent much of my adult life in Asia and Europe, and when I returned in 2004, shock and dismay do not come close to what I saw: my friends in over their heads in the real estate sector, consumer debt out of control, and regulation all but a whisper in the back alleys of Congress. And because I was "off the books" due to living overseas for 17 years, and my perfect credit abroad was not considered valid, I actually had to lie (with the help of a kind bank manager) to get credit in America. She was appalled by the fact that I was fiscally being treated worse than my 18-year-old nephew, so we filled out paperwork stating that I was military personnel stationed in Germany, which was a loop-hole we found. This risky move paid off, as a year later I was able to start the process of Credit in America.

The depth of The Money Conversation is too much for a blog posting, however the rage that is building up needs to land. America needs to wake up, plain and simple, and DO something about greed, empty promises, the haves and have-nots, and allowing ignorance to become the norm. For the record, I am a realist-cynic at heart who has had to overcome many obstacles in life to become positive – a self-made business owner with a global background – but there seems to be an opportunity right now to start the Money Revolution. I am not a violent person at heart, but after seeing Scorsese's Shutter Island yesterday, I wonder. What am I capable of, if this trend towards hellish greed on the planet continues? So I look for answers, outlets and solutions. At the very least, this may help me sleep better at night, since the nightmares are increasing.

There seem to be three areas of focus in the media, living rooms, and hearts and minds of citizens: radicals, tea-baggers, and middle-class rage. Personally and professionally I am surprised that I can relate to all three. For the first time in our history, The Money Conversation might be the glue that creates forward momentum, and could ignite the public outrage that needs to happen.

Ariana Huffington has spearheaded a group called Move Your Money, and this movement has caught on rapidly (within a year, 9% have shifted their money from the big four to community-owned banks, for example, and their rating system to also hold community banks accountable is rather useful). Their idea is to create awareness about consumer power, supporting the local economies, and holding Wall Street and the Gang accountable for one of the most heinous crimes of the century. I am a radical at heart but a social libertarian in deed (my business is for-profit), and I must admit that I have fantasies of sending stink bombs to all who created and are still creating a gag order on regulation, credit card greed, financial lobbying, and the futility-apathy factor of the American people. They are not dividing and conquering us with a Machiavellian Method – instead, their activities are possibly uniting us. The irony is palpable.

Newt Gingrich supports what are now called Tea Party Protests, which were formed in 2009 to say no to government tax and spending policies. The mainstream media uses the term "tea-baggers" to describe the conservative anti-tax movement. Although I am not a fan of this movement’s foundation (nor most of its supporters), as it seems to be based on seriously twisted statistics, I find myself drawn to attending the Washington DC rallies against the policies of the current administration in order to watch the Tea Baggers' forward momentum and outrage in general. I applaud them in their resolve to not talk about doing something, but rather do something and then talk about it. What I want to say here is: as misplaced and dangerous at this movement is, I can relate to their outrage. I just wish more insight and intelligence were a part of it.

Joe Middle-Class sits at his dining room table, eats canned vegetables ten for a dollar, and wonders what is going to happen next. At the pit of his stomach is pain, stress and the beginning phase of an ulcer as he tries to keep or find a job, keep divorce at arm's length (divorce rates for people in transition are even higher than the outrageous 54% national average), and make sense out of Information Overload. His bank account is almost dry, his oldest daughter can’t afford a quality education, and every time he watches TV or listens to the radio, his gut knows that he is being lied to. His inner rage occasionally seeps out over a beer with his buddies, and he is right now at a crossroads: one fork in the road is marked Status Quo Do Nothing, and the other fork reads Wake Up Do Something.

At my company, whenever we begin a new Client, we give preparation homework before session one. It is a simple yet complex list of six questions to get an overview of their personal and professional lives. Question number two is: What is the bottom line monetary number to live your current life? In the years we have been in business, not one Client has answered this question the first time out accurately. After filtering through resistance, entitlement, ignorance, or shame, we come to their real-time number. Then, we have The Money Conversation to find out where they are now, where they want to be, and what steps they need to take to get there. But lately, as their fear and rage sit tangibly under the surface, they leave this question blank. Like the months, weeks, and days before revolutions, they sense something profound about to happen. The question is: will it be peaceful, slow and steady… or violent, rapid and out of control? And in the worst case scenario, will absolutely nothing happen?

I would like to see a mixture of  peaceful and radical change. I would like to see my Clients exchange their toxic, unstable, and short-term relationship to money for a more sane, long-term, and intelligent one. Move your money, engage in consumer power, look at your own greed, contribute to your local economies and commerce, STOP letting your money create wealth for the wrong people, deal with your fears, and have The Money Conversation with your friends, families, colleagues, politicians, local advocates, and leaders. But first, have The Money Conversation with yourself. Turn talk into action, go out and have dinner at a local restaurant (and tip well for goodness sake), invest in your future, and seriously think about how inaction only contributes to the problem. The revolution is about to begin: what will be your part, what will be your legacy?

Twenty (Radical and Not-So-Radical) Suggestions for Joining the Money Revolution:

1. Post your fees and prices for ALL products and services on your website. Set a trend in your industry. Be transparent.
2. Haggle over prices when you buy a car and wear the salespeople down.
3. Buy a Ford. Drink Bigby Coffee. Eat Trader Joes products. Shop at Borders Books.
4. Tithe 5% and give 5% to a local foundation or better yet, a start up business which does not qualify for a loan or grant because they are for profit. (I sense God will understand.)
5. Don't always have enough money to fix a problem, and never have enough money to prevent one.
6. Tell a restaurant owner that you think the prices are too high for the quality and quantity you get.
7. Announce to your network about a great local business and explain why you give them your money.
8. Do the same for a great bank or financial institution.
9. Change your phone service to T Mobile and give AT & T and Verizon actual competition.
10. Do the same for a local cafe vs Starbucks, a local store vs Walmart, even Linux or Apple vs Microsoft.
11. Use Google not Bing. Use gmail not yahoo. Use Kaspersky not Norton or McAfee. Stop getting seduced by people like Bill Gates.
12. Send your local government, private, and bank agencies and offices a PLAN for investing differently in your community. (I just sent the local MEDC a 13 page case study, well researched with a tangible solution and plan for lending micro loans to businesses in the services and retail sector. It is now sitting on 3 people's desks and I am on it, checking in at regular intervals.)
13. Stop allowing credit card payments on your website.
14. Stop using credit cards.
15. If you have maxed out your credit cards, do NOT let others who did not do this pay for your lack of repayment. Find a way to pay it back. Avoid at all cost credit card consolidation. Take responsibility.
16. Pay your bills on time. Take care of your finances. Get support and advice.
17. Downsize if you need to, invest in your future, community, and local businesses if you can. Do this today.
18. Engage in trade agreements, service exchanges, and barters.
19. Give money to charity, Haiti, the Red Cross, local food banks, local literacy programs.
20. Talk to a conservative if you are a liberal about money. Talk to a liberal if you are a conservative about money. You both might learn something, and may even find common ground.

For information on Move Your Money:  www.MoveYourMoney.info