When so much is at stake, family desires, financial security, retirement, most people have little if any understanding of financial matters, investments or how the economy works. Nor do they assume it is anything they need to know. They look at the change in their 401K each quarter and wonder, “How did that happen?”

Doug Obey has been helping people as a financial adviser for more than 30 years. When he became a Certified Financial Planner in 1987 there were fewer than 1000 CFPs nationwide. Now there are more than 6000 in his home state of Massachusetts alone. Doug is a self-made, successful entrepreneur who has also acted as the CFO and advisor to many small business owners as well as owning several businesses of his own.

Even though Doug went to college for architectural engineering, ever since entering the financial industry, his fascination was with economics. He has studied the many facets of the economy for over 30 years. Doug is also a husband, father, and grandfather. He and his wife, Maureen have been married for over 30 years and have three well-adjusted, successful adult children and according to them, two of the most adorable grandchildren on the planet. An admittedly biased opinion.

Throughout his career advising clients on financial matters, Doug realized that even the most successful entrepreneurs, as well as professionals of all disciplines, lacked even the basic understanding of finance and economics. Doug’s findings were confirmed when in 2013,  69% of an Ivy League university’s students flunked a basic financial literacy test. Money skills and an understanding of economics are simply seldom taught in the halls of higher education.

“Why, in the most capitalistic society on earth, do we as Americans understand so little about how money works?” It’s a fascinating dichotomy and one that has its roots in human nature and western culture. Doug’s career dealing with and advising hundreds of individuals gave him a unique understanding of why most people, while working hard for money all their lives, never master the art of making money work for them. This was the impetus for Doug writing this book.

This book was written in a way that makes it easy for the average person to understand. His descriptive examples throughout the book of his hands-on, personal anecdotes keep it interesting and easy for the reader to relate with. Obey explains how self-interest is the motivating factor in everything we do. How self-interest dictates our family dynamics and collectively, the society we live in, and the world as a whole. It’s the driving force that makes up the Human Condition. Doug’s common sense approach in explaining complex and sophisticated economic topics makes it fun and keeps the reader engaged.

Doug also sets the book up in a way that gives the reader the latitude to read only the topics of personal interest with each chapter able to stand alone. Each explaining one of the many facets of money, economics, finance or human behavior.

After reading this book the reader will be far less intimidated by economics and finance and understand how basic the concepts are to human behavior, common sense, and self-interest. S/he will understand how to use money as the tool it is to enhance their lives and that attaining wealth is more an attitude and a lifestyle than it is a net worth statement. Understanding that you can live a rich life without necessarily being wealthy is one of the tenants of this book. Another being that a rudimentary understanding of money makes it easier to acquire the relative wealth necessary to live a more comfortable and more secure lifestyle.

Doug peels back the mystery of Capitalism and explains how it is based in human nature and pivotal to a growing, thriving society. He explains how economics is not rocket science, and actually not a science at all, but more of an art, and what’s so fascinating with economics is that it is more about the study of human behavior than about finance and money, hence the title of the book, “Money and the Human Condition”. He addresses the many facets of human behavior as it relates to money and finance giving his readers his unique perspective on the subject and give them an edge in living a successful life.