Ballston Spa Author Pens Best -Selling Selling Financial Book
SEPTEMBER 21, 2014 BY STEPHANIE HALE-LOPEZ  BALLSTON JOURNAL, BALLSTON SPA,NY – Laurie Bonser, CFP, CPA, and owner of Changing Times Planning , recently hosted a book launch for her newly released book, Financial Stewardship: A Guide for Personal Financial Health and Wellness. Dozens of community members attended the launch event at Lake Ridge Restaurant Wednesday and picked up copies of Bonser’s book, which has already been named to Amazon’s bestsellers list.
Laurie Bonser, author of Financial Stewardship: A Guide for Personal Financial Health and Wellness, at her book launch Wednesday, Sept. 17. Bonser has an eclectic background. Aside from being a CPA, Certified Financial Planner professional and coach, Bonser is also a musician, teacher, reader, and shaman who explores Reiki, MAP, plant spirit medicine, animal communication, and other healing resources. “[The book] really tied together everything from my music background, the work and the study that I had to do to become a CPA and CFP, and my interest in animals,” said Bonser. “I have friends in all sorts of different professions  so it was really meant to be not only a book on financial planning, but a real holistic look at life and how we made decisions and choices.” Financial Stewardship isn’t your typical book about finances. The unique guide shows readers how to shift perceptions of personal finances from a numbers-oriented view to a rewarding one, encompassing individual needs, goals and ownership to benefit health and wellness. “I was motivated this winter with all of the snow and ice and everything, to sit down and write this,” said Bonser. “I guess it had been rolling around in my head for quite some time. I started writing in the middle of January and in the middle of April, it just kind of came all pouring out.”
Bonser says her book is meant to serve as a guide to financial fitness and that more people need to take into account their financial health and wellness. “You make changes to your diet slowly over time, or you come to an awareness that some foods don’t sit well with you, so that was in the back of my mind with the book,” said Bonser. “You don’t have to be a math whiz to know everything about the stock markets or investments. Financial planning is very much like going to your general physician and practitioner over time, because you go for periodic check-ups. I tried to use some of those analogies, because they made sense to me.”
Financial Stewardship: A Guide for Personal Financial Health and Wellness is an Amazon best-seller. The main message Bonser says she wanted to get across in her book is that money is just a tool. She says she wants to give people the knowledge and confidence to manage their own financial stewardship goals in actual planning, conversations and decisions. While everyone’s financial situation is different, Bonser does have some advice people can start implementing immediately to better their financial position. “Give yourself permission and the time to sit down and think about making your decisions,” said Bonser. “Don’t feel pressured or that it’s a deal of the day that you have to take advantage of. One of the other big things is to communicate and to get more comfortable talking with our partners and our spouses. If we’re not communicating with each other, we’re just making assumptions. Think about talking about money and finances as part of building relationships while taking your core values into consideration.”

Financial Stewardship: A Guide for Personal Financial Health and Wellness is currently available at Northshire Bookstores in Saratoga Springs and Vermont, as well as Amazon and Barnes & Noble . “Somebody told me this winter is going to similar to last year’s winter with the weather,” said Bonser. “So I may have to bundle up and write some more.” Laurie Bonser lives in Ballston Spa and may be reached through her website .

I feel rather like Tigger bouncing around this week with the actual publication of my new book ‘Financial Stewardship:  A Guide for Personal Financial Health and Wellness”!  After many months of writing, designing, editing, and finding the right path in the publishing realm, the messages are now ‘official’ and available in paperback and eBook formats through Northshire Bookstore, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other avenues (Please see the links on the Book tab on the menu bar).  I look forward to all the future discussions, additional ideas, and transformations that will come from this collaborative effort.  Thank you for being part of this momentum.