Time and Money Book Excerpt PDFs (Click to Download):
Table of Contents, Foreward and Preface - 128k PDF
Time and Money - Chapter One: Finding Economic Peace of Mind - 272k PDF (includes Cultural Roots of Economic Stress, Economic Freedom, Financial Freedom for Women, Your Personal Story and Game Plan, Tools to Help You Get the Most Out of This Book)
    —Click for PDF Help—

Foreword from Time and Money: Your Guide to Economic Freedom

For most of my life I have lived the American dream. I got married, had children, and built a successful career. As I moved into my forties, I began to realize that my particular American dream was laced with complications. I was filled not with peace and contentment but with anxiety and a gnawing sense that somehow I was missing out on the real key to living my dream.

I set out on a quest to find the path to true happiness and fulfillment. I eagerly consumed self-help books and tapes from teachers such as Wayne Dyer, Dan Millman, Elaine St. James, Suze Orman, Greg Stanley, John Cummuta, and many others. As I integrated their teachings into my day-to-day life, I found myself experiencing greater peace and tranquility.

One teacher in particular, a man by the name of Kendrick (Rick) Mercer, had a particularly profound effect on the way I looked at time and money—two of the most significant markers of how we experience life. I first heard one of his tapes in 1985, and by the time I met him in the mid-1990s, Rick already had decades of experience as a financial consultant and personal growth facilitator behind him. So many of us in this culture focus on the end result instead of enjoying the moment. As Rick reminds us, “Life is a process, not an end; if you don’t enjoy the process, you’ll hate the end!”

Rick’s approach in dealing with time and money stood out as the essence of simplicity—remarkably easy to learn and apply in my daily life. Once I mastered his simple philosophy, I found I was able to live my life with grace and peace no matter what challenges I encountered.

Rick graduated from law school in 1961; in 1971 he founded his own law firm specializing in financial tax law. The purpose of this firm was to coach professionals, especially doctors, on achieving economic freedom while learning to enjoy their practice, empower their staff, and become better leaders. In 1988, Rick sold the company, which is now known as Mercer Advisors, and started offering personal growth trainings, first known as Life Mastery and now called the Garden Company. He found that it was easy to help people achieve financial independence, but he also observed that money alone did not make them happier or more at peace. Through the personal growth seminars he has offered over the past sixteen years, Rick has helped his clients find greater serenity and integrity in their lives as they integrate economic freedom with the quest for inner peace.

Rick has a special way of relating very profound ideas through entertaining stories and poignant anecdotes. He conveys basic financial principles in straightforward, easy-to-grasp language. It’s always a pleasure to hear him speak and share his powerful wisdom. Up to this point, however, he hasn’t written a book, even though he has been speaking and teaching in private workshops and seminars for over forty years.

The purpose of this book is to introduce Rick’s philosophy of economic freedom and personal happiness to a wider audience, as well as to give those who’ve had the good fortune of hearing him in person or on tape a compact reminder for ongoing review and guidance.

My part in the collaboration of writing Time and Money was to synthesize the transcripts from recorded tape presentations of Rick’s talks over the years, and to help shape his various writings into manuscript form. I also contributed research for the money section and specifics about developing a game plan for financial freedom. Once all of this was in place, Rick and I worked to complete the final draft.

In this book, you’ll find a specific game plan to help you reach both economic freedom and savor every precious moment of your life to the fullest. Time and Money offers a philosophy of life as well as stories and specific guidelines to aid your quest for economic abundance and a healthy relationship to time, as well as insights to help you simplify your life. The rewards are many, but most of all, I urge you to enjoy the process!

Dr. Albert C. (Ace) Goerig
Olympia, Washington