Lynda Moore says the purpose of money is to give you a life that feels good on the inside, not just one that looks impressive from the outside

We are over a month into the New Year, and the personal finance articles that are popping up in my feed are still talking about money and your goals for 2026 in terms of spend less, save more, top up your Kiwisaver, pay down the mortgage. 

I don’t disagree with any of this; they are all very valid things to do.  But before we get into the practical aspects of money, I think a better place to start, is to work out what wealth means to you.

I have been giving this  a lot of thought in my own life,  and how that shapes how I choose to live my life this year.  Probably, not surprisingly, it isn’t all about money.

But often, we talk about wealth as if it’s only about money.

Your bank balance. Your investments. The size of your mortgage (or the lack of one).

And yes, financial security matters, particularly as we mature.  It gives us choices, reduces stress, and creates stability.

But over years of talking to people about money, I’ve learned something that’s both simple and confronting:

Money can fund a life, but it can’t fill one. You can have a solid income, a healthy savings account, and still feel like you’re running on empty. You can be financially “successful” and still feel disconnected, tired, or overwhelmed. Wealth isn't just about what you have.

It's about how your life feels.

The psychology of wealth: not “how much?” but “enough for what?”.  Research shows that money increases happiness up to a point.  This point will be different for everyone.  Your age, your culture, where you live, how far up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs you want to go. But there will come a point, where the money can’t do anything more for your happiness.  Then it becomes more about being aligned with our values. Meaning: having more money doesn’t automatically create a better life. It’s what that money allows you to experience, protect, or prioritise.

That shift, from accumulation to alignment, is where true wealth lives.

When I work with clients, I don’t just ask for their financial goals. I ask:

• What does a good day look like?
• How do you want to feel in your life?
• What matters most to you in this season?

These questions are uncomfortable because they force us to move beyond numbers and face the psychology underneath: our beliefs about worth, safety, and identity.

The Five Types of Wealth

To make this practical, let’s widen the lens. Think of wealth in five dimensions:

1. Financial Wealth – money, assets, choices.
2. Time Wealth – control over how you spend your days.
3. Mental Wealth – calm mind, emotional bandwidth.
4. Physical Wealth – energy, vitality, wellbeing.
5. Social Wealth – relationships, connection, community.

Most people focus 95% of their effort on the first one for too long and neglect the others. Then they wonder why life still feels tight.

Time Wealth: the freedom to choose your yes

Many people tell me they’re “busy all the time,” yet feel like they’re not living.

Busyness can become a badge of honour, something we use to prove our value. But here’s the psychological twist: being busy and being fulfilled are not the same thing.

Time wealth isn’t having more hours; it’s having more choice.

A simple exercise:

• For one week, do a time audit.  Track your time from when you get up to when you go to bed. Write down where your time goes. You will get quite a few surprises.
• Circle what energises you.
• Cross out what drains you.
• What can you do differently to have more time for you?

The goal isn’t productivity, it’s alignment.

When you choose how you spend your time, instead of reacting to whatever demands it, your nervous system relaxes. You feel open, spacious, alive.

Mental Wealth: stop letting your “future self” clean up your overcommitment

Most of us say yes far too often.

We want to be helpful. We don’t want to disappoint. Or we underestimate how much energy things will take, and suddenly Future Us is paying for Past Us’s enthusiasm.

Mental wealth grows when we practise boundaries. Not harsh ones. Just gentle, consistent ones like: “No, that doesn’t work for me right now.”  It’s hard to do the first few times, but it gets easier with practice.

Every time you choose yourself, you reinforce a powerful internal message:
My energy is worth protecting.

Physical and Social Wealth: deliberate trade-offs

Everything has a cost. Not always a financial one, often an emotional or energetic one.

Sometimes the cost of saying yes to work is saying no to connection. Sometimes the cost of saying yes to chores is saying no to rest. The goal is not to eliminate trade-offs, but to make them consciously.

Choose what gives you more energy than it takes. Choose what brings connection rather than obligation. Because both your body and your relationships are part of your net worth.

Financial Wealth: redefining “enough”

This is the one we’re taught to chase endlessly. And yet, every income level believes they’d feel secure if they just had a bit more. More savings. More buffer. More surplus.

The problem? “Enough” keeps moving.  Remember your very first job.  How much did you earn, if you were like me, I felt so rich when I got my first pay packet.  Looking back now, $95.43 doesn’t seem very much and it certainly doesn’t’ go very far…

Try this instead:

Instead of asking “How much should I have?”
Ask “What do I want my life to feel like?”

Money becomes meaningful when you give it a purpose. When you see money as a tool—not a scoreboard—you shift from:

• comparison to clarity
• scarcity to sufficiency
• fear to agency

That’s when money starts supporting your well-being rather than controlling it.

A simple tool: your decision filter

Write a one-sentence identity statement for this season of your life:

“I’m someone who prioritises ____.”

Examples:

• “I’m someone who prioritises connection.”
• “I’m someone who prioritises simplicity.”
• “I’m someone who prioritises peace.”
• “I’m someone who prioritises growing my financial wealth”

Then make decisions that support that statement. It’s amazing how many choices become easy when you know what you stand for.

The life that feels rich

True wealth is having:

• time to enjoy your life,
• energy to be present in it,
• people to share it with,
• and enough financial stability to feel safe.

Of course money matters. But the purpose of money is to give you a life that feels good on the inside, not just one that looks impressive from the outside. The richest people I know aren’t the ones with the most assets.

They’re the ones who can honestly say: “My life feels full.”

That’s what I want my life to be, I hope you do too.

*Lynda Moore is a Money Mentalist coach and New Zealand’s only certified New Money Story® mentor. Lynda helps you understand why you do the things you do with your money, when we all know we should spend less than we earn. You can contact her here.