A silent struggle with our money is raging. Each of us, regardless of income, occupation, or net worth, is harboring desires and discontents in our personal financial lives. That's because our financial contentment is based on how we measure up to those around us and how close we come to the image we feel compelled to live up to. But how can we make realistic comparisons to others when everyone hides what's really going with their personal finances? To make matters worse, in our striving to keep up with the Joneses, we make financial messes and shroud them with secrecy and shame.This book reveals the gap between the reality of our private financial lives and the facade we present to the outside world. It cracks the taboo of money by peering into the lives of those who surround us and showing what really goes on with their checkbooks and inside their heads.