Experts say true financial well-being isn’t just about money, but about fulfillment, connection and … More how we define value in our lives.
We often consider wealth a measure of what we accumulate—dollars, stocks, assets. But what if that definition is incomplete? What if wealth isn’t just about numbers but about how we connect with others?
Elizabeth Husserl, the first female principal and cofounder of Peak 360 Wealth Management, is challenging that definition. With a background in economics, psychology and money coaching, she’s leading a new conversation around how we define and experience money. Her message is simple but powerful: Money is a social technology. Like language, it only works because we all agree it does.
“Money is a tool,” Husserl explains. “It was created to help us exchange goods and services. But over time, it’s become something more complex. It’s now a stand-in for status, success and even self-worth. That’s where we get into trouble.”
A study from Edelman Financial Engines illustrates this disconnect. Fewer than one-third said they felt wealthy, even among individuals with over $1 million in assets. Only 12% of total respondents felt financially secure, and more than half of affluent individuals said they’d need over $3 million in the bank to feel truly at ease.
Something deeper is at play here. Shifting our view of wealth from financial to relational reframes how we experience money’s role in our lives. It’s not about the numbers in your account but the meaning we give them.
Wealth Isn’t Just Money
Across time, cultures have used everything from shells to digital currency to represent value. As Aristotle said over 2,000 years ago, gold’s worth came not from the metal itself but from what society agreed it was worth.
“We’ve confused the tool with our identity,” Husserl says. “Credit scores have replaced trust. Bank accounts are used to measure personal value. But money was never meant to carry that kind of emotional burden.”
Connecting with readers in New Orleans, Elizabeth Husserl brings The Power of Enough to life at … More Octavia Books.
In addition to her work centering on separating money from the deeper idea of wealth, Husserl wrote a book called The Power of Enough. “Money is measurable. Wealth is experiential,” she says. That belief anchors her Wealth Mandala, a Sanskrit word for circle. It’s a framework tool used to go from suffering to joy while assessing fulfillment across 12 core human needs like purpose, rest, belonging and connection.
Often, even high earners are surprised by what they learn. “They might score a 10 in financial security but only a 2 in leisure or physical health,” she notes. “It’s a wake-up call.”
Instead of chasing more, the certified money coach encourages people to ask, “Where do I already feel fulfilled? Where do I feel lacking?” This approach lifts the pressure off the idea of money and brings balance back into the conversation.
Where To Begin
Start by reflecting on your earliest memory of money. What beliefs did you inherit about success or scarcity? Then, each night, write down three things that made you feel fulfilled that day. This is different than a gratitude exercise. This forces you to pay attention to your needs that are being met.
“When we start to recognize what satisfies us, what starts to happen is that our body starts to relax and rest,” she comments. “It cues the mind like, ‘Hey, we’re not on red alert right now. We actually feel enough. We have enough. We are enough.’ Over time, this practice builds compounding emotional wealth. Like interest in a savings account, that inner fulfillment grows.”
Wealth, at its most powerful, is about understanding what truly matters. Let’s start seeing money as a shared tool and free ourselves to create lives built on meaning, not just metrics.
