In The Prime: Couples and Money With Olivia Mellan

A priest was once asked who he would rather counsel, people who were poor or people who were rich. "The rich", he said, "because rich people know that money is not the solution to their problems." In this studio based program, Olivia Mellan, a self proclaimed "money psychologist" asks a small group of middle aged people to explore their relationships with money via dialogue: What do you say to your money? (well, for me, it's "take a seat, here in my pocket"). What does your money say to you? ("Goodbye.") The program explores "money myths" such as "money=love, power, security, self worth," identifies money personality types (the "hoarder," "spender," and "money avoider"), and investigates how our parents' teachings about monetary issues are often later transferred to our relationships. Occasionally, Mellan is prone to broad generalizations (when she said, for instance, that "men are rigid," I could feel my stiff unbending anger rise!), and the studio lecture environment would be better suited to radio. But, there's an advantage to listening without having to watch: you can also obsessively balance your checkbook or compulsively order things from catalogs while you're listening. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Ray)