A wealth empowerment book written by local financial advisor and calypsonian G. Leroy Straker is 21 years old this month. But Straker who has embarked on celebrations for the publication said Wednesday that the contents of the book Money Talks – Listen, still remain relevant today.
“The book gives ideas on saving money, building a solid financial future, and practising simple strategies that can give total meaning and beauty to life. I place lots of emphasis on wealth creation and engendering a prosperity consciousness through the laws of money, that is, the earning, saving, spending and investing law,” Straker told Barbados TODAY.
He said Money Talks – Listen has sold about 5,000 copies locally and is still available on Amazon.com as a paperback or in kindle or from the author by calling 2337116. Tracing its history, Straker recalled that the book came about after he had conducted a financial seminar at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in 2000. “After that session, Mike Goddard, a popular horse racing commentator and journalist along with Margaret Allman Goddard a public relations consultant suggested that I should write a book on personal finance management since I did not have any form of literature or tapes to present to participants at the seminar,” the financial advisor recalled.
“I scoffed at the idea of a book, but Mike was willing to offer any guidance. Three months later Mr Goddard contacted me with the idea again. It sounded like harassment so I decided to put pen to paper and in three hours I had written six chapters. All the information was lodged in my brain just waiting to be tapped into. I then took all the scraps of paper and information to my stenographer friend Hermenia Carter who converted it to a diskette,” he remembered.
“On reading the paragraphs she too was impressed and gave lots of encouragement to the idea of a book also. Mr Goddard took responsibility for editing the book which was printed by Panagraphix Printery in Barbados,” Straker stated.
“I have been conducting financial sessions since 1995 when Mr Robert Payne, a senior nursing tutor gave me the first opportunity to speak to a class of 51 nursing students at the Psychiatric Hospital on creating a savings habit. I have been conducting sessions since then with churches and church organisations, schools’ PTAs, service clubs, corporate boardrooms and community groups. I have done several radio and television programmes and have written several articles for local newspapers over the years. From 1999 to 2008, I have conducted national seminars every January with my partner and attorney-at-law Mark Forde at the Courtney Blackman Grande Salle, Barbados Central Bank of Barbados,” said the financial advisor. (EJ)
