Get ready to dive into a conversation that’s as refreshing as a day on the waves with Mick Heyman, CFA, the author of Mellow Your Money: How to Surf the Market and Build Wealth Without Stressing Yourself Out. With a 40-year career in wealth management and a knack for blending philosophy, psychology, and sound financial advice, Mick has perfected the art of helping people take the stress out of investing. In his book, he offers a fun and approachable way to ride the market’s ups and downs without wiping out. Whether he’s managing billions in assets or catching waves with his kids in sunny San Diego, Mick knows how to keep things balanced—and he’s here to share how you can mellow your money, too.
Q. If your book was turned into a film/TV show, who would you tap to play the lead(s)? Why?
Joshua Radner would be perfect for the role, similar to the role he played in “How I met your mother.” He was, on the one hand likeable, but also sometimes frustrating, as he appeared to have somewhat neurotic behavior at times. But what came through was that he was always hopeful and that is the character I write about as myself in the stories in my book. Like his character in the show, my misadventures always led to great life lessons, as painful as some of them might have been.
Q. What’s one secret about you that you’ll share with the world?
When I was young, I had trouble speaking and spent several years in speech therapy. This left me quite nervous to speak in public and in college I don’t think that I raised my hand one time. Eventually I had a friend encourage me to take a Dale Carnegie class. In that class I learned how to speak publicly by just being myself and eventually I began to enjoy the experience. Soon I discovered that overcoming this fear actually led me to discovering a strength of mine. Eventually I took a job that focused me on making public presentations and led to great success. What an unpredictable path for me!
Q. What is the core message you want to deliver to the world through your writing/books/stories?
All of our experiences whether good or painful, as well as people in our lives, even the most difficult ones, can be gifts from the universe to help teach us valuable lessons to help us grow and become both wiser and happier along our life’s journey.
Q. Who is your biggest writing inspiration?
Edwin Lefevre who is the pen name for Jesse Livermore wrote what I consider the best book on investing over 100 years ago called Reminiscences of a Stock Operator. He wrote about how each of his experiences, often in losing trades taught him such valuable lessons. Though the markets have changed dramatically over time, his lessons are as valuable now as they were then because human emotions haven’t changed and that is what drives the markets. Hopefully I was able to model my book in a small way after his style.
Q .Tell us something about you that no one else knows
Once my mom went for an emergency surgery for an unknown reason that was causing an enormous amount of internal bleeding. The doctors were quite unsure whether she would survive, and she looked green when they wheeled her in. I thought I was telling her goodbye and I love you for the last time. During the night I felt horrible and was sure I would never see her again, and then as morning broke, I heard a strong voice inside of me saying, “It’s okay now. She survived and will be fine.” It was more than a thought and startled me but also convinced me she was fine. Minutes later the Doctor walked out with a smile on his face. Since then, I always felt that inside we have a wisdom and knowledge that all of us can access if we allow it, and this has allowed me to have faith so many times when I was in despair.
Q. What book has made you cry, why?
I can cry easily at movies but rarely with books but the end of “A Man called Ove” by Fredrick Backman had me in tears. It was the beautifully written story of a man who was able to find joy and a reawakening in life as well as help others along the way despite having previously lost all hope. When I eventually saw the movie as well as the remake, they both had me in tears too.
Q. What is your dream vacation?
To be with my loved ones on a beautiful beach, enjoying the surf, good food and lots of laughs. Well actually I live in San Diego, so often, I don’t have to go too far to experience some of this joy!
Q. If you had 3 wishes, what would you wish for?
For me and everyone I wish for good health, love and peace of mind.
Q. Can you tell us three fun facts about you?
I learned how to surf when I was 45, my daughter was born when I was 50 and my first book was published when I was 65. Who says old people can’t learn!
Q. How did you come up with your title?
I believe that despite all the daily noise that surrounds the markets and our lives, that it is possible to find ways to ignore that noise and find more peace and less stress regarding our money. Hence, find ways to “Mellow Your Money.” And I also believe that that surfing became a nice metaphor, as despite potential fears of the unknown in the water and how nature can be unpredictable, that we can find that moment of calm while surfing, whether it be in the ocean or in the markets. That moment of calm often happens in the ocean as we narrow our focus or similarly, in the markets as we narrow our focus on the long term. The result is that despite the energy of the ocean or in the markets, by focusing our energy on a productive way, we can reduce our stress and in the long term, build our wealth, hence the sub-title.
Part 2 – Rapid Fire
- Pineapple or Kiwi? Pineapple
- Pizza or Burger? Burger
- Beach or Mountain? Beach
- Dog or Cat? Cat
- Comedy or Drama? Comedy
- The city or the country? Country
- Fame or Fortune? Fame
- Love or Money? Love
- Voice Call or Video Call? Voice Call
- Cars or Motorbikes? Cars
- Action Movies or Horror Movies? Action
Check out Mellow Your Money now.
Check out another author interview here.
