My latest book is With Purpose: Going from Success to Significance in Work and Life (HarperCollins, 2009) co-authored with Ken Dychtwald. We worked on this project for three years and it nearly came unglued in August of 2007 when we caught wind of President Clinton’s Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World, which we expected would explore similar themes and was written by a celebrity author with whom we definitely did not want to compete. But when the Clinton book was released we quickly realized that With Purpose would cover so much more ground and evoke so much more passion that it would stand up well. This book is not just about giving back; it’s about finding meaning in everything that you do—from the relationships you choose to forge to the jobs you choose to tackle. We believe it is the right book for a time when people want to give something back but generally have less money in their pockets. What you do have to share, especially baby boomers nearing retirement, are the skills and talents acquired over a lifetime. Your experiences have given you valuable know-how, insights and abilities that can help others and be passed along in exciting new ways like volunteer vacations (become a “vacateer”), giving circles and starting your own nonprofit. I became a better person by writing it; the hope is that you’ll become a better person by reading it.

New Projects
The Fourth R: I’m now researching and writing my 4th book, the working title of which is The Fourth R: A Dad’s Letter about Money and Life to His College-Bound Teens. This title is a play on the traditional “Three Rs” of education—reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic. The Fourth R, I submit, is Reality, which means all things financial and simply does not get taught in our public or private schools. I came up with the name while waiting to go on the set with Oprah Winfrey during a recent show where she explored the subject of kids and money. I had landed on Oprah’s radar after writing a column in Money magazine filled with financial tips for my college-bound daughter. This book is a sweeping expansion of that column and the thoughts I expressed on the Oprah show, which you can watch by clicking on the nearby video button. It is my great hope that this book becomes a must-read for students of all ages, and that Moms and Dads everywhere will read it as well and present a copy to their children as they drop them off for college their freshman year. If you have a compelling story about money mistakes you or your child made during the college years please email me at dankadlec@dankadlec.com.

Different Learners, Different Lives: This year my 18-year-old son will graduate high school and go onto college as we always planned. He is happy and well adjusted. But this didn’t just happen. His was a winding and emotional journey through a school system that failed to understand his dyslexia. Despite a very high IQ, he was at one time in danger of failing every core class and became so distressed that he fell into depression and, although he is good athlete, withdrew from organized sports. He did not begin to emerge as the bright and happy kid he had been early in life until—at great personal expense and after a lot of research—we found a private learning environment where he could thrive. There is simply too much known today about different learners for our mainstream schools, both public and private, to not grasp how to reach them. It’s a national tragedy. I’m interested in any research and knowledgeable cutting edge views on this subject as well as any stories of intelligent kids who simply cannot learn in the traditional way and were left behind by the system but ultimately thrived. Please email dankadlec@dankadlec.com.