Biography

Book Doug Lynam through The Keynote Curators.

Doug Lynam brings a rare combination of experiences to his work as a behavioral finance expert. A former Marine turned Benedictine monk who later became a financial advisor and entrepreneur, he helps leaders and organizations understand the complex relationship between emotional intelligence and money.

After taking a vow of poverty for 20 years as a monk, Doug Lynam had an epiphany that being broke doesn’t help anyone. This insight led him to become an investment advisor and author of two groundbreaking books exploring the spirituality and psychology of money: From Monk to Money Manager: A Former Monk’s Financial Guide To Becoming a Little Bit Wealthy And Why That’s Okay and Taming Your Money Monster: 9 Paths To Money Mastery With The Enneagram

His work focuses on helping individuals and organizations align their finances with their values through conscious investing and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategies.

Dough Lynam has counseled thousands of clients on retirement issues, financial planning, and developing a healthier relationship with wealth. A dynamic speaker, Lynam combines profound insights about human nature with practical financial wisdom, all delivered with warmth and humor. His popular TEDx talk and speaking engagements explore how childhood experiences and personality types shape financial behaviors, and how understanding these patterns can lead to better financial outcomes.

Doug Lynam has been featured in The New York Times, CNBC, Entrepreneur, The Street, and numerous media outlets, sharing insights about behavioral finance and the psychology of money. Whether addressing corporate leaders, financial professionals, or general audiences, he helps people transform their relationship with money from one of anxiety or avoidance into a tool for positive change.

Doug Lynam’s mission is to show that financial success and spiritual fulfillment aren’t mutually exclusive – they’re two sides of the same coin.

Contact us for Dough Lynam’s fees and availability.

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Videos

What's Your Relationship with Money? Insights from Doug Lynam

How monastic wisdom can help your finances | Doug Lynam | TEDxBismarck

From Monk To Money Manager

Monk to Money Manager Money Minute -- Ask Your Money Questions!

From MONK to MONEY Manager | Doug Lynam

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Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

Taming Your Money Monster: Nine Paths to Money Mastery with the Enneagram

Are you ready to transform your relationship with money from one of anxiety or avoidance into a tool for positive change? In this powerful and entertaining keynote or seminar, Lynam reveals how our childhood experiences create specific "money monsters" that sabotage our financial lives. Through his unique blend of spiritual wisdom, psychological insight, and practical financial expertise, Doug shows how understanding your personality type can help you build lasting wealth while staying true to your values. Drawing from his extraordinary journey from Marine to monk to money manager, he demonstrates how to turn your greatest financial weaknesses into your greatest strengths.

Key Takeaways:
• How to identify your specific money monster and understand its impact on your financial decisions
• Why you keep making the same financial mistakes and how to break free from destructive patterns
• The secret to building wealth without losing your soul
• Practical strategies for transforming financial anxiety or avoidance into purposeful action
• Tools for healing your relationship with money and creating lasting abundance
• Ways to align your finances with your deepest values
• Understanding how childhood experiences shape adult money behaviors
• Steps to become a true money master who uses wealth as a force for good

Whether you're drowning in debt or sitting on a fortune, this talk will revolutionize your understanding of money and provide practical tools for creating true financial freedom. You'll learn why some people hoard resources while others can't stop spending, why couples fight about money even when they have plenty, and most importantly, how to transform your money story from struggle to success.

Beyond Personality: Using the Enneagram to Revolutionize Client Relationships

Most financial advisors focus solely on numbers and investment strategies, missing the deeper psychological patterns that drive client behavior and decision-making. Drawing from his groundbreaking work combining behavioral finance with the Enneagram, Lynam reveals how understanding your clients' personality types and money monsters can dramatically improve client acquisition, retention, and satisfaction. Through engaging stories and practical examples, he demonstrates how to identify different personality types, speak their emotional language, and address their unique financial fears and motivations. This presentation is essential for financial advisors, sales professionals, and anyone looking to deepen client relationships and grow their business.

Key Takeaways:
• How to quickly identify a client's personality type and money monster
• Specific communication strategies for each Enneagram type
• Understanding what truly motivates different types of clients
• How to present financial recommendations in a way each type can hear
• Strategies for defusing common client conflicts before they arise
• Tips for maintaining long-term relationships with different personality types
• Methods for turning client resistance into engagement
• How to help clients overcome their specific financial blindspots

For example, you'll learn why Type Threes need constant validation of their financial success, while Type Fives require detailed analysis and space to process decisions. You'll discover why Type Twos resist saving for themselves, and how Type Eights test your competency before trusting you. Most importantly, you'll gain practical tools for working effectively with each type, transforming challenging clients into loyal advocates for your practice.

Taming Your Money Monster: A Path to Wealth, Love, and Joy

Think your relationship struggles and money problems are unrelated? Think again! Drawing from his experience as a former monk turned money manager, Lynam reveals how our childhood wounds create predictable patterns that sabotage both our financial lives and our relationships. Through engaging stories and practical wisdom, he shows how understanding your personality type and money monster can transform financial anxiety into abundance and relationship chaos into harmony. Whether you're struggling with debt, fighting with your partner about money, or just want to build wealth without losing your soul, this talk provides a roadmap to financial and emotional freedom.

Key Takeaways:
• How to identify your money monster and the hidden ways it's wreaking havoc in your life
• Understanding why you keep making the same financial mistakes (and how to stop)
• Why couples fight about money and how to have healthier financial conversations
• Practical strategies for building wealth based on your personality type
• How to stop transmitting financial trauma to your kids
• Ways to align your spending with your deepest values
• Tools for transforming financial stress into relationship success

You'll discover why Type Nines avoid financial decisions until it's too late, why Type Threes look successful while drowning in debt, and why Type Sixes stockpile emergency supplies but forget to fund their retirement. Most importantly, you'll learn how to transform these patterns into strengths, turning your money monster into an ally for building lasting wealth and loving relationships.

Testimonials

Doug gave a terrific talk that brought heart to the idea of money."
– Jonathan Gravnor-- journalist, broadcaster, author, and speaker.
His delivery is so good! Lots of nice pauses, jokes, and eye contact with the audience; love it!"
– Jason Corder --TEDx and Keynote Speaker | Actor | Comedian
A monk, a Marine, and a money manager walk into a bar . . . actually, they wrote a book and they are all the same person! Doug Lynam is one of the most interesting people I know.
– Scott Dauenhauer
I loved it! You would do well to read this book. From Monk To Money Manager is the perfect blend of psychological insight, spiritual values, and practical financial advice. Doug is going to help a lot of people grow up in their relationship with money. I realized that I’m a ‘Deer In Headlights,’ and Doug’s insights helped me examine my aversion to money.
– Richard Rohr, author of The Universal Christ and Falling Upward

Booksby Doug Lynam

Taming Your Money Monster

Monk to Money Manager

For Meeting Planners

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