Money and Meaning — What Faith Traditions Teach Us About Personal Finance
13 January 2026

Money and Meaning — What Faith Traditions Teach Us About Personal Finance

The Art of Manliness

About

We usually think of money as something very practical, concrete, and secular; we earn it, save it, spend it, and crunch the numbers behind it. But money is never just about money: it reflects our values, our priorities — and even our spiritual life.

My guest today, Tom Levinson, knows this well. He’s a financial advisor who studied religion at Harvard Divinity School and thought about becoming a rabbi. Now, he helps people navigate not just their portfolios, but the deeper questions that come with them.

In today’s conversation, Tom shares the greater meaning around money, what the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions say about it, and how financial practices like budgeting can be spiritual disciplines.

Resources Related to the Podcast

    All That's Holy: A Young Guy, an Old Car, and the Search for God in America by Tom LevinsonAoM Article: The Spiritual Disciplines — SimplicityAoM Podcast #363: Budgeting Doesn’t Have to Suck


Connect With Tom Levinson

    Tom's podcast: Money, Meet MeaningTom on LinkedIn


Thanks to This Week's Podcast Sponsor

Surfshark VPN. Go to https://surfshark.com/manliness or use code MANLINESS at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.