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My guest today, Alvin Hall, might be described as the friendly face of the hard financial truth.

For many years as a writer and broadcaster,

he's been teaching ordinary people

how to cope with money, or the lack of it,

putting across what can be quite a harsh message

with such charm that even the bad news doesn't

sound quite as depressing as it might.

Alvin, would I be right in summing up the bottom line as learn to live within your means?

Yes, but also probably have a few fantasies about money to help motivate yourself also.

Fantases meaning...

Things you want to achieve with money,

the way you can use it in your life to give you things that give you long-term satisfaction

to undercut your short-term desire to spend badly.

You're about a lot more than money and high finance, though.

I know you're passionate about fine art, about music, about literature, and I also read that at one point

your family had you marked town for the church, which I think is a link to the life you've nominated

for this program?

It is.

My Uncle Louis always said that as a child

that I was really calm and really focused and well disciplined

and he always said he saw the spirit in me and he used to say boy I

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