The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life

The Five Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life is a 2025 self-help book by American author Sahil Bloom. In his work, Bloom argues that living a truly fulfilling life requires overcoming modern society’s fixation on financial wealth. He then outlines four other kinds of wealth to develop: mental, social, physical, and time wealth. Using inspirational stories from history and anecdotes from his personal life, Bloom advocates for improving every aspect of life by measuring different kinds of “wealth” and adopting new habits. 

This guide refers to the 2025 Kindle edition.

Summary

In the prologue, Bloom reveals that in his twenties, he took a lucrative job at an investment firm and was wealthy by the age of 30. However, he realized that he had gained financial wealth at the expense of his time, relationships, and mental and physical well-being, so he decided to transform his life by finding a healthier balance among the various types of wealth. 

In Part 1, Bloom introduces his concept of the five wealth types and explains that each person can measure their level of wealth by ranking statements for each wealth type. He argues that developing goals and anti-goals helps people to define their purpose and achieve them by implementing intentional, everyday habits. 

In Part 2, “Time Wealth,” Bloom discusses the finite nature of time and advocates for spending it well. He praises the Stoic mantra “memento mori” which means “remember that you must die” and implicitly urges people to make their actions meaningful. The author believes that by becoming more aware of the three pillars of time wealth—awareness, attention and control—people can harness more of their time to do the things they really care about. He argues that scattered attention wastes time and advises focusing intensely in short bursts. Bloom recommends using tools such as to-do lists, calendars, and self-imposed deadlines to work efficiently and free up personal time for other meaningful pursuits.

In Part 3, “Social Wealth,” Bloom explores the importance of good relationships to people’s happiness and longevity. Citing scientific evidence, Bloom shows that the quality of people’s relationships increases happiness and longevity more than any other wealth type does—even financial wealth. The author advises cherishing close friends and family through the three pillars of social wealth: depth, breadth, and earned status. 

In Part 4, Bloom claims that remaining curious is a key aspect of mental wealth, which has three pillars: purpose, growth, and space. By finding and acting on their life’s purpose, people will boost their mental health by feeling a sense of pride in themselves and their contribution to the world. People can also improve mental wealth by maintaining a growth mindset, or being open to new ideas, information and experiences, and believing in their own ability to change. Bloom recommends making “space” for mental health through walks, journaling, meditating, and more.

In Part 5, Bloom asserts that their physical health is foundational to a person’s life’s work and satisfaction. He outlines three pillars of physical health: movement, nutrition, and recovery. He then makes recommendations for daily exercise, general diet rules, and how to recover from exercise and life stresses. 

Finally, in Part 6, Bloom addresses the final wealth type: financial wealth. Bloom laments that the quest for wealth can be addictive and warns against allowing it to overtake other needs. Bloom’s three pillars of financial wealth are income generation, expense management, and long-term investment. He advises saving enough money to be able to invest, managing expenses wisely, and taking advantage of long-term wealth strategies (compounding). Bloom concludes his work by reminiscing on the “leap of faith” he took when he left his lucrative job to remedy his work-life balance, and he encourages others to transform their own lives for the better by valuing all five types of “wealth.”