More Than Money: A Review of Sahil Bloom’s The 5 Types of Wealth

I have a very full and happy life. I will admit I don’t get to partake in my favorite downtime as much as I like: watching movies. I currently have a 3-year-old that wants to go to sleep later than her parents. None of my other kids acted this way and it is exhausting. But that is to say, I know it is temporary and I will get my time back little by little, and then eventually my wife and I will be able to Netflix and chill again without the kids being a bother. That was a long-winded way of saying that I take balance in my life seriously and I know certain imbalances will be temporary. That’s why I was excited to pick up Sahil Bloom’s book, The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.

I think the culture today really emphasizes money as a benchmark of status. It’s a number, easy to track and compare, but a poor indicator of real happiness. Bloom brings into the conversation that real prosperity isn’t just money, but it is these five aspects of life, Time, Social, Mental, Physical, and Financial, that make up real wealth. The 5 Types of Wealth is Bloom’s practical primer on measuring each type, choosing better daily actions, and rebalancing as circumstances change.

Time Wealth

Bloom starts the book with time wealth. Time wealth is the freedom to choose how you spend your hours. You are born with immense time wealth and you eventually grow poorer over time. There is a middle part of your life where you suddenly realize that you have no disposable time wealth because of obligations, like a job, kids, and a mortgage. This realization hit me probably around 10 years ago, forcing me to change my life and focus on what I want to achieve. Having kids is a great way to force you to structure your life’s priorities and focus on what will make you happy. My driving force or my mission statement right now is to work on what I want and create economic freedom for me and my family. An uphill battle for sure, but I have to say I have been making progress.

Bloom points out that priorities beat hacks and that you should treat your attention as a scarce resource. There is the famous quote, “The important is not urgent and the urgent is not important.” Protect the important projects with blocks of time and constraints on your calendar. Bloom suggests creating one non-negotiable “sacred block” daily for your highest-leverage work and doubling down on work that is energy-creating, that one project that gives you life.

Social Wealth

Social wealth is the trust you earn and the depth and breadth of your community. This is a wealth area I don’t invest enough into. I was born with congenital scoliosis, which means I had to wear a brace around my torso for most of my childhood. I think this naturally led me to being more private and learning how to be a little more self-reliant. I still have trouble being open to my wife to this day. It just doesn’t occur to me to share certain things, like it’s not wired into my brain to do that.

Regardless of me, Bloom talks about people’s need for connection and having a small inner circle of good friends that you can rely on. Being generous, following up with people, and having thoughtful introductions can help build a social network that can lead to a rewarding life. Bloom suggests having dedicated time with your core group, whether it is a monthly dinner, walks, or phone calls. For me, I have started playing Magic The Gathering games with my core friends, which means I am leaving my 3-year-old nightmare with my wife to deal with one or two nights a month. Another good piece of advice from Bloom is to have a weekly “reach-two” habit where you check in and add value to two people in your network.

Mental Wealth

Bloom defines mental wealth as the ability for growth, purpose, and the space to pursue it. You will need clarity of direction and the mental room to pursue it. After the last type of wealth I will talk about, I think I am investing most of my time in this. Bloom talks about how growth compounds when you have the right learning loops. He outlines several learning loops that you can incorporate into your daily life that can help build skills and clarity. Honestly, I might need to tighten up how I build my mental wealth. I read a lot, I journal, I try to have clarity of direction and purpose, but my plan to get there is unknown so I am trying to be flexible. I try to put into action what I learn, and I want what I learn to compound. What I don’t do is incorporate reflection blocks (I have not been great about getting my meditation in this year). I don’t allow myself space where I can reflect on my progress. Bloom suggests a monthly “think day” where you can journal about your big questions and set up the next sprint for yourself. I should really do that; I think it would be revitalizing.

Physical Wealth

Bloom describes physical wealth as the health and vitality that let you do what life asks of you. Physical wealth is an area where I’ve found a system that works for me, and it has paid huge dividends. I have a very active lifestyle in a very planned way. Meaning, I have worked out for years. Last year, I decided to move to a 5-day-a-week weight workout which I will always prioritize with no excuses. I will take rest weeks, of course, during vacations with the family, but I only take one week off at a time. ChatGPT is my personal trainer and tailors my workout for me. I also get sprints in at least twice a week, and on the weekend, it’s walking or tennis. The one thing I really want to get in is Yoga. I used to do Yoga a lot and it is critical to longevity in my mind. I can always improve my diet, but I eat veggies first and prioritize protein, trying to hit that 200g. Ok, enough bragging, but physical wealth is self-explanatory. Get healthy and you will have more energy and clarity of thought to deal with anything in life.

Financial Wealth

We finally arrive at the fifth pillar of wealth: financial wealth. I will paraphrase a quote from the philosopher Homer Simpson, who said alcohol was “the cause of… and solution to, all of life’s problems.” I feel this quote applies to this type of wealth also. Money is required to live the life you want, but what is enough? That is the point Bloom makes for financial wealth: define your number and measure progress towards the life you actually want. Don’t treat this like a status game. Bloom recommends favoring simple, long-term systems over shortcuts and to invest in income skills that create time and autonomy later. In my experience, financials are highly emotional, hard to talk about objectively, and can cloud your judgment. Automate as much as possible and keep your costs low.

Rebalancing: Managing the Whole Portfolio

Bloom makes the point that you can’t maximize all five at once. The book encourages a “dimmer switch” mindset, turn some areas up while keeping others on, then rebalance as your season changes. Regular check-ins prevent drift and keep actions aligned with the right scoreboard.

Bottom Line

The 5 Types of Wealth is a clear, actionable framework: define what you’re optimizing for, measure more than money, and make small daily moves that compound in each category. As a review structure or a life audit, it’s easy to implement and hard to outgrow. Have you read The 5 Types of Wealth? Which of the five types are you focusing on most in this season of your life? Let me know in the comments!