The Black Belt Investor


How is your relationship…with money?

If you’re like most people, it’s not as healthy as it could be. In her more than 30-year career as a financial advisor and portfolio manager, Mary Hagerman has seen unhealthy attitudes about money wrap and distort too many lives. She knew from personal experience that it didn’t have to be that way.

A practicing black belt 3rd Dan in Karate, Hagerman believes that wellness comes not only from the usual places – eating right, exercise, love – but also from a clearheaded, honest relationship between yourself and your money.

Mirroring the stages of mastering Karate, Black Belt Investor walks you through the steps and practices to build a truly healthy relationship with money. Beginning as a financial white belt and progressing through each stage of financial fitness, you’ll learn to let go of bad habits. No longer will you agonize over a spouse’s spending, fret over a large purchase or worry about when or whether to invest in the market. Through the practices in Black Belt Investor, you will set aside dangerous and destructive emotions around money such as greed, fear, shame and jealousy.

Instead, as a Black Belt Investor, you will develop the self-knowledge, the discipline and the confidence to execute a long-term plan and embrace your financial journey.

mary hagerman



The Black Belt Investor book cover

The Black Belt Investor is my story about how my many years inside the world of money management combined with my study of martial arts has brought me to a deeper understanding of what it means to be wealthy. This book is my recipe for obtaining a sense of wealth, or “wealthness”, as I like to call it.

Mary welcomes you to enjoy the first paragraph of her book, The Black Investor. Click here to view the complimentary first chapter.




Testimonials from readers

“I wish that I had read this book 30 years ago. So many lessons I had to learn the hard way. Loved the discipline of karate mirroring the discipline we need in our every day life with finances. Wealthness indeed. Good work…excellent read. Looking forward to the sequel.”
- Bill Hemens

"Mary Hagerman has perfectly laid out a plan to build a healthier relationship with money, through the lens of passing each stage of karate.

There is nothing better than that feeling of finally having a breakthrough, especially when it comes to how you approach money. Truly, I haven’t found another book on finance that has so perfectly and simply shown me how easy it can be to have a good relationship with money."
- Joseph Lamanna, COO AdvisorAnalyst Group Inc.

"I found the book fascinating. It aligns with many of my values, but I still learned about several key things that I will try to put into practice or improve, such as meditation, self-discipline, continuous development and improvement, and philanthropy.

Thank you for this book and all the benefits it will bring to me."
- Richard Wilson