Celebrated musicians, singing stars and pro athletes may be masterful in the spotlight, but when it comes to handling money, they’re often pitiful failures. Indeed, such talents typically blow the millions they make in the first heady years of hitting the jackpot or immediately after retiring.

Enter Dr. Ted Klontz. Focusing on the psychology of money, he helps folks cork the financial bleeding — or prevent it from happening in the first place.

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Is Wynnona’s case unique?

Not at all. The average musician goes from rags to riches to rags in about seven years. For football players, it’s bankruptcy about two-and-a-half years after they quit playing. That’s the normal, predictable trajectory; and it’s irrespective of race or anything else — except one thing: If you come from nothing, you’ll go back to nothing, unless your thinking changes and you get help.

How did he react to that?

He loved the idea because it was fulfilling his obligation to the community: Doing good for his people in a demonstrable way. And now he’s able to save for his daughter’s education. This technique is different from telling him, “You’re really stupid for supporting all these people.”

What happened?

Apparently I didn’t give them the right answer because they didn’t call me back. People tend to say, “Make them stop!” They want the magic two-hour presentation of information. But that’s not how it works.

Who have you worked with recently?

One young artist whose father kept saying to him, “The people back home are saying that you think you’re better than they are and that you’re selfish.” This kid was working his ass off. But the father was putting incredible pressure on him to fork over time, energy and money because it looked like he was selling out. Not that there’s anything wrong with that pressure because if people in that type of poor culture don’t share, they’ll die. That’s how they eat. I’ve lived in a community in Tennessee that operated just like that.

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