Money has value because we agree that it does. This study frames that collective agreement as a narrative and through that lens, considers the dynamics by which the agreement of money’s value has been authored, and continues to be. Using Sohail Inayatullah’s Causal Layered Analysis the project considers what that story is “about” towards an understanding of our collective values inasmuch as they are held by, or noticeably absent from, the most readily used monetary signifier in the world; debt at interest, issued by a central authority, backed by the legal jurisdiction of a nation. With a sense of how the story of money is authored, and what it is about at the level of a foundational myth, the study considers how that story may change with an alternative foundation and explores current signals that resonate with a re-authored story of money. Towards a solution model with an empowered human actor, the study then considers the arena of self-esteem as a framework to consider connections between individual behaviour and the entrenched story of money. Finally, the project considers a simple but tangible solution model for how we might consider the financial transaction as a site for experience design. The solution considers the experience of the transactional relationship as the source material in the story of money, and suggests that we might build authentic wealth by consciously considering the attributes of that experience.