Was There A Particular Book That Motivated You

[LoneAspen]

+2 Rich Dad, Poor Dad author was a flake IMO.

I remember buying that book years ago, and liking it, and then bought one written by an associate of his (Dolf something or other?) about real estate. I actually [-]spent[/-] wasted a few hundred dollars going to a seminar in Phoenix and almost getting sucked into a multi-thousand dollar mentoring program.

After that, I decided all self-help finance type books were a load of crap, and never looked at another one.

However, based on the response to A Millionaire Next Door here, I might have to get that one.

 

[HFWR]

And he exaggerated his background, embellished a few things, etc... but in the end, the message was still true. Make your money work for you, not the other way around.

Agree that was the only worthwhile thing in the book, but that would make for a short book...

 

[rodi]

Millionaire Next Door.
The Cheapskate's guide to Early Retirement (author is a member of E-R.org)
Millionaire Teacher
The Wealthy Barber

All approached the same idea from different POVs. Spend less, save more, invest = freedom and retirement.

 

[MuirWannabe]

And yet another vote for Millionaire Next Door.



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[daylatedollarshort]

I remember buying that book years ago, and liking it, and then bought one written by an associate of his (Dolf something or other?) about real estate. I actually [-]spent[/-] wasted a few hundred dollars going to a seminar in Phoenix and almost getting sucked into a multi-thousand dollar mentoring program.

After that, I decided all self-help finance type books were a load of crap, and never looked at another one.

However, based on the response to A Millionaire Next Door here, I might have to get that one.

One of the authors has a blog you can read for free and get the general idea -

Thomas J. Stanley | Official Blog

He was a marketing professor who studied marketing to the affluent so the MND book and the successor books are based on actual surveys, research, and estate tax data analysis of millionaires. The Rich Dad guy was just some MLM sales guy selling the dream to people wanting to believe it.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I have read many of the same books that have been mentioned several times over, but only one person has mentioned Jacob Lund's 'Early Retirement Extreme'. Although geared towards being VERY frugal, he had lots of good stuff that isn't as extreme. It's a good read and worth the $10 for those that are looking to retire EARLY!

Sent from my mobile device so please excuse grammatical errors.

 

[AnIntentionalRoad]

A Real Life by Ference Mate.

 

[uncaD]

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet: The Richest Man in Babylon

 

[Htown Harry]

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet...

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need
Consumer Reports magazine

 

[Gabieta]

Your Wealth Building Years by Adriane G. Berg

I read this in 1987, after graduating college and getting commissioned as an ensign. I loved this book, and remember spending hours hand-calculating projections and dreaming of my future FI.

Now, I'm living the dream!

 

[frugal-one]

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet: The Richest Man in Babylon

+1

Also, The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

 

[pjm-7]

The two books that I always suggest to people are The Millionaire Next Door and Your Money or Your Life.

 

[RobLJ]

I always throw up when I read self-help books like Millionaire Next Door (other than Franklin's Autobiography, which is the exception that proves the rule).
Like imolderthanu, reading Walden--specifically the first two chapters "Economy" & "Where I Lived and What I Lived For"--at 15 made a profound impression, that I never forgot. Thoreau (influenced by Carlyle) measures work as time to pay for living expenses and argues that reducing your expenses frees time to experience life's value, in a nutshell.
I also was influenced by Keynes, Smith, Galbraith (history of depression and The Great Socity), Marx, Dickens (Micawber, etc), and Carlyle, but then I was a lit and poly-sci major. YMMV.

I like Bernstein a lot and Bogle but read them late, only a few years ago. (I gather one of Thoreau's arguments is essentially Your Money or Your Life, but I've only read some descriptions or references to the latter. )

 

[Accidental Retiree]

It was Diane Mc Curdy's _How Much is Enough_, about 5 years before we retired, sooner than we'd expected, that helped me get us more prepared for what was to come.


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[albundyz]

I read 8 financial books before my retirement 7 yrs ago. The best? Coffeehouse Investor.

 

[Walt34]

Not a book, but an elective class in marketing.

No matter the product/service, it is all about making you want something you didn't know you wanted, or to desire something you didn't know you desired, or making "good enough" into "Premium" so you'll feel special.

IOW, it's about separating you from as much of your money as possible. The class was an eye-opener for me and I never looked at advertising the same way again.

 

[EastWest Gal]

What book inspired me to FIRE?.... Every book my boss ever gave me to read... usually on topics like understanding and motivating Gen Y, continuous business process improvement, and how to synergistically maximize quality and productivity for less cost in an increasingly competitive global environment.

Was that a positive motivation or a negative motivation? You know, the carrot or the stick. My guess is the stick. That stuff sounds as painful and annoying as continuous quality improvement in the medical field.


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[eta2020]

No book motivated me. I immigrated to US at young age and washing dishes is what motivated me to do anything I can do attend and finish College.

That experience of having very difficult first 4-5 years of life in US made me very frugal, which I am no longer by most peoples standard.

But I must admit reading The Millionaire next door made big impression on me. It opened my eyes to the fact that people who look rich are NOT.

 

[travelover]

Ulysses.