Read to learn the fundamentals of building wealth.
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S Clason is one of my favorite personal finance books.
An American hustler in his 50s, who looks like Jason Momoa from Texas, recommended it to me when I was 18. The book opened my eyes to building wealth and ignited an interest in improving my state in life ever since.
A chariot builder and a lyre player living in the ancient city of Babylon have a dark epiphany.
They realize they have worked all their lives and have nothing to show for financially. Their purses are "lean" as a needle. They are tremendously distraught so they ask for advice from an acquaintance, the richest man in Babylon.
He teaches them the "7 cures for a lean purse". The timeless laws of wealth, as valid to a former slave in Babylon as to a Tik Tok perusing Gen Z er.
1: A part of all you earn is yours to keep (save a minimum of 10% of all you earn).
2: Control thy expenditures
3: Make thy gold multiply
4: Guard thy treasure from loss
5: Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment
6: Insure a future income
7: Increase thy ability to earn
Babylon, one of the richest ancient cities, is an analogy to the modern West. Vastly wealthy, but where people still struggle financially because they do not understand, or apply, these laws.
The Richest Man in Babylon is the fundamental book on personal finance. It won't give you advice on where to invest your money or which brokerage accounts to use -- these are mere accessories. With The Richest Man in Babylon, you will learn the fundamentals. Once you master them, you can move on to the more complex stuff.