The Ten Roads to Riches: The Ways the Wealthy Got There (And How You Can Too!)

By Elisabeth Dellinger, Lara W. Hoffmans and Kenneth L. Fisher

Profiles of some of America's richest people and how they got that way—and how you can too!

While we can't promise that this book will elevate you to the ranks of the super-rich, we can say that within its pages you'll discover everything you need to know about how, exactly, many of America's most famous (and infamous) millionaires and billionaires acquired their fortunes. The big surprise is that all of the super-wealthy it profiles got where they are today by taking one of just ten possible roads—including starting a business, buying real estate, investing wisely, and marrying extremely well. Whether you aspire to shameful wealth or just a demure fortune, bestselling author and self-made billionaire, Ken Fisher, will show you how to walk in the footsteps of tycoons—all the way to the financial success you dream of and deserve.

• Packed with amusing anecdotes of individuals who have traveled (or tumbled) down each road to wealth
• Extracts valuable lessons on how you, too, can achieve serious wealth, and, just as importantly, hold onto it
• Provides powerful tools for determining what you need to do to position yourself for success and "Guideposts" and "Warning Signs" to help keep you safely on your road to success
• Second Edition features more profiles and instructive examples than were found in the bestselling first edition

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wiley
• Release date: Apr 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781118445037

Book preview

1

THE RICHEST ROAD

Have a compelling vision? Leadership skills? An understanding spouse? You just might be a visionary founder.

This is the richest road. Founding your own firm can create astounding wealth. Eight of the 10 richest Americans did this, including Bill Gates (net worth $81 billion), Amazon maestro Jeff Bezos ($67 billion), Facebook titan Mark Zuckerberg ($55.5 billion), Oracle CEO Larry Ellison ($49.3 billion), info magnate and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg ($45 billion), and Google wunderkinds Sergey Brin and Larry Page (around $38 billion each).1 Close behind are gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson ($31.8 billion), Nike’s Phil Knight ($25.5 billion), financier George Soros ($24.9 billion), Dell’s eponymous founder, Michael ($20 billion), Tesla visionary Elon Musk ($11.6 billion), and many of the richest Americans from nearly every industry and angle.2 Even better? These folks get wealthy and spawn rich ride-alongs, too. (See Chapter 3.)

This road works with scant restriction by industry, education, or pedigree—PhDs and college dropouts are equally welcome. Continental Resources founder and CEO Harold Hamm ($13.1 billion) was the son of Oklahoma sharecroppers, grew up dirt-poor, and never went past high school.3 Instead he pumped gas, drove trucks, and learned the oil industry ropes. Now he’s known as the world’s richest truck driver and the titan of the Bakken