53 Books to Get Rich By

I glanced through the Forbes 400 issue while waiting for a conference call to start today. (Too bad we do not subscribe to something like Howdesign or Fast Company.) Forbes is certainly not on my list of weekly reading but it makes for good flipping. Of particular note was an article by Jeffrey Sachs (The Forbes One Billion) where he made the bold but true statement that, "If journalists spent as much time studying the lives of the poor as they do gazing at the rich, it would help us all keep our heads on straight. "

Since most of my thoughts seem to run to books lately (see here and here), I found an article by publisher Rich Karlgaard (no link to him since he and that gang are on the wrong side of things) that was interesting. Books to Get Rich By is an attempt at putting together a list of books you could use if your "goal is to raise a child who will grow up and make The Forbes 400 list someday." Since my child is not old enough to read, let's use her dad as a proxy.

I was pretty surprised (and disappointed) at how few of the 53 books (full list here) that he and some of his self-made, rich friends recommend - which Karlgaard says, "range from the theoretical to the practical, the instructional to the inspirational" - I had gotten to:

Theory of Capitalism

• none

History and Heroes

• none

Instructional Tips

• The Elements of Style--by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White
• Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind--by Al Ries and Jack Trout
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!--by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter DO NOT READ THIS!
• The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything--by Guy Kawasaki
• In Search of Excellence: Lessons From America's Best-Run Companies--by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don't--by Jim Collins

Food for the Soul

• Think and Grow Rich--by Napoleon Hill
• The Fountainhead--by Ayn Rand books on tape count right...

Useful Entertainment

• none

No wonder I am not on the list! Maybe I better buy this for the next generation.

Back to proposal talk soon. Unless I get rich...

Off to read.