The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy

This is an excellent, data-backed look at what the wealthy look like in the United States. Contrary to popular belief, most wealthy people do not drive Teslas and eat caviar. They are not tech CEOs or Wall Street financiers. They are small business owners and self-employed professionals who probably drive a 3-year old BMW or a Ford pickup truck or SUV. They probably wear a Seiko watch, not a Rolex. They probably wear a suit bought from Men's Wearhouse, not Brooks Brothers. They probably have a run-of-the-mill Visa credit card, not something from Sak's Fifth Ave. Some of the many useful insights and takeaways from this book: A Useful Definition of Wealth -- Wealth is much more than how much money you pull in every year and how much your house costs. It's more a reflection of your investments and how much money you save. Not how much you spend. There are a lot of people who pull in a ton of money every year but live paycheck-to-paycheck. Wealth and income are not the same thing -- Not all wealthy people pull in a hefty income. In fact, many purposely pull in relatively low incomes in order to reduce their tax obligations. Ross Perot is a great example of this (when the book is written). Perot pays millions in taxes, but is worth billions. Even your neighbor next door might be a millionaire, but maybe the household only brings in $79,000 a year. Most Millionaires Are Self-Made -- While children of millionaires are more likely to become millionaires, very few millionaires (less than 20%) are not self-made millionaires. In fact, regular handouts from parents make it less likely that an individual will become a millionaire someday. Most millionaires worked for their money and were not constantly given Economic Outpatient Care (EOC) from their parents. Frugality Reigns Supreme -- The authors give a great analogy about building wealth. You can play a great offensive (i.e. pulling in money) and you can make a great defensive (i.e. saving your money and preserving your wealth). Playing a great offensive is wonderful, but it is really only useful for building wealth if you don't play a great defensive too (some people are capable of playing such a great offensive that the defensive really isn't important, but this is very few people). They buy discount suits, discounted new cars or used cars, they rely on very, very little credit, and status symbols aren't all that important to them. Mindset Matters -- Most millionaires are not worry-warts. The only things they really worry about are government policies that will destroy their livelihoods, but even then, they know that they can't really control the outcome of these issues directly, so they only give so much effort and so much weight to these decisions. My only quasi-criticism of this book is that the data are from 1992-1996 and the book was written in 1996. This obviously isn't the fault of the authors, and some of the conclusions are reinforced in a 2010 preface, but just take some of the data with a grain of salt. Take inflation and general industrial changes into account. Well worth the read, especially if you are looking to join the ranks of the Prodigious Accumulators of Wealth or work with them.

A MUST READ for all young adults , it changed my life . Im the millionaire next-door because of this book !!

Charles Dickens (in David Copperfield) had it right: "Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery." Essentially, accumulating wealth is all about under-spending, and that's the central message of Stanley and Danko's very clear and readable book. There are numerous references in the book to academic studies of wealth (written by the authors--a university professor and a former professor) that add meat to the common sense financial bones throughout the book; however, you don't need an understanding of higher math to comprehend the message of the studies. If you don't appreciate how powerful the combination of regular saving, combined with time and compound interest, can be, then this book will open your eyes. Chances are, however, that you may already appreciate the message of this book. If so, you can buy the book and most likely still enjoy it. However, since the authors will be preaching to (your) choir, this book may not change your world. Those who really need to read this book are those who don't already appreciate the benefits of living well within their means and, as a result, greatly expanding their future means. For example, if your children are teens, they could benefit greatly from the common sense financial wisdom that runs throughout this best-seller. (Of course, your kids could listen to you, but sometimes they aren't especially eager to follow parental advice.) I've given away many copies of this book (I don't have that many children), and a number of the recipients have taken the time to tell me how this book changed their outlook on spending and saving. In a nuts-and-bolts sense, this book describes the most common characteristics of the wealthy (drawing on the authors' studies), their living habits, how and where they shop and buy homes, how they are employed, what sorts of chances in life they take (and don't take), and the long-term effects of adult childrens' continuing financial dependence on their parents. (The last point could be an eye-opener for some.) One of the authors (Stanley) has written a follow-on book, The Millionaire Mind, but I think The Millionaire Next Door is clearly the better of the two books. All in all, it's a very worthy effort.

Great book! The Millionaire Next Door is an eye-opening book that challenges common ideas about wealth. It reveals that most millionaires are ordinary, frugal people who live below their means rather than flashy spenders. A practical and insightful read on building lasting financial independence.

Good as expected

A thoughtful and interesting read

Good study on what makes people wealthy

This book is easy to read and to the point. I have found myself more often than not laughing & chuckling to myself. After reading this book, many things that I have observed over the years around me, it finally makes sense. The authors are of course 100% correct. However, it tells a truth and reality that most people aren't ready or willing to hear. I purchased this book as a gift but I ended up reading it myself. Totally recommended!! The book was written in the 90's but the principles on which is based on remain the same.

Yes, read 141 out of 250 pages so far but I am so impressed with the financial advise. Great book. Recommended to everyone with any sort of income.