Rich Like Them

The area in which I live and work is fairly affluent, and everyday I pass by many enormous, beautiful homes and I frequently find myself wondering: who are the people that live in these homes? In the small town where I grew up, the "rich" people were the doctor and the lawyer. But with so many of these large houses in this area, I figure they can't all be doctors and lawyers. So what do these people do? How did they get these houses? And more importantly, how do I get one too? Apparently, I'm not the only one wondering. Ryan D'Agostino decided that he would discover the secrets to people's financial success by visiting homes in the most affluent towns in America. He chronicles his findings in Rich Like Them: My Door-to Door Search for the Secrets of Wealth in America's Richest Neighborhoods. I was surprised to hear that most of the people he met made their money from either real estate investments or starting their own companies. Most either had that one good idea or had found "undiscovered" areas for real estate investment. Beyond this though, D'Agostino doesn't really reveal anything earth shattering. The "secrets" to the success of his interviewees are mainly: work hard, keep working hard even when you succeed, don't be afraid to take risks, save your money and be passionate (read: obsessive) about what you do. Nothing new there. But I think that the people who get wealthy are the people who are constantly thinking outside the box; constantly thinking about new ideas, new opportunities, and areas for improvement. I was surprised at one person's advice to change your career if you hate it, because that's exactly what I did, except no one gets wealthy being a librarian. I guess the difference between me and a wealthy person is that the wealthy person would start their own company as a consulting librarian. Hmmm. I guess I think more like Gertrude Stein, who said: "I do want to get rich but I never want to do what there is to do to get rich."