Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador
Rich Like Them
Book

Rich Like Them

My Door-to-Door Search for the Secrets of Wealth in America's Richest Neighborhoods

Ryan D'Agostino
Little, Brown US, 2009
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Concrete Examples
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Journalist Ryan D’Agostino wore out his walking shoes compiling this breezy, unconventional look at how a random set of rich people became wealthy. He gathered his information by ringing 500 doorbells in some of the 100 wealthiest neighborhoods in the United States, and found 50 people who not only opened their doors, but also were willing to answer his questions about how they earned their money. D’Agostino asked what advice they would offer others who want to end up in similar neighborhoods. What he learned isn’t particularly original, and it isn’t a blueprint to certain wealth, but his approach is unusual enough to make his findings personable and valuable. Given that the book doesn’t offer traditional tips for making money, it won’t serve financial planners or money managers. Yet it successfully merges rich people’s stories, ideas and suggestions in an easy, enjoyable read. Yes, it’s pep-rally material for budding entrepreneurs or high rollers, but it’s good pep-rally material. getAbstract suggests this book to business students, young businesspeople, entrepreneurs, managers and worker bees hoping to get ahead. Way ahead.

Summary

Meet the Wealthy; Pick Their Brains

Investment strategies and savings plans serve a recognized role in becoming rich, but that’s not the only path, according to people who earn enough to live in grand houses in expensive neighborhoods, as delineated by postal codes. Going door-to-door didn’t produce textbook data about selecting mutual funds or arranging business financing, but it did deliver vivid stories from people who built wealth and were willing to discuss how they handled important decisions, recovered from mistakes, structured their daily lives, and decided what to save and what to spend.

Knocking on 500 doors in some of the U.S.’s 100 wealthiest ZIP codes did, in fact, yield very personalized information. Of the people who opened those doors, 50 or so were willing to talk about how they became wealthy. They shared insights and wisdom that might be instructive for anyone who hopes to get rich. Their lives and stories vary, of course, but one big similarity is that most participants worked hard to earn their fortunes. Almost all of them fell into five categories: 1) “The Visionary,” who came up with a new and fabulous idea; 2) “The ‘Lucky’ One,” who toiled for...

About the Author

Ryan D’Agostino is an editor at Esquire and a former senior editor at Money. His work has been published in The New Yorker and other major publications.

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