As a financial analyst, I’ve read countless books, articles and newsletters on generating wealth.
Some were insightful. A few even made me a good bit of money. But I’ve never encountered anything like Beyond Wealth: The Road Map to a Rich Life.
Hot off the press this week, I received an advance copy several days ago and began perusing it out of curiosity.
A few minutes later, I stopped taking phone calls. Thirty minutes later, I cancelled my lunch appointment. I could not put it down until I’d read the whole thing.
It’s that good.
I learned something new and unexpected on almost every page. And I’m hardly the new kid on the block. In my 57 years, I’ve seen and done a lot – including retiring from the semiconductor industry 10 years ago. However, this isn’t just a book about how to get rich. It’s about how to live a rich life.
Beyond Wealth is the latest from The Oxford Club’s Investment Director Alexander Green, a former money manager and nationally renowned financial expert who’s spent the last 25 years showing ordinary individuals not just how to get rich, but – more importantly – be rich.What do I mean? Real wealth isn’t just about how much stuff you own. (That’s materialism, not wealth.) It’s not about showing off a huge house, exotic cars, or an exclusive club membership. (That’s ego, not wealth.) It’s not even about your bank balance, stock portfolio, or net worth, no matter how large.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying money isn’t important. You can’t live life to the fullest if you spend your days swimming in concerns about money. No one is free who is a slave to his job, his creditors, his circumstances, or his overhead.
Money creates choices. It gives you freedom. And Alex is a master at taking ordinary individuals and showing them how to achieve complete financial independence.
Yet there’s another kind of knowledge here that’s even more valuable. In fact, it’s priceless…
My name is Dave Fessler. You know me as a long-time financial writer and Investment Analyst for The Oxford Club.
What you may not know is that I have two almost-grown sons, Jared and Noah. Like you, I would do just about anything for my kids. Over the years, I have tried to educate them, instill in them a decent work ethic and teach them a thing or two about the world.
I have a mechanical bent, so I’ve taught them how to fix broken appliances, rebuild a car engine and make a chest of drawers. I’m also an avid outdoorsman. So I’ve taught them how to hunt and fly-fish.
I’ve also tried to teach them a few essentials about money.
Over the years, I’ve learned a lot of good moneymaking techniques. But in our private conversations, Alex Green has also shared a lot of ideas that go far beyond dollars and cents. I’m talking about what it means to live a rich life. And with the publication of Beyond Wealth, I’m excited that he can finally share these things with you and your family, too.
Beyond Wealth is full of keen insights about what it means to be truly wealthy. The first chapter alone – “Are the Rich Smarter Than You?” – is worth many times the price of the book.
Alex also shows why wealth is about much more than just income or assets. It’s also about meaningful work, close connections with friends and family, and dozens of other ideas I’d never fully considered. He hits the nail on the head when he writes, “It’s how we spend ourselves – not our money – that makes us rich.”
Reading Beyond Wealth is like spending time in great company with some of the wisest men and women who have ever lived. There’s plenty of wisdom here from Aristotle, Plato, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Jefferson, Rand, Einstein and many other great minds.
These individuals understood that true wealth isn’t just a number, no matter how large. It’s also about living a life that attracts friends, colleagues, and even business and investment opportunities.
As one of the nation’s top investment experts, Alex knows how to make money, multiply it and safeguard it. (That’s how he retired from Wall Street at the ripe old age of 42.) Now he’s able to share the best of what he’s learned with you.
You’ll learn, for example:
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The habits and characteristics of America’s wealthiest individuals. |
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Why income is a poor measure of wealth - and what it takes to build an enduring fortune. |
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How trust is essential to your personal and professional relationships – and how you can inspire it in others. |
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The most important job on earth – and why it has nothing to do with business. |
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How the digital revolution – despite its many advantages – keeps you from reaching important goals. (And how to change that.) |
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The number one reason why “aspirationals” – people who desperately want to be rich but aren’t – often find it impossible to achieve financial independence. (And how you can avoid their fate.) |
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Why salary, benefits and security are among the least important aspects of a job. (And what you should seek instead.) |
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The eye-opening results of the 72-year Grant Study – and how it reveals the optimal mix of habits and attitudes that leads to greater wealth. |
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Why giving money away is one of the most crucial aspects of “making it.” |
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Why so many people live in a self-imposed prison – even though the key is right between their ears. |
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How the world’s best and most creative marketers prevent you from achieving financial freedom. |
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How to instantly evaluate potential partners in both your business and personal life. This technique alone is guaranteed to save you buckets of money… and untold headaches. |
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How to profit from the mistakes you’ve already made – as well as the ones you’re about to make. |
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How to join the small percentage of Americans who rate themselves fully satisfied with both their business and personal lives. |
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How to determine your real net worth. (And you won’t need a calculator.) This one caught me completely off guard. |
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Find out why your greatest hurdle – as both an investor and a human being – is likely to be yourself. And what you can do to change that. |
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The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius discovered what it means to live the best possible life. Learn why this lesson is even more important today than it was 2,000 years ago. |
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Few of us will achieve true wealth until we understand what matters most. Several of the best chapters are devoted to this essential topic. |
There are so many reasons to recommend Beyond Wealth. Lately I’ve been talking it up to my business colleagues, passing it along to relatives and picking up copies as graduation gifts.
Yes, the book is partly about financial freedom. But – as the title suggests – Beyond Wealth is also about honoring and fighting for your highest potential, living the life you want, doing work you enjoy, paying attention to your highest goals and values.
Quite frankly, this book is one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever read. And the timing could hardly be better…
The U.S. economy is still in a rough patch. A lot of us are experiencing tough times right now. Yet to the extent that times like these shake up the status quo and force us to re-examine our goals and priorities, they also offer enormous opportunities.
Beyond Wealth points them out. Drawing on some of today’s best minds and many of history’s greatest thinkers, it’s both a much-needed source of inspiration and an insightful look at the role of both money and values in the pursuit of the good life.
About Beyond Wealth
Beyond Wealth is already garnering national attention.
Historian and Pulitzer Prize-Winner Daniel Walker Howe says, “Alexander Green, one of today’s most successful financial advisors, here applies his wisdom to even more important questions: how to live justly, creatively and serenely amidst the distractions and frustrations we daily encounter.”
Michael Shermer, monthly columnist for Scientific American and author of The Mind of the Market, says, “With an economy of words and poignancy of thought, Green cuts straight to the heart of what really matters.”
Edgar F. Puryear, author of Nineteen Stars: A Study in Military Character and Leadership, adds, “Beyond Wealth is simply superb. Alex Green is a national treasure.”
This is a book you will return to again and again. And Beyond Wealth is available now in bookstores nationwide.
However, Amazon is currently offering the book for 40% off the cover price. To pick up your copies, click here.
It costs very little, but Beyond Wealth is likely to be one of the best investments you make this year.
Sincerely,
Dave Fessler
Senior Investment Analyst
The Oxford Club
April 2011
P.S. Please don’t forget to share Beyond Wealth with your children and grandchildren. To pick up your copies, click here.