The Richest Man in Babylon Action Plan (Master Class Series)

Book excerpt: The Wealth Secrets of the Ancients: Updated for Today’s Challenges George S. Clason’s classic guide to financial health, The Richest Man in Babylon, has won millions of followers since 1930. Told as a series of parables set in ancient Mesopotamia, The Richest Man in Babylon is enthralling in its wisdom and simplicity. But times have changed. The enduring crisis of economic lockdown, spiraling health costs, and working from home were not even figments in the mind of this great author. Now, PEN Award-winning historian and popular voice of self-help Mitch Horowitz marries Clason’s insights to the challenges of our present-day financial lives to produce a profoundly realistic, practical, and relevant “action plan” based on the original principles of The Richest Man in Babylon. In seven steps—or “Clason’s Golden Lessons”—Mitch explores how to profit from your dwelling in our new work-from-home economy; the tough truth about healthcare costs and the original Babylon principles; the soundest source of investment; real-world ways to increase your earning power; why maintaining cashflow matters more than paying down debt in times of crisis; how to contend with issues of fear around money, and more. As a special bonus feature, this action plan includes a faithful abridgment of Clason's original work, which serves as a perfect refresher for longtime readers and a primer for newcomers. In this to-the-point guide, Mitch also explores the historical background of the man and book that taught us to “pay yourself first,” and why Clason’s basic rules still make the most sense. A selection of "Clason's Golden Aphorisms" distill key pieces of wisdom from the original book, each a lesson in itself. In succinct fashion, Mitch provides the first true update to one of the greatest financial guides ever written.