Some people are just naturally good at not getting rich. They didn't buy Microsoft when a friend mentioned that he was helping start up a new software company. They sold their apartment in Manhattan for a song in the seventies, instinctively believing the real estate market would never, ever come back. These people have built-in wealth prevention systems that steer them safely away from big money even in the most wealth-rich intersections of their lives.
In this book, Robert Sullivan, an expert in the art of not getting rich and staying that way, shows us some simple, non-time consuming ways to cultivate a basic day-to-day attitude that will lead to not getting rich, as well as a few long-term strategies that will help you stay that way. For instance, a good well-rounded education is a must if you are planning on working your entire life and ending up with little or nothing. Choose a field of study that will be personally rewarding but has no apparent application in the real world, such as medieval literature or traditional music. And by all means choose an investment strategy that will definitely not get you rich, such as following the herd. Along the way, spend your money unwisely, read novels and books (a habit that will greatly aid you in your pursuit to not be rich), marry for love, and waste otherwise money-making hours throwing a Frisbee in the park or even playing with your kids, becoming the kind of role model that will never be featured on Forbes's list of the wealthiest people in the world. Sharp, funny, and ultimately comforting, How Not to Get Rich is a guide to happiness without wealth, not that the author wouldn't mind a little wealth with his happiness. How Not to Get Rich is probably not worth the price, but what is?
