How to be rich
by J. Paul Getty · first published 1965
50% recommend50% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, practical take on money and business from an oil magnate, with blunt lessons on wealth-building and self-reliance; readers say it changed how they think about money. Suits those curious about entrepreneurship.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
J. Paul Getty draws on his own experiences of becoming the worlds first generally recognized billionaire to explain money and economics. He does so in a way that is very readable even to the novice. He is surprisingly down to earth and rather philosophical in his discussion of what wealth is, what it means to have wealth and as the title itself states "How to be rich". J. Paul explains in simple terms how stocks, bonds and real estate work. He discusses running a business and the impact of sound business decisions on the economy. He explains clearly the importance of paying employees as w
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2008–2010High Tech Start Up
John L. Nesheim
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2007–2026How to Get Rich
Felix Dennis
Recommended by 65 · mentioned by 7965 recommend · 79 mention65 recommend · 7965 recommend
2007–2026The millionaire next door
Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko
Recommended by 91 · mentioned by 15491 recommend · 154 mention91 recommend · 15491 recommend
2007–2026The Intelligent Investor
Benjamin Graham
Recommended by 152 · mentioned by 244152 recommend · 244 mention152 recommend · 244152 recommend
2007–2026How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie
Recommended by 579 · mentioned by 853579 recommend · 853 mention579 recommend · 853579 recommend
Yeah, you just kind of have to have the attitude that you're searching for a diamond in the rough going in. I may buy that one as well. Check out J Paul Getty's How To Be Rich, which is both about how to attain wealth and what to do once you succeed. Pretty awesome really.
on “"How to Get Rich": an anti-self-help book by Felix Dennis” ↗This might be only tangentially related, but I dig "How To Be Rich" by J. Paul Getty. He talks a lot about how he built Getty Oil, and about what's important in business and in life.
on “Best Books For a Startup?” ↗…people who can help themselves, and the first step is often realizing that other people know stuff they don't. How To Win Friends and Influence People is a sterling example of a good self-help book. Also, How To Be Rich by J. Paul Getty sort of changed my life. The main concept was that to become rich, you have to work for yourself. Otherwise someone is essentially taking a cut from the profits of your labor.
on “"How to Get Rich": an anti-self-help book by Felix Dennis” ↗You might enjoy the book "How To Be Rich" by J. Paul Getty; he touches on the subject a little bit.
on “Final Startup School Speaker List (Evan and Biz now coming)” ↗> How to Get Rich, Felix Dennis Great book. Some of the lessons are dated (less than J.P Getty's How To Be Rich), but a great book nonetheless.
on “Running a business with boobs: the things I never say (NSFW)” ↗I read this book a couple of years ago and it wasn't quite what I expected - it was better. Felix drags you in with the "how to be rich" message but actually ends up convincing you that you really don't want to be megarich at all and that there are far more important things in life to focus on or give priority to. He says he'd give anything…
on “If you want to be rich, first stop being so frightened (2006)” ↗Found it. It's from "How to be Rich" which I finished last week (after getting a recommendation from another HN'er -- good book!) (Regarding the May, 1962 Crash) "I told them quite frankly that, while I sympathized wholeheartedly with…
on “Warren Buffett editorial in NYT: Buy American. I Am.” ↗…became rich by 'accident'. 'Oh, I only did what I love to do and woke up one day to find myself wealthy.' That sort of thing. It may have happened. But very rarely in my experience”. From Paul Getty’s How To Be Rich, “Almost without exception, there is only one way to make a great deal of money in the business world–and that is in one’s own business.” And finally, From John D Rockefeller’s Biography, he was initially…
on “Ask HN: Startups – Make Money vs. Change the World” ↗I saw this book when Paul Buchheit shared his amazon history, haven't read it. How to Be Rich by J Paul Getty. Also, read this, http://blogmaverick.com/2006/01/02/my-investment-advice-for-... & this http://blogmaverick.com/2008/10/04/how-to-get-rich/
on “Ask HN: I made $24k over the last month. Now what?” ↗Years ago I read a sort of autobiography by J. Paul Getty, "How To Be Rich." His succinct advice: "Know as many people as you can."
on “Ask HN: Isn't networking usually a waste of time?” ↗…us. Ultimately we choose whether things are getting better or not. I tend to go with Warren Buffett who advocates optimism and says that if it all falls apart it won't matter. I remember reading in "How to Be Rich by J Paul Getty" about how bad things were when getty wrote the book. Ideas which were directly gathered from what the media was reporting. Yet, he knew that things were not that bad and he says so in…
on “Is the world really better than ever?” ↗It’s like reading How to Be Rich by John Paul Getty and concluding you should go exploring for oil.
on “The carpetbagger’s guide to home ownership” ↗