The best book to start with if you want to get rich is The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason, followed by Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Millionaire Fastlane. This list covers 15 entries (18 titles) on building wealth through business, investing and sales, as of October 2026.
We read many books a year and boiled them down to the ones that changed how we act. You will not find The Secret or Think and Grow Rich here, because this list is about creating wealth through action, not attracting it.
| Rank | Book | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Richest Man in Babylon | George S. Clason |
| 2 | Rich Dad Poor Dad | Robert Kiyosaki |
| 3 | The Millionaire Fastlane | MJ DeMarco |
| 4 | Money: Master the Game and Unshakable | Tony Robbins |
| 5 | The Intelligent Investor | Benjamin Graham |
| 6 | Principles | Ray Dalio |
| 7 | The 4-Hour Work Week | Tim Ferriss |
| 8 | Zero to One | Peter Thiel |
| 9 | The Parable of the Pipeline | Burke Hedges |
| 10 | How to Win Friends and Influence People | Dale Carnegie |
| 11 | The E-Myth Revisited | Michael E. Gerber |
| 12 | The Lean Startup | Eric Ries |
| 13 | Influence and Never Split the Difference | Robert Cialdini and Chris Voss |
| 14 | Start with Why | Simon Sinek |
| 15 | The 48 Laws of Power and The Art of War | Robert Greene and Sun Tzu |
1. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
When our brother-in-law asked where to start his financial education, this was the first book we handed him. Clason’s parables about a scribe in ancient Babylon date to 1926, and they still cover the basics better than most modern guides: pay yourself first, live on less than you earn, put money to work.
It is short and easy to finish in a weekend. If you are at the beginning, start here. Aluxers who sign up for the first time at alux.com/freebook can claim an audiobook, including this one.
2. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Published in 1997, this was the third finance book we ever read, and it changed how we thought about money. Growing up with little, the story of two father figures with opposite attitudes to money hit differently, and it pushed us toward cash-flowing property and business ownership.
People ask us how to build lasting wealth all the time, and this is the book we mention first, because it is easy to digest. Think of it as a mindset reset rather than a manual.
3. The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco
Less famous than the first two, but it moved our focus more than either. DeMarco, who published the book in 2011, argues that salary-and-index-fund saving is a slow road, and that starting a business with real upside is the faster one. For us that business was Alux.
You do not need a million-dollar rental portfolio to follow it. You do need hunger and the willingness to throw yourself at a project, so it suits people who are ready to build, not people who want a safe plan.
4. Money Master the Game and Unshakable by Tony Robbins
We treat these two as one book. Money: Master the Game (2014) walks through how ordinary savers can build wealth with step-by-step plans built on interviews with famous investors, and Unshakable (2017) follows up with how to hold your nerve when markets drop.
For anyone who does not want to start a business, this pair is the most practical route to long-term investing. We read it and shifted a large part of our own extra savings into index funds.
5. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
Warren Buffett has called it the best book about investing ever written, and since 1949 it has been the starting point for value investing. Graham teaches you to read a company’s financials and decide whether its price makes sense.
The method is slow and dull, which is part of why it works. If you plan to buy individual stocks, read this before you place a single order.
6. Principles by Ray Dalio
Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates in 1975 and built it into one of the world’s largest hedge funds. Principles (2017) is his rulebook for decisions in work and money, and it is blunt about how many of his own early calls went wrong.
You will not agree with every rule, which is fine. The value is in watching someone who manages money for the very rich explain how he thinks.
7. The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
Everyone at Alux has worked remotely by choice from day one, and this 2007 book is why we believed it could work. Ferriss lays out automation and outsourcing for someone building a business from anywhere.
We work far more than four hours, of course. But we used his ideas to move faster, and not having to pay for an office meant we could pay people better and hire from anywhere. It suits freelancers who want to grow into a company.
8. Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Thiel co-founded PayPal and was an early investor in several of the biggest tech companies. In Zero to One (2014, with Blake Masters), he argues that the best startups create something new rather than copying what already works.
It is short, sharp and a good place to start if you want to build something that does not exist yet.
9. The Parable of the Pipeline by Burke Hedges
The smallest book on the list, at under 125 pages, and the one we have given away more than 100 times to friends who do not read much. A slow reader finishes it in about three hours, and the lesson sits inside an easy story.
We will not spoil the plot. Something clicks halfway through about the difference between earning money once and building something that pays you again and again. It came out in 2000 and never got the attention of the bigger names.
10. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Carnegie published this in 1936, and tools have changed a lot since then, but people still respond to trust, interest and a clear sense that you care what they say. We think it is his best work.
Even if you never run a business, the habits it teaches will help you get ahead through how you talk to people.
11. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
Plenty of you daydream about quitting your job and being your own boss. This 1995 book is the cold shower: Gerber describes how many small business owners end up working harder than they did as employees, because the business depends entirely on them.
We have read it several times and each time spot something to fix. His best-known line says it all: if your business depends on you, you don’t have a business, you have a job.
12. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
After Gerber tells you what to avoid, Ries (2011) gives you a method for building: test small, learn fast and change course before you spend all your money. Many startup teams still use its vocabulary.
If you want a plan for turning an idea into a company without burning your savings, start here.
13. Influence by Robert Cialdini and Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
Two authors, one skill: selling. Cialdini’s Influence (1984) covers the psychology of why people say yes, and Voss’s Never Split the Difference (2016) comes from a former FBI hostage negotiator and covers how to negotiate.
Anyone running a business or aiming for a high-paying job needs both. They will help you more than any motivational video or webinar, and if you cannot sell, you will struggle to eat.
14. Start with Why by Simon Sinek
You may know the TED talk. The 2009 book expands it into a case that companies win by being clear about why they exist, as well as what they sell, using Apple as the main example.
Small shifts in how you describe your company add up to large results over time.
15. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Greene’s 1998 collection of historical examples and Sun Tzu’s ancient military text close the list. Together they give you the strategic thinking behind business and office politics.
Wherever you are in your financial life, you will find at least one idea that tips things in your favor.
The 15 entries add up to 18 books, and we think they are the most valuable we have found for building and keeping wealth. How many have you read, Aluxers?
FAQ
What is the best book to read first if I want to get rich?
We recommend The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. It is short, was first published in 1926 and covers the basics of saving, investing and paying yourself first.
Which book is best for starting a business?
The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco, followed by The E-Myth Revisited and The Lean Startup. Together they cover why to build, what to avoid and how to test an idea.
Which book is best for investing in the stock market?
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, first published in 1949, is the classic on value investing. For index funds, Tony Robbins’s Money: Master the Game and Unshakable are friendlier.
What is the shortest book on this list?
The Parable of the Pipeline by Burke Hedges runs under 125 pages and can be read in about three hours.
Which books teach sales and negotiation?
Influence by Robert Cialdini covers why people say yes, and Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss covers negotiating.
Do these books guarantee wealth?
No. They offer ideas and frameworks, and results depend on what you do with them. We chose books about creating wealth through action, not about attracting it.
How we put this list together
We picked books we read and use ourselves, favoring titles about acting on money and business rather than wishing for it. Publication years and author details were checked against publisher information.
Last updated: October 2026.
