How to Get Rich

by J.D. Roth

How to Get Rich is a hyperlinked textbook of personal finance. The info here is 100% accurate and effective, to the best of my knowledge.If you spot an error, contact me. These are the actual steps that everyday people take to get rich — slowly.

We all know there's no sure-fire way to get rich quickly. Anyone who claims otherwise is a faker or a fool. There is, however, a proven path to build wealth slowly — over the course of years and decades. The articles here document that proven path so that anyone can follow it. Nothing here is illegal or immoral or shady.

While these articles are designed to be read in order, it's also fine to simply pick and choose those that most interest you. Because this is currently a work in progress, not every article has been published yet. If there's no link to a piece, it isn't ready to be read.

Introduction

About J.D. Roth and Get Rich Slowly • Thoughts on Systemic Poverty, Fault, and Responsibility

Coming to Terms

Escaping the Matrix • What Does It Mean to Be Rich? • How to Get Rich: The Short Version • What Is Retirement? • What Is Financial Independence? • Your Money Blueprint

The Power of Purpose

Planning to Succeed • What You Can Control (and What You Can't) • Controlling Your Destiny • The Search for Meaning • Questioning Everything • Your Personal Mission Statement • Wealth Is a Side Effect

The Power of Profit

Lifetime Earnings • Net Worth • Lifetime Wealth Ratio • Personal Profit • Profit Margin • The Simple Math of Getting Rich • Profit Is Power

Spending Less

Spend Less, Live More • The Real Millionaire Next Door • The Magic of Thinking Big • How to Spend Less on Transportation • A Brief History of Housing in the U.S. • How to Spend Less on Housing • How to Spend Less on Food • How to Spend Less on Entertainment • Opportunity Costs and Mindful Spending • What If You Can't Spend Less?

Earning More

You Can't Get Rich by Cutting Costs Alone • The More You Learn, the More You Earn • Work More, Work Better • Selling Yourself • You Are 100% Responsible for Your Income

Your Wealth Snowball

The Extraordinary Power of Compounding • The Debt Snowball • The Wealth Snowball • The Road to Financial Freedom

Investing Wisely

Inflation Is the Silent Enemy of Wealth • The Get Rich Slowly Investment Philosophy • Rule #1: Get Started • Rule #2: Think Long-Term • Rule #3: Spread the Risk • Rule #4: Keep Costs Low • Rule #5: Keep It Simple • Rule #6: Make It Automatic • Rule #7: Ignore the Noise • Rule #8: Conduct an Annual Review • The Get Rich Slowly Investment Strategy • Brief Thoughts on Alternative Investments

How Much Is Enough?

A Brief History of Financial Independence • Life Expectancy • How Much Will You Spend in Retirement? • Sustainable Withdrawal Rates • Problems with the Four-Percent Rule • How to Know If You're Rich

Barriers to Becoming Rich

Re-Drawing Your Money Blueprint • Start Where You Are • The Sunk-Cost Fallacy • The Long Middle • America's Love-Hate Relationship with Wealth • Facing and Fighting Financial Trolls • The Optimization Trap • Big Ugly Events • "One More Year" Syndrome

Living a Rich Life

Money and Happiness • The Fog of Work • Physical Fitness Improves Financial Fitness • What's the Best Use of Your Time? • Giving Back, Helping Others • Building a Rich Life

Be Your Own CFO

These articles will be drawn from the Unconventional Guide that I produced for Chris Guillebeau. They'll be the pieces on managing your life like a business.

Your Money: The Missing Manual

We'll also need one or more sections that expand the material from Your Money: The Missing Manual. The first chapter on happiness should get its own section. Other chapters may or may not end up here. (And some may end up in the Money Toolbox.

Further Reading

Finally, we need a section for Hall of Fame articles from the GRS blog that don't otherwise slot into any of the sections above. These might include things like "The Thing Green Line" and/or my piece on politics and personal finance.

The above articles include everything you need to know about how to get rich. That said, I've written thousands of other pieces here at Get Rich Slowly since I started the site in 2006. Here are some of the best.

The Get Rich Slowly Philosophy

During the 15+ years I've been running this site, I've developed a financial philosophy built out of a set of core tenets. Here are those beliefs:

  1. You Are the Boss of You
  2. Nobody Cares More About Your Money Than You Do
  3. It's Always Best to Be Proactive
  4. The Road to Wealth Is Paved with Goals
  5. Profit Is Power
  6. Saving Must Be a Priority
  7. Small Amounts Matter
  8. Large Amounts Matter More
  9. You Are 100% Responsible for Your Income
  10. Slow and Steady Wins the Race
  11. The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good
  12. Action Is the Cornerstone of Success
  13. It's Okay to Make Mistakes
  14. Smart Money Management Is More about Mindset Than It Is about Math
  15. You Can Have Anything You Want, but You Can't Have Everything You Want
  16. Financial Balance Allows You to Enjoy Tomorrow and Today
  17. It's More Important to Be Happy Than It Is to Be Rich
  18. Do What Works For You

Get Rich Slowly also contains other areas that might be of interest to you. We maintain a section of money resources, for instance, as well as a frequently-updated blog of recent money news and ideas.

© 2021 J.D. Roth