Rating: 
Summary: An Old Book with a Fair Amount of Wisdom
Review: I often give this book out as a gift whenever a person younger than me asks for my advice on money. I always present this book to them saying "if you read it and do as it says, it will work magic." It really contains excellent, time tested advice, and would make a good gift for someone in their early 20s who is on their own for the first time, and struggling. The book is a series of parables about money written in the 1920s by George Clason. They were written as individual essays of a few thousand words, but the theme throughout them is consistent -- save 10% of your money, give 10% away, use 10% to reduce your debt load, and live on the remaining 70%. The stories in the book are entertaining; they are reminiscent of some of the parables in the Bible, such as the Prodigal Son or the story of the Workers in the Vineyard. I think this is intentional on the part of the author; certainly readers in the 1920s had an appreciation for "old fashioned stories with a moral" that people today seem to have lost. I enjoy the book greatly, though, and any thoughtful person who reads the book should find it interesting, especially if they are trying to get their finances in order.
Rating: 
Summary: The Richest Book On Shelves
Review: The Richest Books On Shelves In George S. Clason's "The Richest Man in Babylon," vital ancient secrets are told on how to get rich. This book represents the valuable information in a series of stories, which in turn make the book more interesting and easier to follow. As an example, one of the most useful tactics about money in this book is "The Seven Curses for a Lean Purse" (22). These seven curses become more evident to one once read through their daily lives, as they are not so common sense traps that everyone falls into.
Along with the great secrets and stories, is the choice of words presented in the text. A clever mix of modern English and biblical style make the book an easier read while adding onto the stories. On a scale from 1-10, this book would definitely receive an 8 if not better, due to its secrets told and guidelines presented in it such as "The Seven Curses for a Lean Purse" (22) and "The Five Laws of Gold" (57). If one liked "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert T. Kiyosaki or other books similar to it, one will enjoy this book. Once taught and told the secrets of this book, one's financial ways will differ and improve. Recommendations for this book go out to anyone and everyone who wants to get out of financial debt, and learn more about how to manage their money.
Rating:
Summary: Valid in 1926, valid in Babylonian times, valid today!
Review: George Clason makes use of a Babylonian metaphor to tell a tale that could very well have been valid back 5000 years ago, as well as in 1926 (when the book was written) and today. Having read a few of the books of the "Rich Dad" series, I can't avoid thinking that a lot of the ideas in those books most likely came out of this one. Here is a brief summary of what this title has to offer: -Save 10 percent of what you earn, regardless.
-Control your expenses.
-Make your money multiply (work for you).
-Invest wisely and look for the advice of wise persons.
-Own your home.
-Make sure you have provisions for when the time to retire comes.
-Countinue to learn about how to make money. The book really comes down to these few learnings, which by no means is little. In fact, the way the story is told, it's very easy to grasp, and very likely you will feel identified with several of the characters throughout it. It's such an inexpensive book and such a quick read that it's a crime not to read it. It will pay off for itself millions of times... hopefully.
Rating:
Summary: Even better the fifth time around!
Review: I first heard about this book 17 years ago. At that time, I was in a direct sales company and had the good fortune to attend a seminar conducted by a businessman named Jim Rohn. Mr. Rohn talked about his early mentor, a man named Earl Schoff and went on to tell us how Mr. Schoff turned him on to personal development and pointed him to the right books to read. One of the most important books, said Rohn was The Richest Man in Bablyon. Rohn had made and lost a fortune but came back and made another fortune and gave credit to the principles in The Richest Man in Bablyon for helping him accomplish that feat. I read The Richest Man in Bablyon and have to admit, I hated it! I thought it was stupid, like feel good stuff that has no substance. When ever friends came over, I hid the book. I felt so ridiculous. But Mr. Rohns words of wisdom kept echeoing in my mind. So I read it over and over untill the principles were imbedded into my conscious and subconsious mind. Soon, after the fifth reading, the the principles became habits for me. My wealth esculated at a very rapid rate. I was no longer wasting money. I was now investing the first 10% of my income, tithing 10% and investing another 10% in capital like no load mutuals, real estate, discounted mortgages, tax liens and my own business. The Richest Man in Bablyon has 7 basic principles: 1) Start thy purse to fattening - save/invest
2) Control thy expenditures - watch out for self serving brokers
3) Make thy gold mutiply - use powerful investments
4) Guard thy treasures from loss - watch out for brokers with
their hot tips.
5) Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment - rental properties, your own home---but stay within your means.
6) Insure a future income - do work that you love to do. Become excellent at it.
7) Increase thy ability to earn - education never stops. Keep reading good books like this one, The Millionaire Next Door, Rich Dad Poor Dad and so on. The Richest Man in Bablyon is an excellent book. Although only 145 pages, it is packed with powerful information that can be life changing. It has helped some people like Jim Rohn and others become millionaires. George Samuel Clason was born in Louisiana, Missouri, on November 7, 1874. He attended the University of Nebraska and served in the United States Army during the Spanish-American War. Beginning a long career in publishing, he founded the Clason Map Company of Denver, Colorado and published the first road atlas of the United States and Canada. In 1926, he issued the first in a series of pamphlets on thrift and financial success, using parables set in ancient Bablyon to make each of his points. These were distributed in large quantities by banks and insurance companies and became familiar to millions, the most famous being "The Richest Man in Bablyon," the parable which has impacted the lives of millions of people. These "Babylonian Parables" have become a modern inspiritional classic. The Richest Man in Babylon is must reading for anyone who wants to achieve maximum financial success. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Storytelling put to good use
Review: The parables in this story are meant to bring some basic principles of financial planning to life through the use of stories, using the wealth of ancient Babylon as a backdrop. The advice itself is all still sound today, which is remarkable, given the book's age. This would be a wonderful book for anyone who needs to learn some of the basic lessons of earning, saving, and spending money (or needs to be reminded of them!), but doesn't respond well to dry manuals. It's a natural choice for kids who are just starting to discover the pleasures and dangers of money; at that age, books can have a big impact of values! Don't look to this book to give you advanced financial planning information or directions on how to start a Roth IRA. If you're a financial whiz, you've probably already mastered many of these principles. Still, this book is considered a classic, and if you're not familiar with it, you may want to check it out from the library for a quick read, even if the content won't be new.
Rating:
Summary: An Old Book with a Fair Amount of Wisdom
Review: I often give this book out as a gift whenever a person younger than me asks for my advice on money. I always present this book to them saying "if you read it and do as it says, it will work magic." It really contains excellent, time tested advice, and would make a good gift for someone in their early 20s who is on their own for the first time, and struggling. The book is a series of parables about money written in the 1920s by George Clason. They were written as individual essays of a few thousand words, but the theme throughout them is consistent -- save 10% of your money, give 10% away, use 10% to reduce your debt load, and live on the remaining 70%. The stories in the book are entertaining; they are reminiscent of some of the parables in the Bible, such as the Prodigal Son or the story of the Workers in the Vineyard. I think this is intentional on the part of the author; certainly readers in the 1920s had an appreciation for "old fashioned stories with a moral" that people today seem to have lost. I enjoy the book greatly, though, and any thoughtful person who reads the book should find it interesting, especially if they are trying to get their finances in order.
Rating: 
Summary: Chicken Soup for the Thrifty
Review: Not a fan of self help or investment books, I put this off for far too long under the assumption that it would be a dry and boring self help book on how to become rich easily (sort of like losing lots of weight really fast). It was not what I expected. The stories are parabolic so the fiction is not like picking up something by Clancy or Updike but they are entertaining and not painful in the least. The strategies suggested for increasing your wealth make sense and are so simple that they seem self evident but it is often the simple things that we overlook. Save one tenth of what you make, make your money earn more money, be careful who you trust, etc. For the average person, this is not a guide to getting rich, but I believe it is a good guide to becoming and staying solvent at least. This is not going to get into any methods, just offer a mindset.
Rating:
Summary: A profound impact
Review: First, the writing style of this book is somewhat dated. It's told from an ancient Babylon perspective for the most part, while the wording is reminiscent of the King James Bible. This might be offsetting to some people, but that shouldn't stop you from reading it. The content inside is worth a million times the price you pay for the book. For those of you who are already well-off, you will have minimal gains by reading the book, but for the people who live paycheck-to-paycheck, and have trouble accounting for where their money went at the end of the money, this is your book. The prinicples outlined in the book will serve you well in starting to, and continuing to build wealth. The only thing you have to bring to the table is a willingness to apply the knowledge gained from the reading experience
Rating:
Summary: Save and invest -- shrewd insight?
Review: The most important "success secret of the ancients" I think is revealed on page 25: "I found the road to wealth when I decided that a part of all I earned was mine to keep." So to start getting rich you have to save, but how much? The "First Law of Gold" has the answer: "...not less than one-tenth of his earnings..." The book's basic message in plain language is: If you want to be wealthy, save and invest at least 10% of your income. If you are already following this message this book won't help you. But if thinking of saving and investing as "ancient secrets" and "Laws of Gold" is what it takes to get you motivated to save then this book is for you. I deducted one star because one-tenth is not aggressive enough. The "First Law if Gold" should be at least 15%. There are signs that inflation after a long absence is on the way back.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: I wish I had read this when I was 18 intead of when I was 30. I read this several years ago and have been paying myself first ever since. I can't wait to read this to my daughters as a bedtime story when they are old enough.
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