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Rating: 
Summary: Well written, but appeals to very few people
Review: I had a difficult time with this book. I found the writing to be exceptional and the documentation to be very good as well. The problem I have with the book is that I fail to see how anyone other than a few extraordinary business people can find any use for the information contained in this book. I found the ideas to be sound, but let's be realistic. How many people reading this book are really going become billionaires? You're not going to do it by simply investing in the stock market as the author points out. There's really no other way than to start a business, dominate your market and go from there.I would classify this book more as a book of profiles of billionaires. It mentions Bill Gates, Sam Walton, John D. Rockefeller and other living and dead billionaires. I found many of the stories interesting, but the title of the book kept throwing me off. According to the title, this book is supposed to tell me how to be a billionaire. I suppose by following the information contained in this book, that might very well happen. Then again, I'll never get married and have kids as a result. Not much to look forward to if you ask me. I don't recommend this book to the average lay person at all. I do recommend this book to entrepreneurs and business owners. I found some useful information in here, particularly in Chapter 5 about dominating your market. The problem I have is that the two examples offered in this chapter are Bill Gates and John D. Rockefeller. Whenever I think of these guys, I think of my computer crashing and high gas prices. If you're a serious entrepreneur, you will probably find some information in here you can use or at least some inspiration. It's not written for the lay person. It's pretty heavy stuff, but if you read through it, you might find something useful. I'm giving this book only 2 stars because it really doesn't appeal to a large segment of the population. Unless you're a big fan of big business, you won't find it interesting at all. The author is obviously very intelligent and the book is impeccably researched. As a business owner all of my short life, I found some good stuff in here but not a lot. If you're looking to become a billionaire, by all means read this book, but for me, I would rather have a life.
Rating: 
Summary: A bold book. Strategies. Principles. Lives of Billionaires.
Review: Imagine having the courage to write a book that is aimed at budding entrepreneurs who want to be billionaires. Millionaires, sure. But billionaires? How many of us would be willing to even discuss with our friends the thought of giving it a shot by taking a systematic approach to making billions? It is fascinating that someone would seriously spend that much time researching the strategies that were purportedly used by billionaires like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Ross Perot, etc. Even more amazing that they would write a book about it. That alone convinced me to buy the book. Okay, I also got it during the after-christmas sale at amazon.com for 70% off, but frugality is one of the key principles followed by the billionaires. When you start reading the book, you realize that the author is very serious about teaching you how to be a billionaire if that is your goal. The book follows this format - the first chapter which is 28 pages long is definitely worth reading multiple times. It introduces the concept of 'Overcoming the Levelers' which in this day and age are the 'Menace of Competition' and the 'Obstacle of Social Conventions' and some ideas to overcome these. This chapter also talks about the obvious and not so obvious paths that have NOT been taken by billionaires, like 'playing the stock market' or 'salary'. The different key principles shared by the billionaires along with some of the strategies they followed are briefly described. Most importantly, this chapter provides some very deep insights into how these very successful people did it. The rest of the book goes into the 9 different strategies that were employed by the billionaires in reaching their current position. This is a fascinating journey into the details of how they became so successful. There are also a couple of important chapters on choosing the right industry and some tidbits for the readers who are putting their own plans together. For those of us who spend a lot of time staying on top of the world financial news and trying to figure out how certain mergers end up in 'the whole is more than the sum of the parts' situation will find this book a treat. There are examples of these mergers where the author explains the theories behind high stock valuations. And it is all a very easy read. I have been unsuccessfully tyring to figure this out on and off for about 3 years and this book helped me understand this concept in just a few minutes. As the authors rightly point out, a lot of people on the planet are very interested in making enormous sums of money - as witnessed by the popularity of state lotteries across the country and the world. Of course, most of us don't aspire to actually make this the central focus of our lives (lottery addicts excluded) for good reasons - lack of information on how to do it being the number 1 reason. There may be more certainty in taking the path to become a sports star, movie star or earn a doctorate than in making enormous sums of money. It just isn't clear how one can do it. That is obviously why there are so few billionaires in the world. But this book is a fascinating read that can help you decide whether to really pursue this dream or set less lofty goals (like making enough money for a comfortable retirement) and stop trying to convince your spouse that you are going to become a billionaire some day, if only the economy would turn around or if only someone would give you a chance or if only ... This book has been helping me set clearer targets for myself by coming to terms with the fact that it is an almost impossible task to make that kind of money from nothing. Instead, it has helped me define a path and set a goal that is in tune with my own capabilities. Get a copy of this book and read it cover to cover if spend more than 2 hours a week talking to friends about making a lot of money. I wish you the best of luck with this very important pursuit!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book....How timely!
Review: Nowadays being a millionaire is much like being well dressed at the prom: "you look good but you're not really special." Billionaires however have attained a level of wealth that truly sets them apart. "How to be a Billionaire" recognizes this and masterfully tells the story of today's most famous titans of wealth such as Bill Gates, Ross Perot and older money like H.L. Hunt and John D. Rockfeller. The Book is organized along priniciples such as "Copy don't Innovate" and utilizes the highly specific examples of wealthy industrialists like Gates to clearly explain these kernels of wisdom. Great Book. Read Think and Grow Rich if you want motivation and to feel empowered. But if you want to make "Billions" read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: It won't hurt investing time reading this book
Review: The biography's rehashed what many of us already know about the most well known Billionaires and how they built their fortunes, but the author does extract some key points that are supposed to help you get started on your own path, and helps you realize one doesn't haven't to be a genius since there's Sam Walton who basically copied the best of the competition and Ross Perot who just figured a better way of doing something than IBM; something within reach of most of our ablities. This books seems to me better for those who already own some type of medium size company who can readily apply some of the basic billionaire advice and start growing it bigger, however, for those like me whom don't have that vantage, it inspires us to seek a business that has larger growth potential (unless you're using it for a way to learn about business, such as Ross Perot and his successful paper route), but that can be one large step that this book glosses over. Still a good book that will help you destroy some myths, build your confidence in tackling those who say you can't, and most of all show that it is possible to become a Billionaire using simple techniques explained in the book, and don't require large amounts of brilliance.
Rating:
Summary: An Armor-Piercing Shell, Not A New-Age Psychobabble
Review: This book is an extremely good starting point if you would like to reach the top ranks in net worth. It is not a simple collection of celebrity biographies of Wealthy 100. This is a complete spectrum of business strategies of billionaires -- H.L. Hunt, Ross Perot, Sam Walton, John D. Rockefeller, Bill Gates, Paul Getty, and Warren Buffet just to name a few. Mr. Fridson explores the histories the ultra-successful as actions of extraordinary businessmen operating in the ordinary economy. Mr. Fridson is a Merrill Lynch Managing Director. An important caution for the individuals in the investment field: author points out and proves that to accumulate billions just by investments is not possible. He proves that to achieve billions in the investment field, one must acquire a substantial stake in a company and control the management and the direction of the company as a whole. This is precisely what Warren Buffet has accomplished, in despite of the common myth that he is just an investor. If you have intention to try to get billions for the first step read this book. This is a must.
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