Thank you for purchasing The real secrets to becoming a millionaire (a satire that works). I hope you enjoyed it and it gave you a chuckle. Maybe it also opened your eyes to making and saving money, or putting money to work for you. Whatever the case, I would love to hear all about it at brian@hwb.news (hate mail also welcome if you truly despised what I had to say). I would also appreciate it if you could drop a review (good or bad) on the Amazon page for the book to help spread the word.
If you happened to find this page via Google or social media without reading The real secrets to becoming a millionaire (a satire that works), please feel free to purchase a digital copy on the Amazon Kindle store (it’s cheap) or read it for free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. There’s also a paperback version if you prefer physical media.
Here are the links to all the references in the book, broken down by chapter, as well as links to the other books I recommended reading (and yes, they are affiliate links to Amazon of course).
Recommended Get Rich Book List
No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline
Have it All: The Road Map to Becoming a Self-Made Millionaire
How to Win at the Sport of Business
The Book on Investing In Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat: The BRRRR Rental Property Investment Strategy Made Simple
References
Chapter 1: Be born into wealth
Georgetown study: ‘To succeed in America, it’s better to be born rich than smart’ (Abigail Johnson Hess, May 29, 2019, CNBC.com)
What does it feel like to grow up wealthy? (Quora question)
Chapter 2: Ditch your friends (and family)
Multi-Level Marketing Schemes Are The Friendship Ruiner You Didn’t See Coming (Hatti Rex, June 11, 2020, Refinery29.com)
Chapter 3: Forget about college
How Much Does College Cost? (Lyss Welding, October 4, 2022, BestColleges.com)
Elon Musk says college is ‘basically for fun and not for learning’ (Lauren Aratani, March 10, 2022, The Guardian)
College Dropout Rate [2022] (Melanie Hanson, June 17, 2022, educationdata.org)
Americans Owe $1.75 Trillion in Student Debt (Felix Richter, August 24, 2022, Statista.com)
‘Don’t borrow for college,’ warns Harvard-trained economist—here’s why it’s a ‘waste of money’ and ‘far too risky’ (Laurence J. Kotlikoff, January 25, 2022, CNBC.com)
Chapter 4: Never get married (or have any meaningful relationships)
How Much Does A Divorce Cost In 2022? (Chauncey Crail, July 29, 2022, Forbes.com)
This Was the Average Cost of a Wedding in 2021 (Kim Forrest, February 15, 2022, TheKnot.com)
Here’s how much money the average American spends on dating (Zoya Gervis, September 12, 2019, New York Post)
‘Yes, marry for money’: A top economist shares the surprising financial benefits of marriage (Laurence J. Kotlikoff, February 12, 2022, CNBC.com)
Chapter 5: Don’t even think about having children
Cost of Raising a Child (June Sham, August 4, 2022, Bankrate.com)
Spending Money on Kids: Anger & Guilt (Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC, Empowering Parents)
Opioid Addiction: How Parents Are Cutting Off Their Kids (Kristen Bahler, November 12, 2018, Money.com)
Chapter 6: Pets are out
Your dog costs you more than you think (Annie Nova, August 30, 2018, CNBC.com)
42% Of Pet Owners Can’t Cover A Surprise Vet Bill Amid Inflation (Jason Metz, August 15, 2022, Forbes)
Thinking about adopting a pet? Here’s how much it typically costs to own a dog or cat (Nadine El-Bawab, May 30, 2021, CNBC.com)
9 Things You Should Know Before Adopting a Dog (Starre Vartan, September 19, 2021, TreeHugger.com)
8 Top Reasons Not to Get a Pet (Leonard Tillerman, September 6, 2022, PetHelpful.com)
Rescue Centers Fill Up With Abandoned Pets Amid Cost of Living Crisis (Simona Kitanovska, September 7, 2022, Newsweek)
‘My Dog Burned the House Down’ & Other Tales of Canine Calamity (Dr. Katy Nelson, March 18, 2016, BARK Post).
Chapter 7: Work, work, work and work some more
Affiliate Marketing Salary (ZipRecruiter.com)
Join Rover (Rover.com)
Ultimate Guide to OnlyFans (InfluencerMarketingHub.com)
Mark Cuban’s blog (blogmaverick.com)
Chapter 8: Buy real estate but live in squalor
How HGTV’s Scott McGillivray Started a Real Estate Empire (Part 1) | BiggerPockets Podcast 434 (January 14, 2021, YouTube)
House Hacking: How Financially Savvy People Live in Expensive Markets While Saving Money (David Greene, December 4, 2018, Forbes)
The Ins and Outs of Seller-Financed Real Estate Deals (Amy Fontinelle, November 30, 2021, Investopedia)
Kris Krohn (@kriskrohn) on Instagram
How here.co works (here.co)
7 Reasons Why 90% of Millionaires Are Invested in Real Estate (April 26, 2021, Real Estate Investor Goddesses)
The Pros and Cons of Fractional Ownership (Equity Estates Travel)
Understanding The BRRRR Method Of Real Estate Investment (Lauren Nowacki, November 29, 2022, RocketMortgage.com)
Build Your Real Estate Portfolio with the BRRRR Method (September 25, 2018, Passive Income MD)
Chapter 9: Eat cheap crap
The Average Household Cost of Food in America (Eric Reed, January 25, 2019, TheStreet)
How Much Your Monthly Food Budget Should Be + Grocery Calculator (mint.intuit.com)
68 “Healthy” Foods That Are Terrible for You (Sarah Crow, January 18, 2022, Eat This, Not That!)
5 simple ways I’m saving on groceries while inflation drives up my bill (Jen Glance, August 22, 2022, Business Insider)
Here are the diets of notable tech billionaires, from Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘kill what you eat” routine to Bill Gates’ Diet Coke obsession (Paige Leskin, February 26, 2020 Business Insider)
This person’s budget hack is … not eating? (Maria LaMagna, April 16, 2019, MarketWatch)
Chapter 10: Don’t drive, travel or enjoy anything in life
Depreciation of a Vehicle – How Much Money Will I Lose Buying a New Car? (DriveNation)
What Is the Total Cost of Owning a Car? (Whitney Vandiver and Shannon Bradley, November 22, 2022, NerdWallet)
Suze Orman: One question about your car will show whether you’re good with money (Emmie Martin, November 22, 2017, CNBC.com)
Going Car-Free Could Save $5,914 A Year (Elizabeth Helen Spencer, June 2, 2022, MoneyUnder30.com).
Self-made millionaire: Buying a new car is ‘the single worst financial decision’ (Kathleen Elkins, October 11, 2018, CNBC.com)
Why Traveling Is Often a Colossal Waste of Time and Money (Ronke Babajide, July 8, 2021, Medium)
U.S. time spent watching television 2023 (Julia Stoll, February 14, 2022, Statista.com)
How Much Time Does the Average Person Spend on Social Media? (2012–2022) (Oberlo.ca)
About the Turo car sharing marketplace (Turo.com)
United States: amount spent on coffee per month 2022 (August 22, 2022, Statista.com)
