The Millionaire Mind

Do not go into this book expecting it to be as good as _The Millionaire Next Door_ (which this author co-wrote). It isn't. This book is a mess and isn't even sure what it is about. Feels like everyone was so eager to follow up the smash hit as quickly as possible that they forgot all about editing. There are some interesting (and useful) new tidbits on the habits of those who have accumulated wealth, e.g., what kind of house and neighborhood does the typical millionaire live in, but most of this volume is spent moralizing about the American education system. This is where the book becomes schizo. One the one hand it shows that most of those who have gone on to become millionaires did not do well on standardized tests, and therefore did not go on to grad or pro schools, or even college (except doctors and lawyers, obviously, but most of those aren't millionaires). But then on the other hand it decries those who discourage those students who score poorly on such tests from going on to higher education, e.g., relating the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But I am left asking why this is something to bemoan. The author seems to accept that the tests are fairly accurate predictors of academic performance, so if future millionaires don't and won't do well in these settings (for whatever reasons), why not let them go and do what they do best (and better than most) as quickly as possible? And as for MLK, why is he in this book? Did he become a millionaire? Save your money (better yet, invest it in a good mutual), and go check the first book out from the library and read it again.

Once, while listening to Monday Night Football, I heard the announcer state that a certain team was in trouble because "only 50%" of teams in that situation had ever recovered from such a point deficit/yard loss/injury etc. Such statistics are nonsense because the announcer could have just as easily said that the team had a great shot because a full 50% of teams in the same situation had turned things around.

Dr. Stanely does the same here. He takes a statistic and shoves it at you without telling the whole story. On several occassions he spoke of how a percentage of his survey takers reported activity X was important to their success. The percentage would be less than 50%. Dr. Stanley, however, would not bother to explain how the majority accomplished their success without performing activity X.

Dr. Stanley also contradicts himself at many points in the book. In one chapter, he explains that integrity is absolutely key to success. If you want to be a millionaire in one generation, you should make it a point to be honest with everyone. A chapter later, Dr. Stanley holds up a man as an example of the type of success he's talking about. This man beat the odds by becoming a top executive in the carpet business without having completed college, let alone graduating from a top ranked school. How did he do it? Dr. Stanley makes a point of the fact that the man had a special gift for sales. He also mentions, hurriedly and in passing, that the man LIED to his company about his education level. He informed this company on his application and in his interview that he was a college graduate. Hardly a man of integrity but undoubtedly successful. Dr. Stanley does not elaborate how one example reconciles with the other.

This book was a waste of time. Nothing is here that isn't common sense (work hard, love your job, invest wisely) or that isn't contradicted later (be honest, unless it pays to lie). Give this one a pass.

I have listened to this audio and enjoyed it a lot. I will pre-warn other listeners that a lot of numbers are given in this volume and it may be more helpful to have a paper copy at hand. The statistics are given throughout and this can sometimes be confusing. I advise other listeners to slow down their thinking and really listen to the words. Don't multi-task while listening to this tome, you'll miss the good stuff.

Multi-millionaires don't spend their money, they save it. They look for opportunities to get more for their dollar than just trying to appear rich.
The number of multi-millionaires that have been in their homes for just a few short years are very few, most have lived in the same place for 10+ years. Being wealthy isn't about how much a person paid for their car, but about which car to drive for an over-all cost per mile.

A good book to make a person think. If the statistics bother you, pick up a paper copy to read along.

I was very impressed with this book. At first, I too was somewhat skeptical, thinking it might be another one of those gee-whiz books. However, Dr. Stanley did his research and in eloquent language, blows the cover on the wealth myth. So many people in America are either trying to be the Jones or catch up with them, that we are spending our way to poverty and financial bondage. Stanley sheds important light on the truth about wealth and those who know how to acquire it and keep it. I recommend this book to anyone that is serious about true prosperity.

In my humble opinion this book is horrible!
It does shed some light into the misconceptions about building wealth, but it also drones on and on, repeatedly reporting on compiled data, and statistics.
He also seems to report on the same data sets over, and over and over yet again.
Honestly, if you enjoy quarterly reports and statistics, this book may be tolerable.
Otherwise prepare yourself for a 12 hour report on virtually every conceivable statistic relating to the personal lives of millionaires.

This work should have been compiled as one large spreadsheet and marketed as such.

This book is awesome. Helps remind people who seek wealth, that they can still be themselves!

There are a pure facts gathered from a lot of real people which shed light on who millionaire is and how you and I can mimic them and be wealthy

The millionarie next door

Actual facts about preferred millionaires activities

The real face of Millionaries

It offers some pretty good advise, but I found it often repeated itself over and over. Not like a record skipping. Same information/advise was given in different manners.

I am on my third time listening to this book it is packed full of great insights.

Stanley does a great job of debunking many myths about the wealthy.

This narrator has a great voice, never rushes he adds a lot to the book.

Some of the myths surrounding the wealthy are pretty funny. One example is that they only use luxury goods... I like how he refers to many adult toys as artifacts.

The millionaires mind and the millionaire next door are fantastic personal-finance books. They are different from most that treat their audiences like they are dumb or have terrible credit.... This is a rare business book there are many great insights and it is well-written!

Dr. Stanly does a great job of getting into the mind of the millionaire. He uses stories and statistics to present his findings. It is amazing how off most peoples view of how millionaires act. This is a must read for anyone that wants to become truly financials independent in one generation.