Why am I passionate about this?

William D. Danko, Ph.D. has studied wealth formation since 1973. He is the co-author of The Millionaire Next Door, a research-based book about wealth in America that has been ranked as a bestseller by The New York Times for more than three years. More recently, he co-authored Richer Than A Millionaire ~ A Pathway To True Prosperity, a book that shows how to build wealth with a greater purpose in mind. Dr. Danko resides in upstate New York with his wife, and is the father of three, and the grandfather of five.


I wrote

Richer Than A Millionaire: A Pathway to True Prosperity

By William D. Danko,

Book cover of Richer Than A Millionaire: A Pathway to True Prosperity

What is my book about?

Richer Than a Millionaire: A Pathway to True Prosperity was inspired by the thousands of students we taught over our…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Richest Man In Babylon

William D. Danko Why did I love this book?

This book is a short parable that is called the most inspiring book on wealth ever written. Quite a claim, but it does show that the laws for wealth building applicable 6,000 years ago hold true today.

By George S. Clason,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Richest Man In Babylon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Richest Man in Babylon, based on “Babylonian parables”, has been hailed as the greatest of all inspirational works on the subject of thrift, financial planning, and personal wealth.  In simple language, these fascinating and informative stories set you on a sure path to prosperity and its accompanying joys.  A celebrated bestseller, it offers an understanding and a solution to your personal financial problem.  Revealed inside are the secrets to acquiring money, keeping money, and making money earn more money.

This original edition has the original language, content, and message from George S. Clason as intended in 1926.  It's all…


Book cover of Think and Grow Rich

William D. Danko Why did I love this book?

The success of Andrew Carnegie inspired Napoleon Hill to write this book. Particularly useful is the section of 55 famous alibis by old man "IF". If I had more time, if I had money, if I lived in a big city, if I were not fat….. These ghosts of fear can be destroyed by studying Hill’s book. This book will also show you how to develop persistence, and how to surround yourself with wise people.

By Napoleon Hill,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Think and Grow Rich as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is one of the bestselling motivational books of all-time. Inspired by a suggestion from industrialist Andrew Carnegie, Hill explains the philosophy that helped the wealthiest and most accomplished members of society succeed.


Book cover of A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing

William D. Danko Why did I love this book?

Princeton economics emeritus professor Burton G. Malkiel’s book is updated periodically. With thousands of sources for investment advice available to all of us, it is easy to get confused. The good professor lays out a plan for managing a diversified set of investments over a lifetime, paying particular attention to risk tolerance. This could be the only investment guide you need to grow and protect your wealth.

By Burton G. Malkiel,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked A Random Walk Down Wall Street as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Today's stock market is not for the faint hearted. At a time of frightening volatility, the answer is to turn to Burton G. Malkiel's advice in his reassuring, authoritative, gimmick-free and perennially best-selling guide to investing. Long established as the first book to purchase before starting a portfolio, A Random Walk Down Wall Street now features new material on "tax-loss harvesting"; the current bitcoin bubble and automated investment advisers; as well as a brand-new chapter on factor investing and risk parity. And as always, Malkiel's core insights-on stocks and bonds, as well as investment trusts, home ownership and tangible assets…


Book cover of Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth about Compassionate Conservatism

William D. Danko Why did I love this book?

It is personally rewarding to donate your time as a volunteer, no matter what your financial wealth is. But money certainly helps to fund causes in this material world. Brooks’ book shows that compassionate conservatism is an important driving force in America. He shows through extensive survey work that giving money to charity speaks louder than just talking about caring. He argues successfully, that those who are charitable improve life for all of us, and the selfish make us all worse off. Clearly, money can help you achieve true prosperity by helping others with it.

By Arthur C. Brooks,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Who Really Cares as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

We all know we should give to charity, but who really does? In his controversial study of America's giving habits, Arthur C. Brooks shatters stereotypes about charity in America-including the myth that the political Left is more compassionate than the Right. Brooks, a preeminent public policy expert, spent years researching giving trends in America, and even he was surprised by what he found. In Who Really Cares , he identifies the forces behind American charity: strong families, church attendance, earning one's own income (as opposed to receiving welfare), and the belief that individuals-not government-offer the best solution to social ills.…


Book cover of Free to Choose: A Personal Statement

William D. Danko Why did I love this book?

To build wealth, we need an environment that allows for unequal outcomes. The Friedmans argue that using societal or governmental force in the name of equality will destroy the environment where we are free to choose how wealth is grown. In their words: Freedom “preserves the opportunity for today's disadvantaged to become tomorrow's privileged and, in the process, enables almost everyone, from top to bottom, to enjoy a fuller and richer life.” Let the market determine the outcome. Bad ideas will wither away, and good ideas will thrive.

By Milton Friedman, Rose Friedman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Free to Choose as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Argues that free-market forces work better than government controls for achieving real equality and security, protecting consumers and workers, providing education, and avoiding inflation and unemployment.


Explore my book 😀

Richer Than A Millionaire: A Pathway to True Prosperity

By William D. Danko,

Book cover of Richer Than A Millionaire: A Pathway to True Prosperity

What is my book about?

Richer Than a Millionaire: A Pathway to True Prosperity was inspired by the thousands of students we taught over our careers. We found that many young people are clueless about their direction in life. Yes, they want a career, and yes, they want a good life, but knowing what to do is to many quite a challenge. Some say they want to be rich, but they really don't know what that means. In a sense, to paraphrase the Italian Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci, many are like ships on the high seas of life without rudders! They have tremendous potential but no direction.

In our book, we hope to inspire and to point all people (but especially young adults and concerned parents and grandparents who want sound advice for the next generation) in what we believe is the right direction. This direction has been reinforced by over forty years of academic and consulting research on what it really means to be rich. We show that it is possible to be modestly wealthy and happy, which is far better than being rich and miserable.

Book cover of The Richest Man In Babylon
Book cover of Think and Grow Rich
Book cover of A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing

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Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

By Margot Machol Bisnow,

Book cover of Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

Margot Machol Bisnow Author Of Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve become passionate about telling parents how to raise happy, resilient, creative, confident, entrepreneurial children who are doing something that gives them joy. So many young people are unhappy; parents don’t understand how to help. They think their children should follow their path, but that no longer works for many. For the last 10 years, I’ve been speaking to parent groups; I was an Advisor to EQ Generation, an after-school program that gives children the skills to succeed; on the Advisory Board of MUSE School, preparing young people with passion-based learning; and on the Board of Spark the Journey, mentoring low-income high school students to achieve college and career success. 

Margot's book list on learn how to raise confident children

What is my book about?

This book shakes longstanding assumptions of parenting.

Through 99 stories of people who are now changing the world, it shows how to raise creative, confident, resilient children who are filled with joy and purpose. Based on interviews with top entrepreneurs and their parents, it guides you to help your children identify their passion and figure out how they can spend their professional lives doing something they love. 

Parents' well-intentioned efforts often boomerang. By ignoring their children’s skills and interests, parents can inadvertently create pressure and anxiety, thwarting their children's ability to excel and find happiness. Too often, following your heart…

Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

By Margot Machol Bisnow,

What is this book about?

Learn how successful entrepreneurs were raised! Could your children start a company that disrupts existing industries? Or a non-profit that helps people around the world? Or follow their passion as an artist or activist? And most important, lead a life of joy and purpose, to be happy and fulfilled? Margot Machol Bisnow, mother of two thriving entrepreneurs, reveals how to raise creative, confident, resilient, fearless kids who achieve their dreams, through 99 stories of families who did it.

Read stories from 70 families who raised true game changers. See family photos of these thriving entrepreneurs, both when they were young…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in wealth, investment, and Babylon?

Wealth 62 books
Investment 66 books
Babylon 13 books