Skip to content
The Richest Man in Babylon book cover

Cover: Open Library

MoneyBeginner

The Richest Man in Babylon

by George S. Clason

★★★★★ 4/5 · Poornadnyan rating

The big idea

Simple stories from ancient Babylon teach money rules that still work: save part of everything you earn, make your savings work, and protect them from foolish risks.

Read it if…

Complete beginners, teenagers and anyone who prefers stories to spreadsheets.

Skip it if…

You want modern, India-specific detail about funds and tax.

Key ideas in 2 minutes

  1. Pay yourself first – keep at least a tenth of whatever you earn.
  2. Put your savings to work so they earn more money for you.
  3. Take advice on money only from people who have handled it well.

Our review

Written almost a hundred years ago as a set of parables, this little book is still one of the easiest ways to understand saving and investing. The language is old-fashioned, but the lessons are timeless.

A perfect first money book for a young person in the family – short enough to finish in a weekend.

As an Amazon Associate, Poornadnyan earns from qualifying purchases – at no extra cost to you. It helps us keep our reviews free. Learn more

More in Money & Investing

The Psychology of Money book cover
MoneyBeginner

The Psychology of Money

Morgan Housel

★★★★★

Doing well with money has less to do with how smart you are and more to do with how you behave –…

Let’s Talk Money book cover
MoneyBeginner

Let’s Talk Money

Monika Halan

★★★★★

Build one simple money system for your household – emergency fund, insurance, then investing – and stop buying products that mix insurance…

I Will Teach You to Be Rich book cover
MoneyBeginner

I Will Teach You to Be Rich

Ramit Sethi

★★★★★

Automate your money so good decisions happen by default, then spend without guilt on what you love and cut hard on what…

Rich Dad Poor Dad book cover
MoneyBeginner

Rich Dad Poor Dad

Robert T. Kiyosaki

★★★★★

Assets put money in your pocket, liabilities take it out – and school never teaches you the difference.