In his recent national bestseller,
Die Broke, Stephen Pollan introduced a radical new strategy for spending and saving money in today's unpredictable financial environment. The natural result of
Die Broke--indeed the reason to die broke in the first place--is the subject of this new volume.
If Die Broke is about how we spend, save, and invest our money, Live Rich is the other side of the equation, the earning side of things. In it, Stephen Pollan shares the compelling observation that living rich has less to do with new worth or income stream and everything to do with freedom. The most powerful form of financial freedom comes from working for yourself (whoever your boss may be).
Live Rich says all that's standing in your way of earning enough to live the life of your dreams is your relationship to money. Act rationally rather than emotionally when it comes to your income, and you'll find money can buy you happiness. The four tenets of the Live Rich philosophy, simply stated, are:
- Make Money. Too many of us have been fed the line that "work isn't necessarily about making money." Tell that to Visa next time they send you a bill.
- Don't grow, change. Be ready to change your work paradigm on a moment's notice, to morph from career to career several times as conditions--and you--change.
- Take Charge. In the twenty-first century, you must become proactive and start taking measured risks.
- Become a mercenary. Think for yourself as a free agent, responsible for your own security and always on the lookout for the next great job.
Live Rich provides an explanation of Stephen Pollan's radical workplace philosophy as well as a detailed A to Z action plan--from "accountants" and "advertisement" to "Web sites" and "working capital"--that allows readers to apply the philosophy to every facet of their working loves and truly Live Rich.
You've heard the career advice, "Do what you love and the money will follow." That's bad advice, according to Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine. The coauthors of the surprise bestseller
Die Broke are back with another book of irreverent wisdom. Where
Die Broke offered a fresh approach to dealing with money,
Live Rich is full of equally original ideas about careers.
Pollan and Levine advocate a kind of enlightened selfishness. Their first rule: work for yourself, even if you are someone else's employee. Identify your own best interests and pursue them aggressively. Be mercenary. And don't sacrifice money for work you love. For love, get a dog. Less cynical than they might first appear, Pollan and Levine are the savvy uncles you wish you had, who share their hardheaded street smarts without telling you what to do. The bulk of Live Rich is a compendium of tips on everything from hiring an accountant to picking stationery. Readers should come away with at least a few good ideas and perhaps with a changed perspective on the relation of work and life. --Barry Mitzman
