Rags 2 Riches

Who wants to be a millionaire? Who doesn't? From magician to manufacturing magnate, financial columnist to real estate investor, poet to college dropout, here are the profiles of 17 ordinary people who started with nothing-and became millionaires! These are stories of people who overcame poverty or in some cases middle class lifestyles to single-handedly beat overwhelming odds and achieved financial success. They may not all be household names, but their stories can serve as an inspiration to us all. Praise for Rags to Riches: "There are as many paths to financial success as there are people who want to achieve it. This book shows that wealth is within the reach of just about anyone." -Tom Siedell, Managing Editor, Your Money "The most extraordinary thing about Rags to Riches is that it affirms how ordinary people have this tremendous, innate ability to achieve success and generate wealth if they put their minds to it." -John E Wasik, Author, Retire Early and Live the Life You Want Now "Rags to Riches: Motivating Stories of How Ordinary People Achieved Extraordinary Wealth" goes well beyond the quick-fix guru guidebooks to explore effective, long-term strategies that systematically build wealth. It's fascinating, candid look at how every day, people reach their goals by turning challenge into opportunity." -Marla Brill, Publisher, Brill's Mutual Funds Interactive www.brill.com "A fascinating and instructive collection of biographies." -Evan Simonoff, Associated Publishedr/Editor-in-Chief, Financial Planning "Now readers everywhere can discover what Palm Beach Daily News readers have learned: Gail Liberman and Alan Lavine know everything there is to know about personal wealth-how to get it and how to grow it. Gail's weekly column in our paper tells affluent readers how to manage their fortunes. This book takes a step back and tells readers, in the words of millionaires who've been there and done it, how to acquire a vast personal fortune." -Linda Rawls, Editor, Palm Beach Daily News

"Born in 1948, in Abu Dhabi, the author knew dreadful poverty for years before fabulous oil wealth transformed his country forever. He grew up in the ruler's palace, barefoot like his playmates, now senior figures in the United Arab Emirates." "This is a vivid eye-witness account of the total transformation within only 30 years of a Bedouin society into a country with the world's highest per capita income. He speaks with great frankness about his own life and career and about the role of the British in his country."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • The author of Voices in the Night reveals the mesmerizing journey of an American dreamer as he walks a haunted line between fantasy and reality, madness and ambition, art and industry. “This wonderful, wonder-full book is a fable and phantasmagoria of the sources of our century.” —The New York Times Book Review Young Martin Dressler begins his career as an industrious helper in his father's cigar store. In the course of his restless young manhood, he makes a swift and eventful rise to the top, accompanied by two sisters--one a dreamlike shadow, the other a worldly business partner. As the eponymous Martin's vision becomes bolder and bolder, a sense of doom builds piece-by-hypnotic piece until this mesmerizing journey reaches its bitter-sweet conclusion.

Guyana's initial discovery of approximately 9 billion barrels of recoverable oil offshore now puts the country squarely on the precipice of economic prosperity for decades to come. But will that happen? Guyanese are asking themselves if their country is ready to manage the oil money, wisely and productively. They look at many hydrocarbon-rich rich countries in the region and elsewhere and they don't like what they see. Far from befitting from the oil wealth, the countries are mired in political chaos, corruption and economic stagnation. Many countries, such as Trinidad and Tobago (sister CARICOM state), face depletion of oil and gas reserves by the end of this decade or so, but their economies are more dependent than ever on the energy sector, hammered by low energy prices. With the persistent ethnic divisiveness in the country, Guyanese have reason to fear the resource curse. The book examines the current Guyana-ExxonMobil oil contract and argues rigorously that Guyana gave up substantial cash flow. In nontechnical language, "From Rags to Riches" not only tackles many difficult issues and challenges of managing natural resource wealth, but also explores solutions. The book is for the general public, policy makers, students, researchers and anyone interested in the economic growth and development of Guyana and similar oil-rich countries. The book challenges thinking about "what's really at stake" in the development of Guyana's energy sector.

Presents brief biographies of the enterprising individuals who started such products and companies as Apple computers, Sears, the Dow Jones Index and The Wall Street Journal, J.C. Penney, Hershey's Chocolate, Ebony Magazine, and Kinney Shoes.

Allesandro di Vincenzo is a perfect male specimen. There's no woman he can't have—until Laura Stowe crosses his path. Laura is plain, poor and hides behind her homely appearance to avoid getting close to people. But Allesandro needs her family connections to open the door to ultimate corporate power. So he must woo the ugly duckling into his bed-where she will learn what it is to be a beautiful, desired swan.

Meet Rags, a spunky little dog with a big heart. Lost and alone in the vast oil fields of West Texas, she meets a colorful cast of characters before finding a true friend. Based on a real story, Rags to Riches is a tale of hope, perseverance, and fulfillment that will delight readers of all ages.