But to live poor and die rich is insanity." After he calmed down, he would say, "I think money is meant to be enjoyed, so I work hard, my money works hard, and I enjoy the fruits of our labor." Affording the Good Life A recent article reinforces my rich dad's point of view. The article, 'Affording the Good Life in an Age of Change," was in the Strategic Investment Newsletter, published by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg. These two men have also co-authored several best-selling books: Blood in the Streets, The Great Reckoning, and The Sovereign Individual. These books have dramatically affected the way I invest and how I look to the future. Davidson is the founder of the National Taxpayers Union, and Rees-Mogg is a financial advi- sor to some of the world's wealthiest investors, a former edi- tor of the Times of London, and vice-chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation. 206 Rich Dad's Guide to Investing My rich dad would say, "There are two ways to become rich. One way is to earn more. The other way is to desire less. The problem is that most people are not good with either way." The article and this book are about how you can earn more so you can desire more. Here are excerpts from the ar- ticle "Affording the Good Life in an Age of Change" as pub- lished in the Strategic Investment Newsletter. "Being frugal is the cornerstone of wealth-building." Thomas J. Stanley & William Danko The Millionaire Next Door 1996 This reminds me of my complaint with the reason- ing of the popular books, such as The Millionaire Next Door, by Stanley and Danko, and Getting Rich In America: 8 Simple Rules for Building a Fortune and a Satisfying Life by my friend Dwight Lee. Both books define success downward by suggesting that anyone who lives an abstemious lifestyle, and pinches pennies will become "rich."... Yes. If you never earn more than $50,000 a year, you may become a millionaire by pinching pennies. But there is a limit to the amount of wealth you can acquire by living as though you were poor. Even eating Spam or canned spaghetti from Chef Boyardee at every meal would not save enough money to make you a multimil- lionaire. This helps explain why only one-in-10 million- aires reaches a net worth of $5 million ... Simply penny pinching, per se, is only a preliminary step that would permit someone without inherited capital or a significant annual cash flow to make the kind of invest- ment that would lead to riches. For Americans, becom- ing a "millionaire" is a necessary step to allow you to participate as an "accredited investor" in private place- What Is the Price of Becoming Rich? 207 ments for private, high growth companies. This is the main route to riches. I was a millionaire in my early 20s. But I quickly recognized even then that a few millions did not amount to much. I could not afford my pre- ferred lifestyle on such a small fortune. ...