The Five Rituals of Wealth by Tod Barnhart

Far better is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even thought checkered by failure, than take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. ~Theodore Roosevelt
p 7 If I were your fairy godmother, which of these two wishes would you rather I grant you:
A million dollars cash right now, or a magic penny that doubles itself every day?...
Given the choice, most people would opt for the million dollars. And that wouldn't necessarily be a bad decision. After all, a million dollars is a million dollars! But the far wiser choice is the magic penny that doubles itself every day. Let's look at what would happen to its value over time.
Day 2: .02
Day 3: .04
Day 4: .08
Here's where it gets interesting:
Day 28: $1,342.177.00
Day 29: over $2.6 million
Day 38: Just over $1 billion - that's BILLION with a B
Day 45: well over $1 trillion -- that's twelve zeros!
p 31 According to the Social Security Administration, of those Americans who reach the retirement age of sixty-five:
1) 45 percent are dependent on relatives
2) 30 percent must live on charity
3) 23 percent are still working
4) only 2 percent are totally self-sustaining
p 32 Allow me to share with you a few more startling statistics:
Fact: 85 percent of men in the US at age sixty-five don't have $250 set aside for retirement.
Fact: Fewer men are worth $100 at age sixty-eight than at age eighteen.
Fact: 95 percent of all self-proclaimed financial failures claimed they lacked a plan for their finances.
p 38 Donald Trump tells a humorous story that really puts things in perspective. At one point he was worth billions and owned a colossal amount of real estate, primarily in New York City. As he tells it, he was waling down the street after he'd been put on a budget by some of the banking insitituions to which he owed millions, when he came across a homeless person digging through the trash. This person was obviously worth nothing financially and Trump's initial reaction was to look down on him. But after a moment's thought, he said "This man is my superior in financial terms." Someone asked, "How can that be, he's worth nothing." Trump responded, "He's worth nothing, but I'm worth negative several hundred million."
p 38 A few years ago a newspaper reported that Elvis Presley died with a net worth of $5 million. Now, I don't know how many millions Elvis earned in his career, but for a man who once spent $38,000 on Christmas present, $5 million in net worth seems like next to nothing.....it can be more difficult at a higher income if good habits haven't already been formed. The habits are still there, and the expenses and problems have gotten a whole lot bigger.
c. 1995 Harper Collins