Five Books that Helped Me Retire at Age 30

This book shares the vision of a man who, “Has an income that constantly keeps his purse full, no matter how liberally he spends.”

Nine months ago, I left my government job, circumnavigated the globe, and moved to my favorite city in the world. I haven’t been back to work since. These five books taught me the lessons that made my dream possible.

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. Many thanks to a former girlfriend for introducing me to this book. She was so excited about the ideas from the book that she started reading it to me on a road trip to Washington, DC. As we stopped in traffic jams she would show me pages of cash-flow diagrams. Cash-flow is the magic phrase. Your cash-flow is the way that money moves into and out of your hands. Cash-flow tells the story of how you handle money. Learning to see through a cash-flow lens helped me to make the decisions necessary to escape the rat race.

2. The 50th Law by 50 Cent and Robert Greene. At one of my lowest points, a long legal battle over a contract that affected many areas of my life, I went searching for answers in books. In The 50th Law, I found answers. “Active freedom” was the most important concept at the time. It saved my soul. For my finances, the emphasis on “slow money” and finding opportunities (there’s a chapter titled “Turn Shit Into Sugar”) guided me to investments that paid in the long-run.

3. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. How much money does it take to retire? Not much. This book cites case studies of people with normal sums of money living extraordinary lives. Check it out, fill in the tables, run the numbers, and you may be surprised. To retire young, you may need to make a few sacrifices, but that beats working a job you hate.

4. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Classon. A friend’s dad suggested I read this book. Thanks Melissa’s Dad! For $5 at a used bookstore, I got a book that was entertaining, inspiring, and useful. This book shares the vision of a man who, “Has an income that constantly keeps his purse full, no matter how liberally he spends.” If Rich Dad Poor Dad doesn’t suit you, this book demonstrates a similar path to financial freedom set in an ancient parable.

5. Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. The most challenging read of the books on this list. It explores ideas in a fractal style that Taleb prides himself on, just check out his talk at Google. Here’s the thing for making and keeping money — make antifragile bets. Put another way, invest for a small downside and a potentially enormous upside. For example, Taleb mentions keeping the bulk of his net worth in cash or gold, but investing 10% of his wealth in extremely high-risk securities. Small downside, potentially enormous upside. For the soon-to-be-retired, after a big win you could cash out and pay off your debts to bring down the required income for your retirement.

What books would you recommend for readers looking to retire?