Customer Reviews

The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Frankly, there's nothing new in this book. But it is a concise description of what it takes to become wealthy. Will reading the book make you a millionaire? Of course not. But it will put you on the right track. It is a quick read. I recommend reading it straight through in one sitting...then reviewing a chapter a day until your actions model millionaire behavior. Dr. Thomas Stanley's Millionaire Next Door and Millionaire Mind provide plenty of evidence to support what Smith talks about in his book. The strength of this particular book is that 10 clear easy-to-understand steps are described so that you don't have to parse through the statistics to find out what works and what doesn't. Instead of slipping cash in a card this holiday season for that high school or college student, give them a copy of this book. Note that this book is not about greed. It is about acquiring wealth and being a good person at the same time. The two are compatible.

You'll not find a more simplified, boiled down analysis of what separates the rich from, well, everybody else. No, this isn't a book talking about how rich people are a bunch of greedy SOB's. Nor is it talking about some get-rich-quick scheme or how you can make millions of dollars overnight. While the book may be short, it's quite simple in its approach answering the question, why do some people have more money than others?

The top ten distinctions the author walks us through outline the basic idea that how successful you are is largely determined by your thoughts and your actions. Most millionaires have achieved their success because they had the right mindset to become millionaires. They had goals and sacrificed what they had to to get there, but they also kept their frame of mind in the right place, asking the right questions, taking risks, and developing ideas.

Because of its simplicity, Top Ten Distinctions makes it clear that anybody has it within themselves to become a millionaire. Sure, some have more hurdles to cross than others, but these things can all be overcome and financial success-financial freedom-can be achieved by anyone who puts their mind to it. The distinctions between millionaires and middle class are not that millionaires have more money, they were just determined not to live out a middle class existence that often struggles to pay bills, afford vacations, or are living from paycheck to paycheck.

Financial freedom is available to all. Once you know what separates those that have much from those that don't, you can begin to mold yourself to have the mindset that allows you to become free financially. Oh, and just for a quick preview, my favorite distinction was number four: Millionaires believe they must be generous. The middle class believes it can't afford to give. I can't tell you how many times I've thought that I can't afford to donate here or help that person there. I'm off to change my own mindset!

Have you ever wondered why so many self-help books don't seem to help? I think there are basically two reasons. The first if the people simply do not take action on the information in the book. The second reason and perhaps the most disappointing one is that people do not really understand what it takes to be successful. It is simply not enough to learn the things to do and how to do them.

Many self-help teachers give the advice: Pick out someone who is successful and do exactly what they do. While that is good advice, there are some things a person does that we simply cannot see. We cannot see their mindset. And that is where most people go wrong. They concentrate on the tactics and techniques and fail to understand the mindset of successful people.

It is a basic truth that successful people think differently than average people. So it stands to reason, unless we understand how successful people think and learn to think like they do, we are never going to achieve the success we dream of.

I have read many books but never one so succinct when it comes to understanding the mindset of successful people. Keith has identified 10 distinctions between highly successful people and average people. And he has provided a good explanation about why these principles work and the difference they can make in your life.

The book is short and easy to read. However, one reading will not change your mindset. You need to read it often to internalize the ideas and concepts. You need for these concepts to become your mindset. Adopt the 10 distinctions for your own. Understand them and more importantly, live them.

While Keith talks about the differences being related to millionaires and middle class, he does point out that not all millionaires are happy. To be happy and successful in life you truly need to adopt these concepts. They are as important to your emotional well being and to your economic well being.

This is a very important book. If you will study it and adopt the concepts, it will be life changing.

This book is great. Smith shares a set of ten brief-but-essential thoughts and habits that, when practiced and MASTERED, cause a person to experience financial wealth instead of mere short-term comfort.

He simply and bluntly lays out critical factors that separate those who tend to succeed financially and those whose actions yield mediocre results.

These simple ideas include long-term focus over immediate gratification; generosity over stinginess; talking about ideas that make a difference instead of talking about other people and trivial things.

Notice I said these ideas must be practiced on a consistent basis and MASTERED to yield noticeable results; exposing one's self to them one time and making a cursory mental understanding of them won't do much good. Reading this book once will not make a lazy person rich, and Smith doesn't claim this will happen.

Now, if you've read a book in the past like "Rich Dad Poor Dad" or "Think And Grow Rich" and felt ripped off because it lacked specifics on how to get rich, then you probably won't find much value in this book, either, so I wouldn't recommend it because it would probably feel like a waste of $10-$15, honestly.

If, however, you tend to enjoy books like this on a regular basis anyway, you'll immediately recognize and appreciate the massive value it contains. Not only will you find yourself nodding in agreement at his reinforcement of the fundamentals, but you'll also gain a fresh perspective from those unique contributions that spring from Smith's own mind and life experience.

Some awesome fundamental elements that are incorporated into this book's message are also touched on in past works by Napoleon Hill (be-do-have, mastermind alliance), Robert Kiyosaki (building the asset column, taking calculated risks, ongoing financial education), Tony Robbins (empowering vs. disempowering questions, 7th power, RPM) and more. These are just the references I recognized upon the first read. (Of course, whether Smith actually discovered the ideas from these particular people is less important than the fact that he practices & shares the same principles taught by these other master educators.)

I read this tiny book in under an hour and loved it. I will absolutely return to it again and again because it's concise, simple, to the point, and it packs quite a punch despite it's simplicity.

I found this book to be a near complete waste of time. The author delivers a series of insipid statements that border on pabulum. He claims he is a student of millionaires, and that is where he gained his supreme knowledge of wealth accumulation. But alas, he often repeats statements to the effect that he is not a financial planner, tax accountant, etc. and therefore cannot offer any real suggestions or help. And he only mentions a single millionaire he seems to have any dealings with. A pretty small statistical sample by any definition.

Even though I paid little for my copy (purchased used), I couldn't help but feel duped when I continually came across sentences the author "purposely" repeated in print because they were so important. Being a tiny book and just over 100 pages, I suspect the real purpose of the repetitions was that he had little worthy to print so used this convention to increase the length of the book. It insults the intelligence of most readers. And don't even get me started on the size of the margins.

If you really want a worthy study of how to gain wealth, skip this tripe and pick up the excellent The Millionaire Next Door by Stanley and Danko. It is a more scientific study how how wealth is truly acquired written by two university professors utilizing a statistically significant number of millionaires in their research. The book has been out awhile but is still excellent. You can pick it up used to save money (I'm sure the authors will understand). Another excellent work that involves much more than wealth accumulation (as 10 Distinctions portends but does not deliver) is Getting Rich in America: Eight Simple Rules for Building a Fortune--And a Satisfying Life by Dwight R. Lee. I have referred to both of these books repeatedly over the years I've had them, and their information never seems to become dated.

I'd offer my copy of 10 Distinctions for free to anyone who wants it, but I feel it would be a disservice to the new owner. I felt I understood less about wealth accumulation for having read it. There's 60 minutes I'll never get back.

This book is an incredibly short and silly self-indulgent book about what a wonderful person the author is. Specifically he mentions over and over again how rich people like him are wonderful and that the middle-class sucks. I bought the book for insights on making money, but there weren't any!

Aside from having no practical value, I couldn't believe how mean-spirited the book is. For example he writes that Millionaires are generous and the middle-class is stingy. He bases that accusation on the fact that he and his wife once bought a group of "scary" black kids a pizza. I'm not making this up! This book was so dumb and lacking any substance that I think the other people who reviewed this must be paid company employees. I can't imagine any intelligent person who has actually read this book giving it more than 1 star.

This book was also so short that I felt ripped off. It's more like a pamphlet than a book, but at the same time the meager content is so full of holes and inconsistencies that I wouldn't have wanted it to be any longer.

I wish I hadn't wasted my money on this garbage. There are sooo many better books out there about personal finance and how to make money. Just so you know, I am not usually a critical person. I love books in general, and typically enjoy about anything I read, so I really mean it when I say this book had little to no value. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.

For eight years of my life, my goal was to buy a single family house. I did that three years ago and I found myself almost in limbo since I had already reached a long-term goal. This book helped guide me into what I want to accomplish in the next ten years, my next goal. It helped me formulate and envision where I want to be and what I want to be doing ten years from now. I did not expect that from reading this book. For that, I gave it 5 stars.

It is an easy read and finds a good balance between broad concepts and actionable suggestions. I've also found that many of what the author talks about does not only apply to financial freedom but can be applied to other parts of my life. I also enjoyed that the tone isn't to make money just to make money, but as a means to improve yours and the lives of your loved ones. This book is not about greed, it's about freedom to do what you love.

This really hit the nail on the head. I have never had so many AHA moments and OMG moments other than this book right here. Yes the concepts are simple, mostly common sense and of course stuff that you have heard before...

But how it is written, how it is organized, how everything just falls into place and is so amazingly orchestrated, it's like a beautiful symphony of knowledge. I may sound like I am glorifying this book too much but this book changed my life.

I have a middle class mind and throughout this whole book I kept on noticing how much of a middle class mind I have... and to compare my mind to a millionaires mind, it was a great realization...there really are no words to describe this feeling but I feel like a lightbulb has illuminated and I finally get it! I plan to read this book at least once a week, take notes and post them everywhere so I can live by them.

I highly recommend this book!

If, for no other reason, learning to distinguish between profits and wages makes this book worth the read. A long time ago, while having a gender debate with one of my more sophisticated female friends, she asked; rhetorically, of course, if I knew the real reason why a man should dress well? I, of course, searched for a deep answer, only to have her tell me, "because it's easy!" "It's easy", she said, "for a man to wash and comb his hair, clean his nails, put on a pair of pants that match his shirt and a belt that matches his shoes." She went on to compare the long and tedious process women endure on a daily basis to the succinct process available to most men and frankly she was right! Consequently, that statement has stayed with me for more than 20 years. And that's the type of impact The Top 10..., by Keith Cameron Smith, will have on you once you've read it. It's a succinct and simple common sense approach that helps you rethink the processes of generating wealth. While I'll admit achieving wealth may be easier said than done, the principles put forth in this teeny weenie little book will help shift and crystallize your focus. For instance, "think profits; not wages" a simple, but when you think about it, profound idea. A business; any business, well run, will generate profits. It may not be easy, but the learning curve alone increases personal knowledge. And knowledge is powerful and profitable. And frankly, profits begets profit and additional profit begets freedom and freedom always begets growth. The key is to read and internalize the material. I recommend this book because it's easy. It's an easy way to enlighten the prospect of your future financial endeavors mentally, physically and most importantly, spiritually; which should help you coalesce your financial ideas.

These concepts are pretty well known in other books that have come before this one. As far as deep content, this book is really missing. The content is very high level, and about 80% motivational, no step by step or in-depth analysis approaches. Very little real world application like the "Missed Fortune" series by Doug Andrew.

If you're looking for just motivational martial then this is a pretty OK read. However most of the concepts seem to emulate authors like Robert Kiyosaki, in fact if you have read any of the "Rich Dad" series then this book is somewhat a waste of time and won't really bring you any new concepts, as I listened to it, it almost seems to repeat phrase for phrase some of Kiyosaki's books...

If you're a seasoned researcher in these genera of books, then I would pass this book up. However if your new to these types of books then it definitely will put you on the right track for investing/building wealth.