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How to Get Rich in American History: 300 Years of Financial Advice That Worked
In richly told stories and wild self-experiments, historian Joseph Moore tests history’s best and worst financial advice to find what worked, what didn’t, and why everyday people can still get ahead—including you.
What if so-called timeless beliefs about money like “invest for the long run,” “compound interest builds wealth,” and “real estate always goes up” were shockingly new . . . and rarely true.
From Benjamin Franklin to TikTok gurus, what “everyone knows” about personal finance has rarely stayed the same. Parents once taught children not to save and that stocks were only for suckers. Meanwhile, supposedly new phenomenon like AirBnb, crypto, skipping lattes, and complaints that nobody can get ahead are far older than we think.
In How to Get Rich in American History, Joseph Moore presents the first ever history of financial advice in the US, sharing the unexpected and counter-intuitive lessons of the past—from the scams we keep falling for to the long allure of creating generational wealth—so we can avoid the same mistakes and make the most of our own finances today.
Along the way, Moore tries these old ideas on himself, with hair-raising and hilarious results. His personal journey includes wild investments, get-rich-quick schemes, founding a cryptocurrency, and how he went from his working-class roots and facing financial ruin to retiring in his forties. Ultimately, Moore finds that despite today’s loud pessimists, success has never been easier to achieve in American history than it is right now.
Fun, accessible, and filled with eye-opening insights you can apply for yourself alongside laugh out loud stories you never learned in school, How to Get Rich in American History pushes back against skeptics who claim the American Dream is out of reach. It is a thoughtful, practical, and surprisingly hopeful read that sheds new light on the prospects of getting by and getting ahead then . . . and now.
What if so-called timeless beliefs about money like “invest for the long run,” “compound interest builds wealth,” and “real estate always goes up” were shockingly new . . . and rarely true.
From Benjamin Franklin to TikTok gurus, what “everyone knows” about personal finance has rarely stayed the same. Parents once taught children not to save and that stocks were only for suckers. Meanwhile, supposedly new phenomenon like AirBnb, crypto, skipping lattes, and complaints that nobody can get ahead are far older than we think.
In How to Get Rich in American History, Joseph Moore presents the first ever history of financial advice in the US, sharing the unexpected and counter-intuitive lessons of the past—from the scams we keep falling for to the long allure of creating generational wealth—so we can avoid the same mistakes and make the most of our own finances today.
Along the way, Moore tries these old ideas on himself, with hair-raising and hilarious results. His personal journey includes wild investments, get-rich-quick schemes, founding a cryptocurrency, and how he went from his working-class roots and facing financial ruin to retiring in his forties. Ultimately, Moore finds that despite today’s loud pessimists, success has never been easier to achieve in American history than it is right now.
Fun, accessible, and filled with eye-opening insights you can apply for yourself alongside laugh out loud stories you never learned in school, How to Get Rich in American History pushes back against skeptics who claim the American Dream is out of reach. It is a thoughtful, practical, and surprisingly hopeful read that sheds new light on the prospects of getting by and getting ahead then . . . and now.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 20, 2026
This was an entertaining book. The author has a good sense of humor as he looks back through American history with respect to financial lessons of our past. He describes successes and failures of prominent, and not so prominent American ancestors. In our history there are get rich quick schemes, financial successes, financial ruin (including his own at one point). Moore went from working class roots in the south, to the precipice of financial ruin, to retiring in his 40s. Moore is obviously a big risk taker (more of a gambler in my view) but whether you accept his advice or not, he shares some interesting stories from history in an amusing way.
Some examples:
American colonists were often grumpy about not getting ahead fast enough. “You could take risks, but if they didn’t work out, you might find yourself in jail. Yes, jail. People went to prison for being broke in the 1700s, and this happened regularly. Worse, if a man went bust, his wife and kids were imprisoned too. They forgot to put that in ‘Hamilton.’”
“Before 1969, there was no job title called ‘financial advisor’. That changed when former vacuum cleaner salesman, Loren Dunton, convinced mutual fund salesmen nationwide to gather at O’Hare Airport for a meeting. They founded the College for Financial Planning, and at a Howard Johnson restaurant, scribbled out a 150-question exam. The HoJo test certified a new breed of professionals with a badge of distinction. They arrived as salesmen. They flew away as Certified Financial Planners (CFPs). Every town in America could now have its own guru to trust.”
While John Adams was away in France, Abigail Adams handled the home front. Abigail Adams may have been her generation’s best securities investor. John Adams abhorred financial risk, but Abigail understood it. “She was an Intelligent Investor well ahead of Ben Graham. Before anyone could stop her, she was in soldiers’ notes (back pay for Revolutionary service), Massachusetts bonds and Vermont land speculation.” Abigail Adams far surpassed her husband’s real estate deals with a spectacular lifetime annualized return around 18%.” For perspective, “The Oracle of Omaha”, Warren Buffet has a lifetime annualized return of 19.9%.
If you enjoy learning about investing in the course of American history in a lighthearted humorous way, you will enjoy this book.
Some examples:
American colonists were often grumpy about not getting ahead fast enough. “You could take risks, but if they didn’t work out, you might find yourself in jail. Yes, jail. People went to prison for being broke in the 1700s, and this happened regularly. Worse, if a man went bust, his wife and kids were imprisoned too. They forgot to put that in ‘Hamilton.’”
“Before 1969, there was no job title called ‘financial advisor’. That changed when former vacuum cleaner salesman, Loren Dunton, convinced mutual fund salesmen nationwide to gather at O’Hare Airport for a meeting. They founded the College for Financial Planning, and at a Howard Johnson restaurant, scribbled out a 150-question exam. The HoJo test certified a new breed of professionals with a badge of distinction. They arrived as salesmen. They flew away as Certified Financial Planners (CFPs). Every town in America could now have its own guru to trust.”
While John Adams was away in France, Abigail Adams handled the home front. Abigail Adams may have been her generation’s best securities investor. John Adams abhorred financial risk, but Abigail understood it. “She was an Intelligent Investor well ahead of Ben Graham. Before anyone could stop her, she was in soldiers’ notes (back pay for Revolutionary service), Massachusetts bonds and Vermont land speculation.” Abigail Adams far surpassed her husband’s real estate deals with a spectacular lifetime annualized return around 18%.” For perspective, “The Oracle of Omaha”, Warren Buffet has a lifetime annualized return of 19.9%.
If you enjoy learning about investing in the course of American history in a lighthearted humorous way, you will enjoy this book.
July 1, 2026
Very good read for those putting their own financial decisions in perspective and shatters the idea of 'always' as it relates to creating your plan . If you nerd out on investing podcasts, this will help balance out the daily fodder. Thanks to Motley Fool for the introduction.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews