Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Richest Engineer

Rate this book
What makes some people get rich and accumulate wealth easily, while a vast majority of them struggle financially all their lives? Is it because they have better educational qualifications and have been able to bag some high paying jobs? Is it because they have invested their monies in some exotic financial instruments? Is it that luck has favoured them selectively while bypassing the bulk of the population? Or is it that they have special skills and are far more intelligent than others?

The answer is: None of the above!

In his maiden novel, Abhishek Kumar reveals the timeless wisdom of wealth creation & accumulation and shows how anybody - no matter where they are in life at this time - can become a millionaire. The rules provided in the book is not a get-rich-quick formula, but they do guide the reader to financial independence which can be achieved on nothing more than an average salary. Through fictional conversation between two friends, Vinay - the financial wizard and Ajay, his college mate, you will learn what has been stopping you from becoming rich and how you can change yourself to live the life that you have always dreamt of – a life of wealth, abundance and financial freedom.

268 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2016

58 people are currently reading
534 people want to read

About the author

Abhishek Kumar

18 books30 followers
Abhishek Kumar has earned a Master of Financial Engineering from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an MBA from IIM Kozhikode and a B.Tech from IIT-BHU Varanasi. He has worked as a Corporate Banker for leading private sector banks in India and as a Software Engineer for a leading MNC.

Having devoted a considerable part of his working life to understand, integrate and deepen the concepts surrounding personal finance, Abhishek has focused towards bringing out books on Wealth Creation & Accumulation which could be read & understood by anyone. The advice presented in his books are based on the timeless wisdom of wealth creation and are practical & easily implementable.

He is also a critic of the conventional ways of managing money which he says have been designed not to help the end investors but the institutions and the intermediaries which reap benefits exploiting the ignorance of the people.

Abhishek lives in San Fransisco, Bay Area and may be reached at therichestengineer@gmail.com.

For more details visit:
https://authorabhishekkumar.com


Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
134 (46%)
4 stars
98 (34%)
3 stars
35 (12%)
2 stars
15 (5%)
1 star
5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
Profile Image for Rahul.
4 reviews1 follower
August 21, 2016
A very good book on personal finance. A tale of a man who considered that he has done everything good until he faced the uphill task of managing his finances when he laid off. The story revolves around this common man, who is lucky enough to have friends and colleagues who have managed their finances well.

This book is an apt representation of a common middle class man who tries to thrive on his personal finances but somehow fails. The story is not about where and when you should invest, but guides you how and what you should manage.

I totally love this book as I could relate the main character Ajay to a common Indian professional. Simply put, one must give it a shot and understand how you could manage your finances better.
Profile Image for Neha Shrivastava.
14 reviews8 followers
July 27, 2016
An apt book for today. Everyone today needs and is after wealth. Author has touched the right cord with us. Its an intelligent piece of writing enumerating the choices we make and its consequences.
It surpasses cliches and brings in innovative and modern, relevant to our times suggestions.
A good read indeed!
1 review3 followers
December 7, 2018
An amazing book for every individual on personal finance.
The things mentioned in the book are simple and easy to understand. They are a lot of concepts that we already know or should know but somehow, we tend to ignore them. When you read them in the way presented, you will remember them throughout your life. Some of the concepts in the book are eye opening and will make you think about the time/money you have wasted in life.

This book is a series of informative facts presented in a story format, Kudos to that. People who are not avid readers, or people who read fiction might find it hard to appreciate the book. However once you read a couple of chapters, and start appreciating the content and the change it can bring to your life, you will start suggesting this book to all your friends and relatives.

I will highly recommend reading this book and implementing at least 2 action items to everyone. This could positively change the course of your life.
Profile Image for Supratim.
309 reviews460 followers
June 19, 2025
A very helpful book, highly relevant for working professionals who want to learn how to manage their money. The book is written in the form of a novel where an Indian engineer embarks on a journey of learning the principles of financial management. Though the characters are Indians the concepts are universal.

Full review to come soon!
7 reviews1 follower
April 24, 2018
I had some basic understanding about personal financing, so I found first half a little bit less enriching apart from some quotes. But after the entry of Mr. Banergee (in chapter 9), I got good insights about the taxation on the income and why just focusing on salary is certainly not the best bet. It is an enjoyable read simultaneously enriching the knowledge. Recommended for especially beginner Indian investor.
Profile Image for Kishan R.
13 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2019
The book explains the financial planning as a story between to friends with same amount of salary and are financially not at par with each one. The book explains idaes which a good to used when you have started earning and also for HNI's. The best part about the book is it provides financial knowledge specifically suited for Indians.
Profile Image for Shankar Pandala.
14 reviews1 follower
January 30, 2018
This book is just a mix of rich dad poor dad, think and grow rich and the secret. author himself said in foreword that there is nothing new in the book everything is taken from other books

Still, the narration is engaging and indianised which makes it a good read.

you will like this book even if you never read a book in your life.
2 reviews
March 10, 2018
This is one of the best books I have read about finance. The analogies used by author to make his points are absolutely brilliant. I think it is even better than 'Rich Dad Poor Dad'. Things are explained in a very simple way. There are many important valuable lessons to be learned from this book. A must read.
Profile Image for Sarmistha.
216 reviews59 followers
February 26, 2018
A well written and well researched book. I feel 'Financially Baptized' after reading the book.

A great book for beginners like me who never read about personal finance.The whole financial knowledge is imparted in a story format.The intricate details of money management, wealth creation,investment planing, difference between liability and assets and many other
such terms are explained in a comprehensive manner with day to day examples.
This book helped me analyse my present financial situation and identify the liabilities I am dealing with.It helped me in understanding the difference between Good,Bad and ugly assets and avoiding falling prey to 'Diderot Effect'.It not only enriched my financial knowledge but also taught me some important principles of life.
'Excellence comes when the performer takes pride in doing his best.'

'Research has shown that happiest people are those who use their natural talent to the utmost.'

The narration is engaging and the language used is simple.There are few grammatical mistakes which I came across while reading the book.There are a lot of inspiring quotes from many famous personalities and financial mentors.Few lines which I loved-
'Remember either you create million excuses or you create million rupees.But you cannot create both.'

'A small step is much more powerful than the mightiest intentions.'

'A budget is people telling their money where to go instead of wondering where it went.'

One can easily identify with the mistakes one commonly commit during budget planing and money management.Following few simple rules in the book one can expertly manage their money and move ahead on the road to prosperity.
I enjoyed reading the book and plan to implement all the rules. I would recommend it to everyone who want to gain some knowledge on money matters.
I want to thank the publisher for the review copy.
6 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2020
'The Richest Engineer' is a self-help book on personal finance written by Abhishek Kumar. Although the book is an amalgamation of various aspects covered in other books such as 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' and other articles in the net, it is presented very well in the form of a story.

The story revolves around 2 young lads - Ajay, who is struggling financially due to poor investment decisions and Vinay, his friend, who leverages the financial advice his dad has shared with him. The young lads learn the art of personal financing from each other's experiences, letters from Vinay's dad and through interactions with their classmate Manisha, their football coach and other acquaintances. The term rich person is loosely used to refer to financially successful people and the author has generalized the traits of rich people, to land the key message. The book should be a good refresher on personal finance for everyone and more useful for someone who is starting their career. The book discusses the key concepts, mindset change and ethics required to be financially successful. Also be aware that the book was written 3 years ago and there were a few changes to facts mentioned in the book (post recent budgets) such as tax on dividend income, gains in stocks, etc.,

Overall, a very good book that can be read in real quick time. I really like the way the book is concluded - 'Only way to buy happiness is to give happiness'. For more information on my Kindle notes refer to the blog - http://kartsblackbox.blogspot.com/202...
4 reviews
August 12, 2018
Awesome book with simple math and simple english. Quite easy to understand. Must read for people beginning their career.
3 reviews
April 8, 2019
Great nuggets off financial advice

It was a thorough joy to read this book and would certainly appreciate how the financial nuggets were delivered with good context.

Must read for everyone looking to make smarter investments and looking forward to grow rich!
Profile Image for Divya Ramnath Bandodkar.
Author 3 books19 followers
November 17, 2016
Story in a nutshell:
Ajay is a software engineer working in a software firm. He is doing well in his job well. He and has received praises for his performance. However Ddue to some economic conditionsrecession, a few employees from the organization are being given the pink slip and . Ajay is one amongst them. He realises that he isn't managing his finance properly as he was trapped in a Debt trap.. He remembers his friend, Vinay who is a financial wizardThen his wife reminds him of his school friend, Vinay and all of a sudden a ray of hope is ignited. . He Ajay approaches him Vinay for guidance to manage his finances. What lessons does Ajay learn from Vinay?
Review:
There is no person on this earth who wouldn't want to become rich. This book will serve as a perfect manual for all those people who want to embark on their journey of becoming rich.
The book is divided into three sections: The Thinking, The Action and The Beginning. The first section i.e. The Thinking section will urge you to look at your current financial status. You will be required to do a study on it. There's a difference between 'I want to be rich' and 'I commit to be rich.' The first section will make you introspect your financial situation.
The second section i.e. The Action as the name suggests gives you a chance to change, to mend your ways, to design a plan as to how you'll distribute your finance. It also talks about how your assestss help you grow and how by focusing on your Networth you allow your wealth to grow with time.
The third section i.e. The Beginning is the starting phase or the starting point on your path to richness. It focuses on how you can keep growing rich by remembering certain points and following some idealsprinciples.
When you decide to cook something, what do you do? Firstly, you check if you have all the ingredients required to prepare the dish. This is the first section - The Thinking. Second, you bring all the ingredients together and prepare the dish. This is the second section - The Action. And lastly, you serve the dish to your near and dear ones and await their reviews.
Finance - when you hear this word, the first thought that crosses your mind is figures and spreadsheets. Different terms about finance and commerce aren't a cup of tea for all. Not every person can digest all those terminologies and not everyone can comprehend those terms.
However, Wwith his simple and engaging writing, the author has simplified all of it for us. He has explained it all with the help of a story. The lessons and principles of wealth creation & accumulation have been presented through a well plotted fictional story which makes it easier for the readers to correlate with the characters of the book and grasp the lessons easily. Also, many of the money lessons have been presented through pictures and diagrams. So, just remembering these pictures will help you to know whether you are doing right with your money.
I never remembered the dates of wars and battles. My mother would build a story around it and explain the battles to me. At first, I thought it to be really stupid but as the time passed, I started enjoying it. You will have a similar experience reading this book. No word or term in this book will be incomprehensible and you will enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed. Further more, the author has added a few diagrams and flowcharts which help you understand the lessons well.
Also, the book not only gives technical understandings which one should know to create wealth, it also provides pointers for behavioral and habitual change one needs to bring in him/herself in order to become rich.
Before reading this book, I was among those people who would say that it is only rich who get richer and richer. But I must say, Tthis book has changed my outlook towards richness. I have now understood that Eevery person born has been given equal opportunities like every other. It depends on how well you utilise these opportunities. This book taught me that becoming rich is not a tedious task. The financial lessons, if followed, will help you in many ways.
You want to be rich. Don't you? Grab your copies now!
I rate:
Cover: 3.5/5
Story: 4/5
I rate 'The Richest Engineer' with 4/5 stars.
Profile Image for Abhishek.
2 reviews1 follower
November 12, 2018
Some great lessons on basics of personal finance for beginners. The story and dialogues seem a bit stretched and unnecessary sometimes. Nevertheless, last quarter of the book was interesting. Should a be an easy and short read for anyone just getting started in personal finance.
2 reviews
July 13, 2018
Wonderful book to read. Learnt a lot from this book.
Beauty of the book is that no matter what your level of income is, this book will teach you to save and invest. And yes it dives deep into the psychological barrier which prevents an average middle-class people to start accumulating wealth. I would say that before you read any other technical book on Investment, you should read this book.
Profile Image for Purav Gandhi.
1 review
February 4, 2018
A very good book on helping manage personal finance & setting goals for wealth creation, for beginners. Love the simple narration in story format, making concepts easy to digest and tangible.
Profile Image for Satish Jasthi.
11 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2018
Excellent

A good book for beginners in their journey of managing personal finance, most of key concepts are explained in a simple and clear way
1 review
May 1, 2019
Good book

Very nice book about finance management . I would recommend this book to everyone especially to teenager. Ajay was also good he is my favorite character
Profile Image for Vivek.
478 reviews25 followers
June 11, 2023
Hooter: A 101 on personal financial planning from an Indian context

Using a conversation between two friends, Abhishek tries to bring about the concepts of personal financial planning. I think this is a good starter kit for anyone with zero background - a college student entering the workforce and so on. It does drive home some important messages for those who have missed out on the basics of financial literacy through concepts like

1) Pay yourself first - we tend to pay everything else (bills, tax etc) and have nothing to save for ourself.
2) Income is not wealth / net worth.
3) A rupee saved is 1.5 rupees earned (considering income tax)
4) Multiple streams of income and concept of assets and liabilities.
5) How taxation works across different types of income and how active income is taxed the most.

What I found jarring was the tone deaf nature of poor people versus rich people being the difference of application. I guess it's more of financially literate and fiscally prudent versus actually poor is what he would have wanted to highlight.
Profile Image for Sucheta.
6 reviews
August 22, 2022
In the Richest Engineer, we follow a financially naïve Ajay who seeks out and learns lessons of financial wealth creation from his much wiser friend Vinay.
The financial advice offered is presented in a way that the common individual would understand and relate to. It emphasizes on building a wealth mindset, outlines the difference between wealth and income, tells us what constitutes a good asset and also touches upon ways to save income tax among other things.

The last one third of the book houses the meat of the mindset and action points that the author recommends and is the only part of the book worth your time. The rest is just drinking chai and pakodas many times over with the most flat set of words and scenes strung together.
Just like the compelling need to sit through and finish a book just because I started it is a completely futile habit, the compelling need to write a book just because you have some ideas to share and passive income to generate, is also not useful when writing is not your strong suit.
While written with good intentions, the material could have easily been condensed into a concise blogpost rather than a full length book.

Happy Reading!
Profile Image for Sayan Chaliha.
2 reviews3 followers
September 9, 2017
Let me begin by saying that the advise contained within the book is sound, and really helpful. I've read (and listened) to several books on personal finance and I'm surprised how few exist that focus on India.

With that said, the work is derivative; simply a compilation of information gathered from other sources. Moreover, the language is cringe-worthy. It was with great force of will that I got myself to complete the book.
Profile Image for Vivek Jaiswal.
14 reviews
January 13, 2021
If you can get past how badly the book is written, there are some good personal finance lessons to learn from this one.

The author uses a story of two IT engineers and their journey to manage their finances better as a way to convey his message, which is interesting. But sometimes the story gets unnecessarily stretched.
71 reviews1 follower
September 28, 2021
A very informative book on personal finance that is explained in a way that is best suited for Indian audience. I was already aware of certain concepts like "the power of compounding". However, this same concept was explained with such a practical approach that I was able to grasp the true potential of it. Ideal Financial Practices were communicated in the best possible way.
1 review
February 12, 2018
Good book to read

Writing style is too trivial and makes it hard to read. And mostly information from other books or articles, like Rich Dad poor dad, has been used. The content itself is good for financial planning and self improvement.
Profile Image for vishal.
2 reviews
April 22, 2018
Very well written story on personal finance. I enjoyed reading it, and learnt invaluable lessons on wealth creation, and accumulation. I am inspired by the book and ready to beginning my journey to financial freedom. Must read.
1 review
September 1, 2018
The broken storyline as well as broken financial advice as well. You're well set off to research on the internet about personal finance 101 for few hours and you can save your hard earned money rather than wasting it on this book.
2 reviews
January 5, 2021
It would be a book for absolute beginners. I would recommend this book to anyone who is starting to earn. Some of the points are not elaborated that well but yes the initial chapters will be useful for beginners.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
14 reviews
June 13, 2021
Someone willing to take a peek in world of financial literacy, should include this book in the starters.
I found this one, nice and helpful. Equally important to share is this can be a give away book, and a comeback & take a look again kind as well.
1 review
July 13, 2021
An Amazing Experience

Studying the concepts of personal finance through a story is a great way to immerse into the topic because you feel like you are reading a novel but at the same time you learn the golden nuggets of personal finance very easily.
Profile Image for Ramchand.
16 reviews
March 27, 2022
A great book that builds a mindset and puts out the finance jargon in the most simplest form.
The interesting part of the book is that it written in form of a story. I've had an amazing time listening to this audiobook.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.