Back in the spring, the teacher of my entrepreneurial class recommended a series of books by Robert Kiyosaki, a self-made millionaire who grew up in Hawaii (poor kid) who was the son of a hard-working public official. Although his father made plenty of money, he always had to work hard for it. His father's friend, on the other hand, developed businesses and systems that allowed him to make millions by barely lifting a finger.
The original book by Kiyosaki is called Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which is an euphenism for these two men. Although Kiyosaki's father was not truly poor, Kiyosaki felt that the way of his friend's father was the path to financial freedom, while his own father's way was only the path to harder work. I highly recommend these books to you.
Here's a gem from one of the books (I do not remember which):
The purchase of Manhattan Island is said to be one of the great bargains of all time. New York was purchased for $24 in trinkets and beads. Yet, if that $24 had been invested, at 8 percent annually, that $24 would have been worth more than $28 trillion by 1995. Manhattan could be repurchased, with money left over to buy much of Los Angeles.
