| So that's what I wrote about: What you can do - immediately - to start living the life of your dreams. It's a deeply personal book, one that reveals how I went from being flat broke to being a high-net-worth individual in a remarkably short period of time. Yes, the American Dream is about a lot more than just having money. (I cover those other aspects in the book as well.) But money is independence. It liberates you from want, from work that is drudgery, from relationships that confine you. No one is truly free who is a slave to his job, his creditors, his circumstances, or his overhead. Wealth is the great equalizer. If you have money, you have power - in the best sense. Wealth is freedom, security, and peace of mind. It allows you to do and be what you want, to support worthy causes, and help those closest to you. It enables you to follow your dreams, to spend your life the way you choose. Money gives you dignity. It gives you freedom. It gives you choices. You have a right - and, I'd argue, a responsibility - to attain some level of financial independence. Some may think I've enjoyed extraordinary circumstances that they didn't. But that is almost certainly not the case. I was born - with no great genetic gifts - into a solidly middle-class family. I was not a great student. I did not go to private schools. (As a kid, I didn't even know anyone who attended a private school.) I did not study at an elite university. I did not earn any scholarships, academic honors, or advanced degrees. I had no family connections, no mentor, and no professional network. I have never started a company, run a company, or held a management position ever. I was in my mid-40s before I earned my first salary. (Until then, I worked only straight commission jobs, also known as the "no deals, no meals" program.) And I have never received a dime of inheritance or a monetary gift - other than what can fit inside a birthday card - from anyone... ever. Yet I became a multimillionaire while still a young man - and continue to compound my wealth today. My point is not to brag. (Indeed, there is nothing on this list - aside from the financial freedom I obtained - that is the least bit laudatory.) I just want readers to understand that my net worth did not accrue because I'm an exceptional person or came from exceptional circumstances. It happened because the principles of wealth creation work. I adhered to them. And the good news is they are available to everyone. In the weeks ahead, I'm going to reveal those insights right here in these columns. Why? Because my publisher, Wiley, screwed up. The first printing of my new book is only 13,200 copies. Yet there are more than 165,000 Oxford Club Members. That means it will sell out quickly. (Especially since some Members have already bought multiple copies to give to their kids and grandkids.) In the weeks ahead, we'll talk about why the American Dream still exists ... and exactly how to achieve it. Amazingly, seven in 10 Americans don't believe this is even possible. We'll discuss why they're dead wrong. And why that belief - promoted by many - is a big part of the problem. Good investing, Alex | 
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