[yhwhsman]

The whole approach is flawed: were there a definite set of characteristics guaranteed to make one a billionaire, then it is only reasonable to suggest that everyone not barred by some congenital deficiency would have become a billionaire by now, or would be well on one's way to

You are right, and the biggest 'congenital deficiency' people have are they themselves.

Not sure if he's a billionaire by now, but this man became a millionaire and then lost everything, only to fight his way back to success. It's a very good book: Self-Made in America, Plain Talk for Plain People About the Meaning of Success.

Another good book on becoming successful: The Magic of Thinking Big.

[GSlob]

For a millionairehood there is a guaranteed recipe: start in early 20s and keep maxing on 401k, and use index funds so as not to be led astray.- i.e. persistence, compounded interest over a long time, broad market tracking. But then, being a millionaire is not what it used to be. To get to a "b-" level, though, this recipe is plainly insufficient - there one really needs to know what one is doing.