Some people appear to build and grow wealth with ease, while many others find it far easier to spend than to save or invest. This can make financial success seem like a matter of luck or privilege. In reality, it is often the result of consistent habits, informed decisions, and a clear understanding of how money works. The good news is that these principles can be learned, practised, and applied by anyone willing to approach money more thoughtfully.
Learn how to generate more money, handle it wisely, and use it well.
Understand how wealthy people think, and challenge money myths that hold you back.
Pick three or four Rules, build habits, and begin making progress immediately.
Set objectives, get your finances under control, and create new income streams.
Think long term, manage risk sensibly, and invest only in what you understand.
Learn simple ways to earn more money, manage it carefully, and use it wisely.
Understand how your thinking about money can affect your financial choices.
You can start with a few simple rules and begin building better money habits immediately.
Organise your finances and think about different ways to earn income.
It encourages a long-term approach to managing risk and investing carefully.
The Rules of Wealth presents a practical and personal guide to building lasting prosperity. As the author of the internationally bestselling Rules series, Templar distils complex financial ideas into clear, everyday principles that are easy to understand and apply.
The book contains rules that are short, focused, and straightforward, guiding you step by step from developing a wealth-focused mindset to building, managing, and sustaining financial security.
As you work through the entries, the principles begin to feel natural rather than instructional. Gradually, your decisions shift from uncertainty and guesswork to consistent, practical actions that support stability, comfort, and greater financial freedom.
This book is ideal for anyone seeking a clearer approach to money and a more confident path toward success in both life and work.
Thinking wealthy
1 Anybody can be wealthy - you just need to apply yourself
2 Decide on your definition of wealth
3 Set your objectives
4 Keep it under your hat
5 Most people are too lazy to be wealthy
6 Get a reality check
7 Understand your money beliefs and where they come from
8 Understand that wealth is a consequence, not a reward
9 Decide what you want money for
10 Understand that money begets money
11 Calculate the net return
12 If you see money as the solution you'll find it becomes the problem
13 You can make lots of money, you can enjoy your job, and you can sleep nights
14 Don't make money by being bad
15 Money and happiness - understand their relationship
16 Know the difference between price and value
17 Know how the wealthy think
18 Don't envy what others have
19 It's harder to manage yourself than it is to manage your money
Getting wealthy
20 You've got to know where you are before you start
21 You've got to have a plan
22 Get your finances under control
23 Insurance pays someone, and odds are it's not you
24 Only by looking wealthy can you become wealthy
25 Speculate to accumulate (no, this isn't gambling)
26 Decide your attitude to risk
27 Think through the alternatives to taking a risk
28 If you don't trust someone, don't do business with them
29 It's never too late to start getting wealthy
30 Start saving young (or teach your kids this one if it's too late for you)
31 Understand that your financial needs change at different stages of your life
32 You have to work hard to get rich enough not to have to work hard
33 Learn the art of deal making
34 Learn the art of negotiating
35 Small economies won't make you wealthy but they will make you miserable
36 Real wealth comes from deals not fees
37 Understand that working for others won't necessarily make you rich - but it might
38 Don't waste time procrastinating - make money decisions quickly
39 Work as if you didn't need the money
40 Spend less than you earn
41 Don't borrow money - unless you really, really have to
42 Consider consolidating debts
43 Cultivate a skill and it'll repay you over and over again
44 Pay off your loans and debts as a priority
45 Don't be too busy earning a living to make some money
46 Save in big chunks - or should you?
47 Don't rent, buy
48 Understand what investing really means
49 Build a bit of capital then invest it wisely
50 Understand that property, in the long run, will not outpace shares
51 Master the art of selling
52 See yourself as others do
53 Don't believe you can always win
54 Don't pick stocks yourself if you don't know what you're doing
55 Understand how the stock market really works
56 Only buy shares (or anything) you can understand
57 Use your head
58 By all means, use the investment professionals (but don't be used by them)
59 If you are going to get financial advice, pay for it
60 Know your way round the Internet
61 Don't fiddle
62 Think long term
63 Have a set time of day to work on your wealth strategy
64 Pay attention to detail
65 Create new income streams
66 Learn to play 'What if?'
67 Control spending impulses
68 Don't answer ads that promise get-rich-quick schemes - it won't be you who gets rich quick
69 There are no secrets
70 Don't just read this - do something
Getting even wealthier
71 Carry out a finance health check regularly
72 Get some money mentors
73 Play your hunches
74 Don't sit back
75 Get someone to do the stuff you can't
76 Know yourself - solo, duo or team player
77 Look for the hidden asset/opportunity
78 Don't try to get rich too quickly
79 Always ask what's in it for them
80 Make your money work for you
81 Know when to let go of investments
82 Know your own style
83 Know why you should be able to read a balance sheet - and how
84 Be one step ahead of your tax collector
85 Learn how to make your assets work for you
86 Don't ever believe you're only worth what you are being paid
87 Don't follow the same route as everyone else
Staying wealthy
88 Shop for quality
89 Check the small print
90 Don't spend it before you've got it
91 Put something aside for your old age - no, more than that!
92 Put something aside for emergencies/rainy days - the contingency fund
93 You paid what for it? How to shop around
94 Never borrow money from friends or family (but you can allow them to invest)
95 Don't surrender equity
96 Know when to stop
Sharing your wealth
97 Use your wealth wisely
98 Never lend money to friends or family unless you are prepared to write it off
99 Don't lend, take equities
100 You really, really can't take it with you
101 Know when/how to say no - and yes
102 Find ways to give people money without them feeling they are in your debt
103 Don't over-protect your children from the valuable experience of poverty
104 Know how to choose charities/good causes
105 Spend your own money because no one will spend it as wisely as you
106 Take responsibility before you take advice
107 Once you've got it, don't flaunt it
108 What's next? Pacts with the devil?
The Rules of other people's wealth
1 Don't judge
2 Don't envy it
3 Other people's money belongs to them
4 They can give it all away if they like
5a Once they've gone, you can't ask questions
5b Once they've gone, you can't ask questions
6 Blood comes before money
7 Your children owe you nothing
8 Don't make money taboo
9 If they give it to you, it's yours
Had enough yet . . . ?
