The Richest Man in Babylon
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clasonby George S. Clason
Shares rank 6 of 7 personal finance books by recommenders
People recommend it for timeless advice on avoiding greed and envy and on using money well, delivered as an easy story-format read.
People recommend it for timeless advice on avoiding greed and envy and on using money well, delivered as an easy story-format read.
2 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Timeless advice on avoiding greed and envy
“Avoiding greed, envy, the hedonic treadmill, etc , will never not be good advice.”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “The Art of Money Getting” Focus on how money is used
“It doesn't matter how much you have. It's how you use it.”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: How does one get rich in 2026?” Easy read in story format
“It’s an easy read in story format.”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: How does one get rich in 2026?”
Other personal finance books people recommend
The four most recommended other personal finance books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Psychology of Moneyby Morgan Housel | 3 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Die with Zeroby Bill Perkins | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| The Art of Spending Moneyby Morgan Housel | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| The Millionaire Next Doorby Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko | 3 | 1 | 75% | 3 | — | — |
| The Richest Man in Babylonby George S. ClasonThis page | 2 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Avoiding greed, envy, the hedonic treadmill, etc , will never not be good advice.”
“It doesn't matter how much you have. It's how you use it.”
“It’s an easy read in story format.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.