The Millionaire Next Door (Thomas Stanley)

Thomas Stanley and William Danko spent 20 years studying actual millionaires and discovered something that shattered every assumption: most of them drive used cars, live in modest homes, and have never spent more than $399 on a suit. The book's data shows that wealth accumulation correlates with frugality, not income. The people who look rich usually aren't; the people who are rich usually don't look it. The UAW (Under Accumulator of Wealth) vs. PAW (Prodigious Accumulator of Wealth) framework remains the gold standard for measuring financial health.