Want To Be The Richest Person in America? Follow Hetty Green’s Example

At the recommendation of one of my clients, I’m reading a new book, The Richest Woman in America: Hetty Green in the Gilded Age, by Janet Wallach. Each night as I read, I am fascinated by this woman known as a financial genius and nicknamed “The Witch of Wall Street.” I’m also intrigued by the tumultuous times in which she lived, invested, and thrived financially – an era of enormous economic growth, yet struggling with significant social issues and widespread poverty. Read more of my latest Forbes.com column.