Climb the Ladder of Wealth: 6 Ways to Significantly Grow Your Assets

Author Nick Maggiulli · Publisher RHK · Published 2026-04-10 · ISBN 9788925569574

Book Introduction

"Strategically elevate your wealth level!
The game of wealth has completely different rules at each stage!"

6 Ways to Significantly Grow Your Assets

★New York Times Bestseller ★Amazon Bestseller
★Recommended by Oh Gun-young (Shinhan Bank Executive Director), Lee Sang-geon (Mirae Asset Investment & Pension Center Director), Baek Eok-nam (Economic Creator)!

Elon Musk, Charlie Munger, John D. Rockefeller, and others –
The mindset about money of those at the very top of the wealth ladder
"After climbing the wealth ladder, my perspective on money completely changed!"

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's long-time partner, said in an interview with CNBC that he regretted not accumulating more wealth. The anchor asked, "What do you mean? You've succeeded in every aspect of your life. What would you want to change?" Munger replied, "Well, not that, but I could have made trillions of dollars, not just billions. … I think it would have been better if I had done things differently regarding what I almost lost because I wasn't smart enough or didn't work hard enough." A few weeks later, Charlie Munger passed away, this interview being his last.
A reporter once asked John D. Rockefeller, then the wealthiest man, "How much money is enough?" Rockefeller replied, "Just a little more."
Elon Musk's net worth surged from $25 billion to $340 billion as Tesla's stock price skyrocketed. During this period, Musk's wealth increased by over $1 billion every two days on average, or $6,000 per second. Musk woke up $100 million richer every morning after going to bed! This enormous increase in Musk's wealth is no mere coincidence. It is deeply connected to how he invested his money.

Ultra-high-net-worth individuals like Charlie Munger, John D. Rockefeller, and Elon Musk, with over $100 million in net worth, do not invest heavily in cars, homes, or retirement funds. They invest most of their assets in businesses or income-generating assets over which they have control. Therefore, their assets tend to rise (or fall) rapidly.
Nick Maggiulli, the author of "Get on the Wealth Ladder," says his perspective on money completely changed as he climbed the wealth ladder himself. He started at Stage 2 of the wealth ladder and is now moving past Stage 4. His net worth increased from over $10,000 in Stage 2 to over $10 million in Stage 4. Having risen to this level of wealth, Nick met various wealthy individuals and, as a data scientist and investment expert, collected and analyzed countless data and materials to create his own method of wealth accumulation: the "Wealth Ladder" formula.
Nick emphasizes that different mindsets and strategies are needed for each stage of wealth. The strategy that worked in Stage 1 becomes useless in Stage 6, and conversely, a strategy suitable for Stage 6 won't work in Stage 1. Which stage are you in? Identify your starting point based on your current net worth, and strategically build wealth by following the guide presented in this book.

Common traits and pitfalls of wealthy people revealed through meticulous data by a top Wall Street data scientist and investment expert

"Just Keep Buying," which immediately became an Amazon #1 bestseller, garnered significant attention! In his first book, Nick Maggiulli emphasized, "Just keep buying consistently" rather than impulsively investing in the volatile financial world. However, after receiving feedback from various readers, he realized that his previous work only presented technical methods without considering investors' environments or situations. Telling someone living paycheck to paycheck to keep investing was not an appropriate approach.
Therefore, in his new book, "Get on the Wealth Ladder," Nick divides wealth into six stages based on net worth. He explains not only the mindset and investment methods to prioritize at each stage but also the pitfalls to avoid. For example, those in Stage 1, low-income individuals with a net worth of less than $10,000, should find ways to reduce expenses and increase income. Investing is not the priority. The author doesn't just verbally say "reduce expenses" but offers more realistic methods. Remember the 0.01% spending rule for net worth! In Stage 2, $1, and in Stage 3, $10 is the allowed 0.01% range for spending decisions.
However, reducing expenses alone cannot accumulate wealth. Income is what matters. The author says that if you can earn 1% of your net worth, you should do it, no matter what the work, putting aside your pride. Only in Stage 3 does Nick recommend investing. This stage is where you have the "freedom to dine out" without much consideration for the price of what you eat. Therefore, it is necessary to expand your investment methods.
And to move from Stage 3 to Stages 4-5, he says that starting a business or entrepreneurship is necessary. However, he warns that starting a business comes with great difficulties. Citing Elon Musk's statement, "If you need encouragement, don't start a business," and Nvidia's Jensen Huang's remark, "If they told me to start a business again, I would never do it," he explains points to note and consider at each stage of wealth accumulation.

"Is that investment the right strategy for you right now?"
A new framework for building wealth, based on the author's real experiences
climbing the wealth ladder himself from the middle class to the ultra-rich

Author Nick Maggiulli was not able to become wealthy through inheritance or gifts. He lived an unprivileged life in childhood due to his parents' divorce and bankruptcy. In high school, he collected cans and returned them to centers for recycling refunds to get by. Entering Stanford University, a prestigious private school, opened his eyes to a new environment. Seeing his wealthy friends, he realized their attitudes and mindsets were different from his. From starting a litigation consulting firm to becoming an investment expert in New York, he met various wealthy people and gained new opportunities for wealth through blogging. In doing so, Nick climbed the wealth ladder one step at a time.
Through this book, he reveals the core methods for climbing the wealth ladder from Stage 1 to Stage 6. His analyses are more vivid and realistic because they are based on his own journey to wealth. According to his analysis, in Stage 1, focus on stability; in Stage 2, education and skills; in Stage 3, investment; in Stage 4, start a business; and in Stage 5, scale up. When Stage 6 is reached, the focus should be on preserving wealth. Find the stage that suits you and strategically build wealth.
The author advises not to be impatient, as data analysis shows that it takes an average of over 10 years to climb one rung of the ladder. The typical age of households above Stage 4 on the wealth ladder is in their 60s. So why do you think you can reach it in your 30s or 40s? Unless you take groundbreaking action, you should not expect groundbreaking results. What stage of wealth will you be in the future? Will you be climbing the wealth ladder, descending it, or remaining at the same stage?

"Get on the Wealth Ladder" is a strategy guide about money. Meticulously written based on data and materials, this book provides an overview of asset formation and guides you to achieve your wealth journey step by step. This book reveals for the first time an innovative framework that changes the "mindset about money," created by intensively analyzing the financial information of tens of thousands of American households over 40 years. It contains the optimal answers to integrate various wealth-building strategies that exist by age and assets. This is why you must read this book, presented by Nick Maggiulli, Wall Street's top data scientist and investment expert, through meticulous data analysis.

Table of Contents

Recommendations
To the Readers in Korea
Prologue

PART 1 What is the Wealth Ladder?
1. The 0.01% Spending for Climbing the Wealth Ladder
2. The Income Rule for Climbing the Wealth Ladder
3. Investment Methods for Climbing the Wealth Ladder

PART 2 6 Strategies for Rushing Up the Wealth Ladder
4. Wealth Ladder Stage 1 | Under $10,000 - Survival Strategy
5. Wealth Ladder Stage 2 | $10,000-$100,000 - Education & Skill Strategy
6. Wealth Ladder Stage 3 | $100,000-$1,000,000 - Investment Strategy
7. Wealth Ladder Stage 4 | $1,000,000-$10,000,000 - Entrepreneurship Strategy
8. Wealth Ladder Stage 5 | $10,000,000-$100,000,000 - Business Expansion Strategy
9. Wealth Ladder Stage 6 | Over $100,000,000 - Asset Protection Strategy
10. How Long Does It Take to Climb the Wealth Ladder?

PART 3 Finding Your Own Goals to Become Wealthy
11. Can Money Buy Happiness?
12. The Four Types of Wealth That Change Lives
13. How I Climbed the Wealth Ladder

Epilogue Simplicity Within Complexity