The Ten Roads to Riches: The Ways The Wealthy Got There (And How You Can Too!)

Chapter 4. RICH ... AND FAMOUS

Seeking fame and fortune?

Don't mind abdicating privacy?

Try cruising the rich - and - famous road.

Rich and famous is a popular dream. But most rich folks aren't famous. They own trailer parks or small businesses. They're accountants or doctors, not living fantasy lifestyles. We think big limos, Superbowl rings, Oscars, owning sports teams, or making movies. This road is the stuff of grade-school career aspirations—baseball player, actress, Oprah, Tiger. This road's riches can be planned for, though realistically it's closed to most by the time we're adults. It requires a young start. Kids dream of stardom. Such kid dreamers kid themselves. Be warned—though this road's riches are legitimate, it's hard work and odds of success here are super slim.

Or not. This road has two forks. One is talent—Derek Jeter, Whitney Houston, and Cameron Diaz. The other is mogul—Ted Turner, Rupert Murdoch—who own and run media empires.

The media mogul road is more attainable—you needn't throw a tight spiral or look like Cameron Diaz. You just need what any successful businessperson needs—perseverance, smarts, and luck. It happens later in life, too. But that doesn't make the talent road less tempting.

There's an occasional crossover here—talents who become moguls and vice versa, though it's rare. Oprah (worth $2.5 billion)^[55] is the richest talent-mogul crossover. She parlayed a newscaster career (talent) into a talk show she produces (talent and mogul). En route, she starred ...