The Richest Man in Babylon

Name two of Clason’s rules that you believe are highly relevant to modern financial planning. How can these rules be useful to the reader? How do Clason’s characters make a case for them? Explain.

Was Clason successful as a businessman? Research his business enterprises and find connections between his own business and financial practices and those he espouses in The Richest Man in Babylon.

Identify two challenges modern readers may have in interpreting and carrying out Clason’s financial advice. How would you improve these points to make them more actionable for current readers? Cite outside sources as needed.

Why does Clason leave women out of the discussion of gaining and pursuing financial independence? What aspects of the culture in which Clason was writing—1920s United States—inform his ideas about gender and wealth?

While Clason’s work encourages people to pursue wealth and emphasizes the great effects money can have on our lives, he acknowledges that becoming wealthy can also create fear and stress. How does he advise the reader to navigate the increased power, responsibility, and anxiety that he says come with being wealthy?

Choose three characters from Clason’s parables who transform their lives and financial habits. What kind of points is Clason trying to make by describing their changes, and does he do this effectively? Why or why not?

Most of Clason’s advice is very general and does not address the complex nature of modern banking and finance. How would you update Clason’s work for the 21st century reader?

Throughout The Richest Man in Babylon, Clason implies that anyone can work their way from indebtedness and poverty to success. Do you agree or disagree? Refer to Clason’s examples in the book and relevant secondary sources.