When I was 15, I got my first job at a grocery store. Working long hours for little pay, I often wondered whether the choice of how I spend my time would forever be tied to the need to earn money.

The few wealthy people I knew either inherited their money, or had started successful companies. Most of the business owners told me that, in all honesty, a lot of luck was involved.

Hoping not to rely on luck, I began reading books about investing, and what I discovered couldn’t have been more exciting—that with enough time, practically anyone can achieve financial freedom. I put what I learned into practice, and over the next 15 years confirmed that it works.

It’s profoundly important to know that the path to financial freedom is so accessible—just by following a set of basic principles, with discipline. At the same time, it’s tragic that so many never get there, simply due to lack of knowledge.

The problem with most investing books, though, is that they are too long and complex. The basic message that you should be investing gets lost in discussion of non-essential complexities.

That’s why I wrote this book.

I set out to write a book that can be read in an hour, teaches the core principles as concisely as possible, and in the process motivates and convinces you to start investing today.