40-Year-Old Retiree Says Three Books Changed His Life

Jamal Robinson is not your typical retiree. The 40-year-old has amassed a $3.6 million net worth.

Last year, Robinson decided to settle down in Dubai after leaving his job as a tech executive in generative AI. He told CNBC’s Make It about how he got to quit decades before hitting one’s typical retirement age. His millions remain spread out across savings, investments, and cash on-hand. Now, Robinson lives a debt-free lifestyle that he built on his own terms.

Three books, he said, changed his mindset to reach this goal. First, The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley, educated him about money management at an early age.

The book taught him that having money should not equate to reckless spending and that millionaires often keep their cash tight. That resolve led Robinson to save up to 90% of his earnings.

Die With Zero by Bill Perkins is helping Robinson heal his own relationship with money. While still viewing himself as a “minimum wage guy” despite his million-dollar net worth, this book has allowed Robinson to open his checkbook for something more meaningful.

His goals include only using 5% of his investment portfolio, totally to $185,000 a year. With these funds, he hopes to travel more and spend on things that further his wellness.

The last book that inspired his money mindset is The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. It remains his top recommendation for anyone on a financial journey. Housel’s collection of short stories details how psychology influences people’s money habits.

Besides those three books, Robinson encourages people to havin more open conversations about finances to gain new perspectives.

“I would just always ask [financial] questions, and be really deliberate and take advantage of the opportunity of the minds that I had around me that had accomplished more and had been older,” he said.

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