Praise for Rich As A King

Rich As A King is an entertaining, informative, and very interesting treatment of investment strategy, tactics and wisdom. It is surprisingly exhaustive in its coverage. Its strength lies in three areas. One is the explicit recognition and treatment of the Kahneman type behavioral decision-making flaws that most of us have, and of organized ways to avoid them. The second is the explicit treatment of market psychology as a relevant variable. The third is unique I think: the use of an extended parallel analysis of the game of chess – a kind of analogy. For those who play the game of chess well, the benefit will be the transfer of knowledge they already have to the field of personal investing. For the rest of us, I am less sure that whatever expertise we have in investing plus the book will make us better chess players. But perhaps learning to play chess well will make us more sure-footed investors.”

Michael Spence
Nobel Prize Laureate, Economics, 2001


“Goldstein and Polgar integrate chess and investing strategies in a remarkably entertaining and educational fashion. Chess players who know little about investing, and investors who know little about chess, will gain fresh insights into both. Two very challenging topics are combined in surprising ways to make one very accessible book.”

Ken Rogoff
Professor, Economics Department, Harvard University
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economist, 2001-2003
Chess grandmaster


Rich As A King is a treasure trove of financial tips, brilliantly weaving together the strategic thinking of a chess master with the practical advice of an experienced financial analyst. The authors demonstrate their breadth of knowledge by sprinkling in fascinating insights from the behavioral sciences that help explain why even veteran investors make mistakes with money. The result is a common-sense roadmap that can help investors of all ages strengthen their financial future.”

Doug Shadel, PhD
AARP financial fraud expert and author of Outsmarting the Scam Artists


“This fast-moving, enjoyable book shows you how to think better, make better decisions, and achieve your long-term goals of ‘financial victory’ with great certainty.”

Brian Tracy
Best-selling author, Million Dollar Habits


“Why not make life easier? Apply the systems in this book and become a strategic investor.”

Harry Lorayne
NYT Best-selling author, The Memory Book


“Susan Polgar and Douglas Goldstein have compared the strategy of chess to investing. As a chess player and investor, I found this fascinating and a great read.”

Lewis B. Cullman
Chairman Emeritus, Chess in the Schools, and author of Can’t Take It With You: The Art of Making and Giving Money


“You don’t need to be a chess player to appreciate the practical advice of this well written book by Susan Polgar and Doug Goldstein. Readers of Rich As A King will be richly rewarded for their effort to see their finances in a fresh light.”

Gil Weinreich
Editor-in-Chief, Research Magazine


“With an abundance of wit and wisdom, Rich As A King provides one insight after another about chess, investing, and life.”

William D. Cohan
Contributing editor at Fortune, and NYT best-selling author, Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World


“Chess teaches the basic principles of life. There are consequences or benefits for every decision we make. It is vital that each person consider how today’s decisions affect tomorrow’s future. We recommend you read Rich As A King.”

Jim Bob Duggar
Father of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting


“From the open until endgame, Rich As A King delivers solid financial advice with fascinating insights from the world of chess.”

Terrance Odean
Professor of Finance, University of California, Berkeley


“It is rare to find a readable and interesting book concerning investments. Yet, Rich As A King by Grandmaster Susan Polgar and Douglas Goldstein, CFP® is such a book. Their story humanizes investment advice. It combines the wisdom of a master chess player and a thoughtful investment advisor. Chess strategies are applied to investment decisions, while recognizing self-knowledge in selecting one’s investments. We can enjoy and learn at the same time.”

Tamar Frankel
Professor of Law, Boston University, author of The Ponzi Scheme Puzzle


“Chess has been one of our most useful thought-tools for nearly 1,500 years. Polgar and Goldstein are cleverly carrying on one of humanity’s oldest traditions.”

David Shenk
NYT Best-selling author, The Immortal Game: A History of Chess


“The ancient game of chess has powerful strategic secrets locked within it that can mean the difference between victory and defeat, success and failure, and I use it as the primary metaphor in my classes on crafting business strategy. Now, Goldstein and Polgar reveal these powerful strategic chess secrets and apply them to the realm of personal finance. Rich As A King melds the wisdom of a chess grandmaster and the business acumen of a finance wizard to create a readable and immensely rewarding guide to personal financial security. Powerful and timely, concise and spot-on, a sure guide to financial victory!”

Professor Stanley K. Ridgley
Department of Management, LeBow College of Business, Drexel University


“We do not see the rivals on the other side of our trades, blind to the likelihood that we are the losers. But we see the rivals on the other side of our chessboards, forcing us to ask whether we are likely to be the losers. Susan Polgar and Douglas Goldstein demonstrate in this wonderful book that thinking like a chess grandmaster can help you act as an investment grandmaster.”

Professor Meir Statman
Department of Finance, Santa Clara University
Author of What Investors Really Want: Discover What Drives Investor Behavior and Make Smarter Financial Decisions


“In Rich As A King, Douglas Goldstein and Susan Polgar present a logical, move-by-move game plan for successful financial planning and investing.”

Professor Arthur Benjamin
Department of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College


“Douglas Goldstein and Susan Polgar are Grandmasters of their craft. The strategies underlying their success are fascinating and apply to many spheres outside of chess and investing – I have adopted many!”

Julie Deane
President, The Cambridge Satchel Company, winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise


“Susan Polgar and Doug Goldstein take financial strategy-making to an entirely new level by showing how financial decisions and strategies are like the strategies employed by the chess masters. In entertaining and easy to understand prose, Susan and Doug show us the way to achieve personal financial success step by step. This thorough and comprehensive recipe for success will stimulate your thinking and improve your personal financial results. I highly recommend this book to those looking to improve their financial wellbeing.”

Henry E. Juszkiewicz
CEO – Gibson Guitars


“Everyone knows that investments can be like a game of poker, but this intriguing system for maximizing profit and minimizing risk when trading stocks employs the strategy and tactics of the greatest game of them all, chess, to help you make decisions that will increase the value of your portfolio. You don’t have to be a good chess player to understand the intriguing parallels suggested in this highly entertaining approach to getting rich by playing the market.”

Nicholas Wapshott
Author, Keynes Hayek: The Clash That Defined Modern Economics
Reuters contributing columnist


“Sun Tzu argued that as much as it was important to know the enemy, know the climate and know the terrain, a master strategist needed to know himself: to understand his own strengths and weaknesses. In Rich As A King, Goldstein and Polgar alert their readers to the myriad of psychological inclinations and prejudicial biases that plague most investors. Bad investment choices often arise from a critical lack of self-awareness. Not knowing how to invest comes from not knowing oneself.”

Professor Andrew R. Wilson
Department of Strategy and Policy, U.S. Naval War College


“This book is a must read for those who believe that chess is a metaphor for life, and especially for those who want to make sound investments for the long term. The synergy generated by combining the insights of a chess grandmaster with the skills of a professional financial planner is amazing. Careful readers can expect to develop better habits for both investing and for playing chess!”

Professor Hersh Shefrin
Mario L. Belotti Professor of Finance, Santa Clara University, and author of Beyond Greed and Fear: Understanding Behavioral Finance and the Psychology of Investing