Learn To Invest Like A Rockefeller

Motley Fool   |  Jim Fink   |   December 3, 2007 04:42 PM

Read More: Carlos Slim, Investing, John D Rockefeller, John Rockefeller, Breaking Business News
stumbleupon :Learn To Invest Like A Rockefeller   digg: Learn To Invest Like A Rockefeller   reddit: Learn To Invest Like A Rockefeller   del.icio.us: Learn To Invest Like A Rockefeller

Who said that? Some elderly retiree in Florida?

Nope. None other than oil man John D. Rockefeller, the wealthiest man the world has ever known. On inflation-adjusted terms, Rockefeller's early-20th-century fortune is estimated by Forbes to be more than $300 billion today -- roughly five times the wealth of today's richest man, Carlos Slim.

Making money
John D. Rockefeller had two goals in life:

1. Make $100,000.
2. Live to be 100 years old.

While he failed to achieve the second goal (by only 26 months), he satisfied the first one more than 1,000 times over.

Rockefeller quickly learned that the fastest and easiest way to make money was to sell "real" products that every household needed. When he discovered that crude oil could be refined into kerosene, a high-quality illuminating oil for lamps (automobiles and their need for gasoline would come later), Rockefeller saw the opportunity to help every U.S. family light up its house and jumped into the oil business in 1863.

Comments for this post are now closed

 
 

Comments
7
Pending Comments
0

Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to

View Comments:
- godlessclif See Profile I'm a Fan of godlessclif permalink

Bill Gates "sell your soul" contract with IBM clone makers that carried Microsoft's operating system was patterned on Rockefeller's contract with the railroads that carried his oil.

The key clause: "Carry anyone else's operating system you have to pay Microsoft $100 per other O.S. Installation."

Rocky: "Carry anyone else's oil you have to pay Standard Oil $1.00 a barrel."

That made Rocky's oil $1.00 cheaper than anyone
else's oil.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:47 PM on 12/04/2007
- curiousasheck See Profile I'm a Fan of curiousasheck permalink

Greatest Robber Baron that ever roamed.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:40 PM on 12/03/2007
- mrcontinental See Profile I'm a Fan of mrcontinental permalink

Uh don't you need Rockefeller money to invest like a Rockefeller?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:29 PM on 12/03/2007
Comments are closed for this entry

You must be logged in to reply to this comment. Log in