Several months ago, I was contacted by someone from Wharton School Publishing, the publisher of the book Wealth: Grow It, Protect It, Spend It, and Share It by Stuart Lucas. It has been some time since I received the book and I have not written a thing about it. I owe them the courtesy of saying something about the book, so here goes..

I like to read books about business, investing, and growing wealth, and I like to read books by people that have firsthand experience in this area. When I originally heard about this book (and asked that the publisher send me a copy) it was because I was under the impression that this book fit within my criteria.

I am confident that Stuart Lucas’ book contains many gems of wisdom when it comes to wealth and asset management. Unfortunately, many of his gems don’t really apply to me. You see, Stuart Lucas inherited most of his money, and the book was written from the perspective of someone that is trying to manage a huge fortune vice someone that has successfully built their own.

The book starts off with a quote that alienated me right away: “What is the best way to make a small fortune? Start with a big one.”

In that sense, this book is really written for someone like Paris Hilton more than it is written for me. (Although I really don’t think that Paris Hilton would ever be able to make it through this book unless her trust fund was on the line.)

Stuart Lucas’ book has received glowing reviews on Amazon, and was mentioned in both Publishers Weekly and Newsweek. Even the folks at Publishers Weekly acknowledged that “the subject is dry”, which allows me to not feel as bad with what I have to say about the book:

I tried to read it. I really did. But to be honest this book is a pretty tough read. I really wanted to like it. I really wanted to walk away with some gems of wisdom. But, to date, I have not gotten much out of this book that is both new to me and applicable to me. Not yet, at least. (I plan on keeping this book on my shelf with the hope that some day it might be more applicable to either myself or my heirs.)

If you happen to be someone that has inherited a large sum of money, I would recommend looking for Wealth: Grow It, Protect It, Spend It, and Share It at your local bookstore or library. Mr. Lucas’ book will help you with big picture planning and give you plenty of food for thought.

But if your goal is to make your first million (vice inherit it), I would advise you to steer clear of this book.