Publisher, Bantam Doubleday Dell (March 2000)

In the tradition of the mega bestseller The Millionaire Next Door, Eight Steps to Seven Figures brings together in-depth interviews with over two hundred everyday people whose investments have made them millionaires. But while The Millionaire Next Door describes its subjects' lifestyles and spending habits, Eight Steps to Seven Figures focuses squarely on the investing strategies and principles that ordinary people have used to achieve the magic million-dollar mark.

Bestselling author and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charles Carlson reveals the keys used by the newly wealthy to reap extraordinary dividends, including a discussion of the specific stocks, bonds, and other financial vehicles they choose as part of their investment mix. In the course of the book, readers learn how to determine how much time they need to spend researching and watching over their portfolios, when to buy, and equally important, when to sell. From hundreds of accounts of those Carlson calls "Main Street millionaires," he distills eight specific investment rules anyone can follow to become financially worry-free. Among the lessons he outlines and elaborates on:

Buy and Hold and Buy and Hold and Buy and Hold —Harness the power of time in growing your portfolio and compounding your investment returns.

Know Where You Are Going —Determine your investment time frame, financial goals, and risk "comfort" level to put together a successful wealth-building strategy.

Play to Your Strengths —Everyone has different personality strengths, investment advantages, and specialized knowledge that they bring to the table; recognize and exploit them in achieving your financial goals.

Filled with the insights and investment advice that hundreds of everyday people have followed to become rich, and buttressed with countless you-are-there stories of how these millionaires did it, Eight Steps to Seven Figures is an absolute must for today's investors.

About the Author: CHARLES B. CARLSON, CFA, is author of the books Buying Stock Without a Broker and No-Load Stocks, and of the "DRIP Investor" and "No-Load Stock Insider" investment newsletters, reaching some 300,000 subscribers. Carlson earned his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and his comments appear regularly in the top business press, from Forbes to the New York Times to USA Today. He lives in Hammond, Indiana.