You know their names. Billionaires Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, and Richard Branson all had their own realty TV shows. Ross Perot founded the Reform Party and ran for President. Ted Turner is the outspoken founder of CNN and other cable channels that bear his name. George Soros is known for funding Democratic political candidates and organizations such as MoveOn.org. Mikhail Khodorkovsky was the richest man in Russia until he was jailed by Vladimir Putin in 2003. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have recently made news for the largest charitable donations in history.

But just how does someone like Martha Stewart rise from a lower-middle-class family to become a billionaire from a magazine and TV show about crafts and cooking? How did the others build their fortunes? Could they repeat their successes? Are the ultra-rich just lucky? Or do they have some special skill or knowledge that allows them to succeed where so many others fail. What motivates them? How close did they come to losing it all? Most importantly, what can you learn from them to become richer yourself?

Did you ever wonder how rich people get rich? Did you ever drive around the fancy neighborhood in your town, look at the big houses and wonder what someone did to be able to afford that? I have.

Billionaire: How the Ultra-Rich Built Their Fortunes through Good and Evil And What You Can Learn From Them answers these questions. This book explores the how twelve of the world's most interesting billionaires achieved their financial successes. Learn their actions and strategies, both the good and the bad, which they undertook to make them billionaires. The book explores the factors that lead to their financial successes, and in some cases, near collapse and prison.

Compelling Profiles of:

Bill Gates - Founder of Microsoft

Larry Ellison - Founder of database software company Oracle and arch-rival to Gates

Ross Perot - Founder of EDS and former Presidential candidate for the Reform party

Warren Buffett - Considered by many the world's greatest investor

George Soros - Financier and funder of left-wing political groups

Donald Trump - Famed real-estate investor and media celebrity

Ted Turner - Founder of CNN and other cable channels

Martha Stewart - The woman behind the decorating media empire

Fred Smith - Founder of FedEx

Jim Clark - The founder of Internet software company Netscape - the company that created the dot-com bubble.

Richard Branson - The man behind the Virgin brands and one of the world's great entrepreneurs.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky - The Russian oligarch who profitted from the collapse of the Soviet empire and ended up in prison.