Wondering How To Make Money? Economists Say Start Here

If there were an easy answer to the question of how to make money, we wouldn’t be in a constant state of panic about the stock market, the economy, and a possible Trump presidency. But there isn’t an easy answer, or even a clear and concise one. People have been trying to devise easy and effortless ways to make money for almost all of human history. And if they only knew that the answer to the question of how to make money was as simple as looking at the benefits of reading, society might be in a very different place.

Of course, business, industry, and innovation have brought us untold amounts of wealth and prosperity — especially considering that within the past century alone we’ve gone from the most primitive forms of flight to the outer reaches of the solar system. People have found ways to get rich and make money, but for the vast majority of people, we’re still trying to get our finances in order.

For those still looking to make their big break to the upper classes, economists have an idea: Crack open some books, and get reading.

A new study, published in The Economic Journal by researchers from the University of Padova in Italy, says that there is a strong connection between proximity to books at a young age, and higher earnings later in life. In other words, the more books you’re around as a kid, the more money you’re likely to make as an adult.