Sharon L. Lechter

Personal finance literature was transformed by actionable frameworks that bridge professional accounting expertise with accessible money management strategies, most notably through the bestselling Rich Dad Poor Dad series. Sharon L. Lechter established a global presence in practical financial education by co-authoring iconic personal finance guides and developing structured curricula for financial literacy. Her work demystifies cash flow management, asset creation, and entrepreneurial scalability for readers ranging from teenagers to seasoned corporate executives.

Beyond her co-authored publishing successes, Lechter has expanded financial education into structured corporate consulting, youth financial literacy programs, and specialized business leadership guides for women. Her books serve as practical roadmaps for navigating complex tax systems, building scalable business models, and preserving long-term wealth across generations.

Career & Background

Sharon L. Lechter graduated from Florida State University with a degree in accounting in 1979 and began her career working for a Big Eight accounting firm. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with 35 years of credentials and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), she applied her corporate accounting and financial management expertise across various emerging industries. In 1989, Lechter joined forces with the inventor of the first electronic talking book, playing a central role in scaling the electronic publishing technology into a multi-million-dollar international market.

In 1997, Lechter co-authored Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!, launching a major educational brand in personal finance. Over more than a decade as co-founder and CEO of the Rich Dad organization, she helped build the company into a leading personal finance brand while co-authoring 14 additional titles in the series, including Rich Dad's Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!, Rich Dad's Before You Quit Your Job: 10 Real-Life Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Building a Multimillion-Dollar Business, and Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens: The Secrets About Money - That You Don't Learn in School!.

In 2008, as the global economy faced severe financial disruption, the Napoleon Hill Foundation invited Lechter to re-energize and expand the foundational teachings of Napoleon Hill. Through this collaboration, she authored several major publications, including Think and Grow Rich-Three Feet from Gold, Outwitting the Devil, Think and Grow Rich for Women, and Success and Something Greater. Her intellectual contributions led to her appearance in the 2017 film Think and Grow Rich: The Legacy and participation in the national television production World's Greatest Motivators.

Alongside her publishing career, Lechter served as CEO of Pay Your Family First, an organization dedicated to creating experiential financial literacy tools, interactive board games, and school curricula. Her policy work included serving as an advisor on financial literacy to two U.S. Presidents and consulting for international corporate entities such as Disney and Time Warner. In 2012, Lechter experienced a profound personal tragedy with the unexpected death of her son, leading her to temporarily step back from active public engagement before re-emerging with the Play Big Movement to inspire entrepreneurs to maximize their societal and economic impact.

Continuing her commitment to commercial scalability and financial instruction, Lechter published Exit Rich in 2021 to assist business owners in building enterprise value, establishing operational architecture, and preparing companies for profitable transitions. She subsequently published HowMoneyWorks for Women in cooperation with WealthWave Media, addressing gender-specific wealth gaps and financial decision-making. Lechter resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her husband and business partner, intellectual property attorney Michael Lechter, with whom she manages Cherry Creek Lodge, a rural retreat and dude ranch.

Writing Style & Themes

Lechter's writing style is defined by an analytical yet accessible approach that translates complex balance sheets, tax structures, and asset valuations into plain-language actionable steps. Grounded in her decades of experience as a CPA, her prose prioritizes financial literacy over speculative wealth generation, emphasizing key principles such as cash flow management, passive income creation, and the distinction between assets and liabilities.

A recurring theme in Lechter's work is the imperative of early and continuous financial education. She repeatedly critiques traditional academic schooling for omitting fundamental money management principles, driving her to author targeted works for children, teenagers, and parents. Her texts advocate for experiential learning, encouraging readers to utilize practical games, structured exercises, and interactive tools to build sustainable habits of wealth accumulation and debt elimination.

Entrepreneurial scalability and strategic business architecture form another core pillar of Lechter's bibliography. In works targeted at business leaders, she focuses on protecting intellectual property, optimizing business operations, creating recurring revenue models, and executing exit strategies. Her collaborative works with the Napoleon Hill Foundation synthesize historical success philosophy with modern corporate realities, offering women and modern entrepreneurs structured mindsets for overcoming adversity and achieving long-term sustainability.

Major Works

• Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! — Co-authored with Robert Kiyosaki, this seminal 1997 personal finance guide contrasts two contrasting approaches to money, work, and investing, establishing foundational concepts in asset allocation and cash flow education.
• Rich Dad's Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! — Part of the multi-million-selling Rich Dad series, this book outlines strategic investment frameworks, risk management techniques, and business structuring for individuals seeking to transition from employee to accredited investor.
• Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens: The Secrets About Money - That You Don't Learn in School! — Designed specifically for younger audiences, this guide adapts core financial literacy concepts into relatable lessons on money management, debt avoidance, and personal asset creation.
• Rich Dad's Before You Quit Your Job: 10 Real-Life Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Building a Multimillion-Dollar Business — This practical business manual details the structural, legal, and operational milestones necessary to turn an entrepreneurial idea into a scalable enterprise.
• Think and Grow Rich for Women — Published in partnership with the Napoleon Hill Foundation, this work applies Napoleon Hill's classic principles of personal achievement specifically to the career, leadership, and financial realities facing modern women.
• Outwitting the Devil — An annotated expansion of Napoleon Hill's previously unreleased 1938 manuscript, co-prepared by Lechter to analyze fear, procrastination, and personal accountability in contemporary life.
• Exit Rich — Released in 2021, this comprehensive guide provides entrepreneurs with a roadmap for building sustainable company valuation, optimizing corporate architecture, and planning successful exit strategies.