About The Way to Wealth
What it's about
At a crowded auction, an old man named Father Abraham is asked how people can pay their heavy taxes. He answers with a speech built from Benjamin Franklin's best sayings about time, hard work, saving and the danger of debt.
Who it's for
Readers who want practical money advice in short, memorable sayings, and anyone who knows 'a penny saved is a penny earned' and wants the rest.
- Level
- CEFR B2
- Length
- 3 parts · about 1,000 words
- Reading time
- about 9 minutes (~3 min per part)
- Author
- Benjamin Franklin
If you liked this, read
- The Art of Money Getting · B2
- Acres of Diamonds · B2
- Meditations · B2
Looking for something easier or harder? See Easy English books by level (A1–B2).
Reading The Way to Wealth in English: quick answers
- What English level is The Way to Wealth on SeoJae Story?
- The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin is retold in simplified English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate). It is split into 3 short parts, and every sentence has a Korean translation you can show or hide, so a learner at that level can follow the story without a dictionary.
- Is The Way to Wealth hard to read in English?
- The original is written for native readers, with long sentences and older vocabulary, so most learners find it hard. This retelling keeps the story but uses simpler English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate), so if you read English at that level you can follow it, and the Korean translation is there for any line that stops you. If it feels too hard, start with an easier book one level down.
- How long does it take to read The Way to Wealth in simple English?
- About 9 minutes of reading in total — roughly 3 minutes per part across 3 parts. Listening to the audio narration, reviewing the vocabulary and taking each part's comprehension check adds a little more.
- Is this the full, unabridged text of The Way to Wealth?
- No. It is an abridged graded retelling written for English learners that follows the story of the original in 3 parts. Every part also lets you read the matching unabridged chapters from the original, split into short readings.
- Is The Way to Wealth free to read here?
- Yes. All 3 parts are free to read online, with the Korean translation, audio narration, vocabulary flashcards and comprehension questions included.
- Is The Way to Wealth in the public domain?
- Yes. Benjamin Franklin's The Way to Wealth is in the public domain, and the original text is freely available from Project Gutenberg (eBook #43855). SeoJae Story's simplified retelling and Korean translation are original text written for learners.