Financial fortress – review of Marcin Iwcia's best -selling book for investors in 2025

It cannot be denied that books on “hard” financial themes rarely become bestsellers. However, “fortresses” managed to gain such a status – apparently over 137 thousand. copies. And we are talking about a position that has almost 800 pages and costs at least about PLN 100! I must admit that who buys it is rarely disappointed – on the popular portal we like to read the book was rated 2.7 thousand. times – and currently has a rating of 8.9 out of 10.

“It must be in this book so something” I threw me to myself when I placed the order.

Marcin Iwuć the Golden Mountains does not promise me

In recent years there have been a lot of online courses or investment podcasts. In 2020, there were not so many of them yet – not to mention how much the world has changed during these five years.

In financial influencers, it often offends that they promise that it is enough to go through their course to discover the secret to quickly enrich. Fortunately, Marcin Iwuć does not convey anything in his book. At the very beginning he warns that it is worth getting rid of “wishful thinking” – and he makes it clear that there are no wonderful ways to multiply money.

And this is probably the biggest advantage of the “fortress” – it's hard to feel that the author is trying to convince someone to do something. Rather, for 800 pages discuss with the reader. At the end of individual departments, there are even short tests or space for your own thoughts and answers. After reading the position, I have the impression that the author rather forces me to think – and not that he gives me ready prescriptions. There is a separate department, which consists in answering the most frequently emerging questions – but also Iwuć wants to direct us to answers than to give his own.

Certainly the big advantage of the “fortress” is that we have the impression that we read the words of the person who ate their teeth on finances. And he is not afraid to talk about his trips – such as how he lost 30 thousand. PLN on an unsuccessful investment in a flat in Poznań.

“Bible” is not for everyone

Is it worth buying and reading “Fortress”? The answer depends on how much we know about finances and investing. Those who already have a lot of experience may not find too many valuable advice there. They will learn how the stock exchange works, where it is worth buying a flat for rent, what ETFs are, how to invest in bonds-and what are the basic investment strategies at all.

A large dose of knowledge for a beginner, but people who have been investing for some time will not learn anything new. “Financial fortress” is therefore more a position for those who are at the threshold of their adventure with saving.

What about those more experienced? If they want to have a “pill” on the shelf with key investment rules gathered, you can also recommend this position as much as possible. The big advantage is the very simple navigation after the book. So if an advanced stock market investor would like to remember, for example, what a financial pillow should look like, he can easily look at the “fortress”.

Basically, it is difficult to recognize the book, however, as an position for advanced or even intermediate investors. After all, they know how the stock indexes differ and what are the basics of buying ETFs. And advanced investors are unlikely to find too many inspirations in this “financial Bible”, which is worth investing after it has already tested the basic options. Or – using a language from a book – it is more a position for someone who is just trying to build their “financial fortress” than for someone who already has some foundations and walls built.

How did the “Financial Fortress” take the test of time?

Already at the beginning of the book, the author refers to the pandemic of Coronavirus – the position was finally released in 2020. Iwuu also points out that investing is about being prepared for such unexpected events – hence the name of the book. After 2020, there was no shortage of sudden crises – the world is today an even more dangerous and unpredictable place.

However, it must be admitted that the book remained surprisingly current. Very rarely you can feel that you read about a world that has become a thing of the past. Of course, from today's perspective, investing in real estate, cryptocurrencies or gold looks different – and it's worth being aware of this by reading the right chapters. The chapter on investments in collector's items is also quite short. It cannot be denied that this market has developed a lot over the past five years.

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Investment rules – complicated or quite the opposite

However, reading the “fortress”, you can see that most of the investment rules are really timeless. The basic strategies have not changed, the psychological principles that rule markets have not changed. And Iwuć very easily explains how it all works. Many similar books complicate the world of finance. This – quite the opposite – is written so that those who did not have much in common with economics.

There are pretentious fragments in the “fortress”. Like, for example, a chapter that relations with loved ones or health are really the most important “assets”. It is hard to disagree with this, but this is not the knowledge for which you reach for a financial book.

Is it worth buying Marcin Iwcia's “financial fortress”? My personal opinion

So did the “fortress” deserve to be called “the financial millennial bible”? This is a very good book – however, I have the impression that most millennials already have some knowledge about investing. Iwucia's position is therefore more worth recommending to the Zetets or even Alfom, which are just discovering the world of finance. And there are probably few books or podcasts that can be better introduced to it than just a “fortress”.

Author: Mateusz Madejski, Business Insider Polska journalist