They should have read Rich Dad, Poor Dad. The lessons in that book are priceless.

While the following isn't a lesson, its a spooky excerpt given our current economic conditions:

If you are going to build the Empire State Building, the first thing you need to do is dig a deep hole and pour a strong foundation. If you are going to build a home in the suburbs, all you need to do is pour a 6-inch slab of concrete. Most people, in their drive to get rich, are trying to build an Empire State Building on a 6-inch slab. ... One day, sleepless and deep in debt in suburbia, living the American Dream, they decided that the answer to their financial problems is to find a way to get rich quick. Construction on the skyscraper begins. It goes up quickly, and soon, instead of the Empire State Building, we have the Leaning Tower of Suburbia. The sleepless nights return.