Women couldn’t vote, couldn’t own property, and weren’t even allowed on the stock exchange floor. This is the story of how an unwanted daughter became “The Witch of Wall Street,” and a playbook for building lasting wealth and independence. While others chased hot investments and bought on margin, Hetty always kept massive cash reserves and never went into debt. She said “my work is my amusement” and when asked why she didn’t retire, responded “Why should I give up work?” Work wasn’t a burden, she was completely in love with the intellectual puzzle of investing and business. The Richest Woman in America: Hetty Green in the Gilded Age.