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Sorry, folks, this is not a get-rich-quick book. Still, you may be richer than you think, write authors Catherine McBreen and George Walper Jr. in Get Rich, Stay Rich, Pass It On.

More than 7 million American households today claim total assets of a million dollars or more. But it’s far more likely that “You’re among a group we call the mass affluent, people whose total assets add up to anywhere between $100,000 and $1 million, not including their primary residence,” according to the authors.

McBreen and Walper are managing director and president, respectively, of Spectrem Group, a research and consulting company that has been studying the affluent since 1991.

Each year, the firm surveys more than 5,000 millionaire and megamillionaire (more than $5 million in assets, not including primary residence) households. The firm monitors investment habits, how assets are allocated and the attitudes and perceptions that go into those decisions.

The authors interviewed more than two dozen people who qualify as perpetually wealthy — yes, rich enough to stay cozy and comfy for their lifetimes with enough left over to ensure the wealth of future generations.

The initial advice for building wealth may sound familiar: pay off credit cards and resolve financial loose ends. Buy your primary residence. And put money in savings plans so you can “draw money for the kinds of investments that repay income for a lifetime.”

While there are many ways to get rich, the authors identified two definitive ways to ensure lasting wealth: owning incoming-producing real estate and investing in an innovative company, product or service.

In this model for getting rich, just below half of the typical megamillionaire portfolio is invested in marketable assets: stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other securities. The rest of the assets are not so liquid.

If you dream of being really rich, you will need to actively invest in real estate, they write. “Building up a nest egg with the equity in your home is a fine thing. But what distinguishes the model for getting rich, staying rich and passing it on is its emphasis on investing in current and future income-producing real estate,” they write. Look for opportunities initially in areas you know, they advise.

On average, 23% to 29% of your wealth should be allocated to real estate. Here’s how it breaks down: 11%-13% of your real estate investments should be equity in your principal home, 3%-6% should be income-producing property, 5%-7% a second home, 3%-5% other real estate holdings such as REITS, 2%-4% undeveloped land, and 2%-4% third or additional homes.

There are a slew of caveats, of course, on top of the myriad decisions that go into selecting the right properties. The pair walk you through gauging your risk tolerance to finding financing, but because situations differ, the advice is somewhat superficial.

The second secret of the super-rich, according to these wealth experts: opening your eyes to entrepreneurial opportunities around you. At least one-quarter of your investment dollars should be in enterprises that develop products and services or invent breakthrough technologies, they have found.

Easier said than done. The authors offer some obvious ways to start looking for opportunities. They suggest putting out feelers with friends and family, talking to your lawyer, accountant or banker and looking around your workplace to see if there might be a new way of doing things or new product that has future potential. Even a walk around your neighborhood might reveal the need for an Internet cafe or movie theater. But as with all investments, it takes due diligence and time to create a realistic business plan.

What the authors do well is offer a statistical snapshot of how the megawealthy weave their assets to create lasting wealth. And while voyeuristically tantalizing, it’s not a likely course for the risk-averse or for those unwilling to invest for the long term.

And yet, for those willing and eager to go the distance, consider the book’s parting thought: “Keep in mind that all this is doable.”

Get Rich, Stay Rich, Pass It On: The Wealth-Accumulation Secrets of America’s Richest Families by Catherine McBreen and George Walper Jr.; Portfolio, 246 pages, $25.95