Nearly every textbook on the history of economic thought singles out David Ricardo as one of the top scholars in economics. When studying his biographical details, however, students are surprised that only in his final eight years Ricardo was able to work like a ‘normal’ scholar. In all the earlier decades of his career he had to concentrate mainly on his business activities in the noisy and stressful networks of the Stock Exchange in London. In 1786, at the exceptionally early age of fourteen, David Ricardo was already employed there as an assistant to his father Abraham Israel Ricardo. Their collaboration got into difficulties in 1793 when David married Priscilla Ann Wilkinson, a Quaker. David's Jewish parents found this marriage unacceptable and from then on David Ricardo had to continue on the Stock Exchange on his own. In a short time, he became one of the most prosperous and influential dealers there. From 1806 on, his excellent financial standing enabled him to participate in the biddings for the large British loan contracts. Ultimately, he became a co-contractor for seven British loans, the first time in March 1807, and the last time in June 1815, a few days before the Battle of Waterloo.

In 1813 Ricardo had already planned to change his lifestyle, and in 1814 he had bought Gatcombe Park (today the royal estate of Princess Anne), about hundred miles from London. Ricardo's correspondence of 1814 revealed that he preferred the quiet Gatcombe over the noisy Stock Exchange:

When he finally gave up his activities at the Stock Exchange, Ricardo's business successes had made him probably the richest economist in history. Sraffa (1955, 102–4) reports that at the end of his life Ricardo owned about £275,000 of landed estates, £200,000 of sums lent on mortgage, £140,000 of French bonds, and various other items. According to Sraffa the total value must have been between £675,000 and £775,000.

Several English archives in London and Cambridge are still very useful when researching some features of Ricardo's business activities.