right ones, I can truly honor God. I can contribute something large or small to society. This is the opportunity that wealth provides.

It is the same for all inheritors. Recognizing this opportunity is the first step away from the dark side toward personal fulfillment.

On the one hand, I was dismally impressed by more than a few elderly men and women I had encountered who possessed many millions of dollars yet seemed to be sour, unfulfilled individuals.
How, you might ask, did I decide on the specialization of my work? Many factors came into play. Among the early ones were two attitudes about wealth that struck me forcibly, one the complete opposite of the other.

On one hand, I was dismally impressed by more than a few elderly men and women I had encountered who possessed many millions of dollars yet seemed to be sour, unfulfilled individuals. They were convinced that virtually everyone in the world was out to get their money, including all financial and legal professionals, every fund-raising organization, as well as most relatives, strangers, and even close friends. On the whole, this was a small group of fearful, cynical, wretched malcontents.

I remember talking with a woman in her early forties who had recently divorced and wound up with ten million dollars. She was miserable and bitter over having "completely lost" her former lifestyle. She regarded her settlement as leftover change, fixating on the luxurious trips she now could not take, on the exotic vacation homes in faraway places she no longer could afford. Her Mercedes was more than a year old, she complained, and she should be replacing it with a new one, but she was afraid to spend the money. I couldn't believe how totally negative her attitude was.

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