I bring this up now because I believe many will misunderstand the premise of this book. I'm used to seeing people visibly confused as they ponder what challenges financial abundance could possibly impose: "Poor little rich kids? Give me a break!"

I'm also well aware that many in our society resent the rich. One of my objectives, therefore, is to shed light on the dark side of wealth to enlighten the intellectually curious while offering healing to the objects of their curiosity-in the hope that this awareness and understanding will bring compassion.

This book's caution, then, is about the impoverishment of the human spirit that material wealth can bring, for no one gets a free ride through life, particularly those who believe they deserve one simply because they have the price of a ticket.
A favorite fantasy for those who aren't wealthy is what their lives would be like if they were. Certainly, it's not hard to see that being able to pay the bills and, beyond that, being able to afford all of one's material desires would seem an incredibly freeing situation. The Catch-22, however, is that there is much more to being wealthy than attaining financial ease, and this "much more" bears its own price. For some, that price is deceptively huge.

Financial abundance typically encompasses time-consuming decisions regarding investments, legal entities, philanthropy, relationships, and work, to name a few concerns. Yes, these decisions can be handled well, but not without considerable time and effort. For instance, let's look at an apparently straightforward example. Let's say you receive a fortune, clearly more than you could possibly ever need for your own expenses. Soon, your very bright, motivated, and deserving best friend asks you to foot the bill for the education he has always coveted.

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