Monday, November 8, 2010

What Am I Going to Do With All of This Money???

I recently came across a news article that called special attention to the response of a budding, young actress in finding out she is worth 30 million dollars. Up to that point, she had been given a couple hundred dollars a week as an allowance from her father. When she finds out she is a multi-millionaire, she is shocked. "What am I going to do with all of that money?" She asks.

This scenario brought to my mind a fear that some people (not me and probably not you) have in getting too rich. Some may worry that they'll be consumed by their wealth and live an exstravagant lifestyle that they never really wanted until they had money. Some worry that too much money will change them--turn them into something they are not. It is quite possible. Yet, there is an alternative to buying an eight-car garage and filling it with Rolls', Masserratis, and Ferraris. If you get too rich, if you make too much money, you can simply give it away!

Enter then invisible hand of the free-market. Non-profit organizations thrive on people who are too rich--people like the actress mentioned above who have everything they need and nothing desirable to spend their fortunes on. Wealthy people are their customers. If you come in to more money than you know what to do with, non-profits will be there to give you guidance. You don't have to worry about finding someone to give your money to--they will find you.

Ultimately, when you have an excessive amount of money designated for contributions to non-profit organizations, those organizations are bidding for your donations. They are all giving you their best pitches to convince you as to why you ought to donate to the their specific organizations. All you have to do is choose. You simply pick your favorite cause--the philanthropic endeavor that is most important to you. When you've given away your millions, you can still say you've spent it on what you wanted, because you contributed to causes that you perceived to be important. And, at the same time, you don't have to stare into your eight-car garage and wonder if you've lost your soul.

No comments:

Post a Comment