Your Take: Hard Work or Connections?
The WSJ Wealth Report blog talked about a Pew Research Center study that attempted to find the origins of the conflict between rich and poor, which has been playing out in the headlines lately. While the main story talked about the impression of significant conflict between the rich and poor, the part that interested me was the same one that caught Robert Frank’s eye – did the rich get rich from hard work or their social network? That poll showed that 46% of respondents thought they were born with money or knew the right people, while 43% thought hard work, ambition or education was the root reason.
There obviously isn’t a definite answer, there will probably never be, but the question is an intriguing one. My belief is that both are necessary and the more you have of either, the higher your probability for finding success. Whether that success comes in the form of money or in the form of achievements, it’s hard to argue that you can be successful without hard work, ambition, education, or knowing the right people. Whether you’re rich depends on where you point yourself. You can be a successful philanthropist and not have a high net worth, you’d still be seen as very successful, you just chose a different path.
What do you think?

People are fond of pointing out that money doesn’t buy happiness. After all, there are a number of miserable people out there who are rich in terms of finances. However, no matter how fond we are of shrugging off wealth and saying that money doesn’t matter, the truth is that life can be pretty crappy without some money.
Who’s paying taxes? We all like to know — and we all like to make sure that everyone else is paying his or her “fair share” in taxes. One way to figure out whether or not people are paying what they’re supposed to is to take a look at who’s being audited.
One of the furious debates going on right now in the world of finance and money is the one over whether or not getting a
Yes.
We have a lot of cool gadgets around our homes. Many of these gadgets offer the chance to easily purchase apps, games and more. As a result, you might find that your children can quickly make purchases without your knowledge — simply using the devices found around your home.

comments