         When you don't need to work for survival, purpose is all there is. And when you're twenty-one and you don't have the necessity to get out there, it's an enormous thing to struggle with at a young age. What do I need to do? I don't need to do anything! I feel like the money I inherited is like a muting forcelike right after a snowstorm, when everything is white and quiet and sort of neutralized. I feel like I've been subdued. Nothing stands out more than anything else.
- A young inheritor interviewed by The Inheritance Project |
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I N T R O D U C T I O N p a g e 3
In many ways, Andrea's enthusiasm about inherited wealth is easy to understand. Who wouldn't enjoy the opportunities that a fortune brings? A lovely and safe environment in which to live, social connections, an excellent education, plenty of travel and leisure, the chance to be generous and to make a significant difference in the world, the absence of all sorts of daily worries and stresses - why not celebrate?
And yet Andrea's pleasure in her wealth is but one of many experiences that people have when they come into money. Most heirs, in fact, find the blessing quite mixed. This article explores the potential snags and conflicts that occur when wealth comes to people unbidden. Some of the stories here may seem depressing and negative. But as you read along, we encourage you to hold in mind Andrea's experience, for it is ultimately possible to use an inheritance as the vehicle for a life of great enjoyment, depth and usefulness. In short, we offer the following vignettes in the spirit not of complaint and despair, but of education and hope.
To generalize about how inherited wealth affects people runs the risk of inaccuracy; each person we interview describes a unique combination of responses to being an heir. Yet over and over we hear about fear, isolation, disempowerment, disconnection and guilt. These are emotional experiences to which many heirs can relate. And from these experiences spring any number of troublesome habits, ranging from self-deprivation to secrecy.
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