Nonfiction

Jackpot: How the Super-Rich Really Live—and How Their Wealth Harms Us All

Jackpot: How the Super-Rich Really Live—and How Their Wealth Harms Us All

  • Downloads：8525
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-12 06:52:12
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Michael Mechanic
  • ISBN：198212721X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

A senior editor at Mother Jones dives into the lives of the extremely rich， showing the fascinating， otherworldly realm they inhabit—and the insidious ways this realm harms us all。

Have you ever fantasized about being ridiculously wealthy？ Probably。 Striking it rich is among the most resilient of American fantasies， surviving war and peace， expansions and recessions， economic meltdowns and global pandemics。 We dream of the jackpot， the big exit， the life-altering payday， in whatever form that takes。 （Americans spent $81 billion on lottery tickets in 2019， more than the GDPs of most nations。） We would escape “essential” day jobs and cramped living spaces， bury our debts， buy that sweet spread， and bail out struggling friends and relations。 But rarely do we follow the fantasy to its conclusion—to ponder the social， psychological， and societal downsides of great affluence and the fact that so few possess it。

What is it actually like to be blessed with riches in an era of plagues， political rancor， and near-Dickensian economic differences？ How mind-boggling are the opportunities and access， how problematic the downsides？ Does the experience differ depending on whether the money is earned or unearned， where it comes from， and whether you are male or female， white or black？ Finally， how does our collective lust for affluence， and our stubborn belief in social mobility， explain how we got to the point where forty percent of Americans have literally no wealth at all？

These are all questions that Jackpot sets out to explore。 The result of deep reporting and dozens of interviews with fortunate citizens—company founders and executives， superstar coders， investors， inheritors， lottery winners， lobbyists， lawmakers， academics， sports agents， wealth and philanthropy professionals， concierges， luxury realtors， Bentley dealers， and even a woman who trains billionaires’ nannies in physical combat， Jackpot is a compassionate， character-rich， perversely humorous， and ultimately troubling journey into the American wealth fantasy and where it has taken us。

Download

Reviews

David ，

I liked it！ It was a great book on America's wealth。 I liked it！ It was a great book on America's wealth。 。。。more

Brant ，

Well researched， fascinating， infuriating， and important。 It is widely known that wealth inequality is at levels not seen since the Gilded Age。 Far less well understood is *how* the super-rich have rigged the system for themselves to further accumulate and hoard wealth。 And how utterly pointless and obscene it is for a handful of individuals and families to have accumulated such incomprehensibly vast wealth while the vast majority of people continue to live month-to-month or under crushing debt。 Well researched， fascinating， infuriating， and important。 It is widely known that wealth inequality is at levels not seen since the Gilded Age。 Far less well understood is *how* the super-rich have rigged the system for themselves to further accumulate and hoard wealth。 And how utterly pointless and obscene it is for a handful of individuals and families to have accumulated such incomprehensibly vast wealth while the vast majority of people continue to live month-to-month or under crushing debt。 In “Jackpot”， Michael Mechanic pulls back the curtain on these modern day princes with sound research， direct interviews， and a compelling narrative style 。（A quick clarification: the superrich does not include your aunt with a small business and $2M in assets or your cousin that landed a couple mil working by Airbnb pre-IPO。 It's the billionaires。）Mechanic does a clever thing in "Jackpot" by spending the first half building a window into the lives of the superrich。 He does this largely by interviewing the people that provide services targeted at the billionaire class: yachts， bodyguard/nannies， safe rooms， college admissions， match-making， tax avoidance， and so on。 Through this we see that their wealth， in addition to being a destabilizing， world historical inequity， is also in many cases a curse on the superrich。 Having so much engenders isolation， alienation， and paranoia， even （especially） within their families。Having painted this picture， Mechanic then moves on to enumerating the many structural advantages–financial， legal， and social–that the superrich enjoy and which collectively serve to accelerate the concentration of wealth into their hands。 This is where "Jackpot" becomes truly infuriating。Many Americans hear criticism of the rich and the rigged system and think it's just sour grapes from jealous have-nots。 As John Steinbeck said， "in America…the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires。" And the billionaire class is more than happy to encourage this belief， to let people think that attempts to reign the billionaires in are actually targeting the lucky few that made their bag by （relatively， at least） honest， hard work。 Mechanic's profile lays bare the truth: these people have wealth far beyond what one can intuitively comprehend and they are accumulating and protecting it through devious and unjust means。 He shows how this hyper-concentration distorts our democracy and allows the billionaire class to set their own rules， perpetuating and magnifying the problem。 He demonstrates how they whitewash their reputations and deflect scrutiny with ostentatious philanthropy。 Instead of contributing their fair share to public coffers where the nation's wealth can be democratically controlled， they unilaterally decide who will benefit， and how。 They have become de facto princes。 And as Mechanic shows， today's princes very often lack their predecessors' sense of noblesse oblige and even feel entitled to their vast riches。Even if one feels that it is beneficial or just to have a very wealthy class in society， "Jackpot" makes a very compelling case that the status quo is deeply distorted and there is abundant cause for change。 Reasonable people can and should debate what changes are needed， but Mechanic's greatest success in Jackpot is dispelling any doubt that change is necessary and overdue。 。。。more

Beth ，

3。5 stars

Jimmy ，

This was an interesting read about how the super-rich make and spend their money。 While the more money one has， the more complicated things can get。 But at the end of the day， the main takeaway that some of the complications that could arise end up being nothing but rounding errors。 What I found more interesting were the stories of those who won jackpots and became filthy rich， only to squander and lose it all。 Unfortunately， those particular stories weren't really highlighted as much as I had e This was an interesting read about how the super-rich make and spend their money。 While the more money one has， the more complicated things can get。 But at the end of the day， the main takeaway that some of the complications that could arise end up being nothing but rounding errors。 What I found more interesting were the stories of those who won jackpots and became filthy rich， only to squander and lose it all。 Unfortunately， those particular stories weren't really highlighted as much as I had expected given the title of the book。 There's no true financial advice for the reader， and there's nothing truly revolutionary about the stories。Mechanic's writing was a bit all over the place， and I never really found it to have any sort of narrative。 Topics jumped from one idea to the other and made it a bit hard to follow at times。 There are some interesting tidbits， but the gist of this book is all about how different the lives are of the 0。001% from the rest of the world。 If you're interesting in books about money， just please go read up on the myriad of financial education books out there。 。。。more

Ariel ，

#audiobook This should be required reading / listening for every human on this planet + especially every American。Extremely well written， and a full listen。Can't recommend enough。 #audiobook This should be required reading / listening for every human on this planet + especially every American。Extremely well written， and a full listen。Can't recommend enough。 。。。more

Pat Lampe ，

This book caught my attention immediately because I love to learn about rich people and their lifestyles。 It was more than just that， though。 Discussed the growing wealth disparity， the good and bad ways you can handle your money should you go from average to super rich， and the problems of isolation， friendships， family， inheritance。 。 Altogether; I liked it。 Must confess to some envy。 I’d just like a modest jackpot。 But I’m happy as I am now。 Very lucky person。

Benja ，

😡😡😡

Natalie Kalin ，

Incredibly insightful read。 Really makes you question the American dream

Kip Gire ，

it was eye opening but generally reinforced my feeling about overt wealth and its inability to make people very happy。。。。 i thought good points were made but it was depressing how much inequity there is 。。。。kinda bland， marginally filling

Eleanor Kallo ，

This was a great， and enraging， read。 I appreciated it for delicately balancing the need to work together & learn how to talk to one another， against the need for billionaires to not fucking exist。 Both are true :）

Erika ，

This one was really interesting！

Nicole Angeleen ，

I knew going in that the wealth gap in America is infuriating。 I didn't know HOW infuriating， and Michael Mechanic's book definitely succeeded in making me madder。 If you think you know everything about how people get rich， stay rich， and ensure their great-great-great-great grandchildren never develop a single callus from work， you probably don't， and the way they go about it， if you're anything like me， will make you insane for several days。 I knew， but I didn't KNOW， you know？"Jackpot" does s I knew going in that the wealth gap in America is infuriating。 I didn't know HOW infuriating， and Michael Mechanic's book definitely succeeded in making me madder。 If you think you know everything about how people get rich， stay rich， and ensure their great-great-great-great grandchildren never develop a single callus from work， you probably don't， and the way they go about it， if you're anything like me， will make you insane for several days。 I knew， but I didn't KNOW， you know？"Jackpot" does something I doubted was possible， and that's make me feel at least some sympathy for the plight of the super-rich， who it turns out often lead lives of high suspicion and low fulfillment。 I'm not totally empathetic: I mean， if they're that dissatisfied， they could give all their money away。 Of course， as the research shows， once you're mega-wealthy， you become terrified of any kind of financial loss。 Bummer！ The stat that stuck with me， really stuck， was that over $125，000 （I think， it might've been $105K， but it's somewhere in there） life satisfaction stops increasing with salary。 If you want meaningful relationships， you can't be too rich。 If you want a life where you're not stressed every day about money， you can't be too poor。Some facts in the book will be unsurprising: poor people are more generous。 Duh。 But some of the information blew my socks off。 Like how philanthropy itself is suspect。 How the rich tend to support causes that benefit the rich， while middle class and poor people give of their limited time and money to life people out of poverty。 The exclusive world of the super rich was pretty fascinating to me。 It seems like the main benefit of money is， like， you never have to do an online chat because Target got your order wrong。 People do that for you。 And you don't shop at Target。Interestingly， Mechanic writes about how all Americans dream of the big jackpot， and despite the pages and pages of well-researched evidence that becoming super rich overnight is not a good thing。。。I still want my jackpot。 I want not to worry！ But also money hoarding money is morally repugnant， and it seems like once you have it， getting rid of it is more complicated that us poors might think。If you have an interest in the wealth gap and want to be simultaneously flabbergasted， surprised， and enraged， "Jackpot" will cover your bases。 Don't worry。 You'll still want to eat the rich when you're done reading。 。。。more

Suzi ，

This book is discouraging。 For all of us who have never bought a lottery ticket and won， or even bought a lottery ticket， we should be relieved that we don't suffer the stress of too much wealth。 I once worked for one of the Hunt brothers in Dallas and he drove a green Plymouth so he could drive himself safely and have privacy。 When I read the chapter which included all the cars favored by suddenly rich men （mostly） I thought how attention getting those cars are and how unfunny to drive on stree This book is discouraging。 For all of us who have never bought a lottery ticket and won， or even bought a lottery ticket， we should be relieved that we don't suffer the stress of too much wealth。 I once worked for one of the Hunt brothers in Dallas and he drove a green Plymouth so he could drive himself safely and have privacy。 When I read the chapter which included all the cars favored by suddenly rich men （mostly） I thought how attention getting those cars are and how unfunny to drive on streets and highways。 Shows the need for highway infrastructure repair！ I am glad to have less but be comfortable and assured of eating。The children of the rich do not seem to fare well nor do the spouses and the sports figures seem to live cautionary tales。 The people who serve the rich seem to be well paid and able to absorb and resolve the issues of the rich they serve。 Except the Britney Spears and Weisselburg sagas in today's news。 Security nannies were my favorite career paths。If you have much money and are single or looking， please read this first。 Beware！ Fun read for today's haves and wanna bee。 。。。more

Pamela Russell ，

An interesting view on the lives of the wealthy。 However， not enough mentions of the lower income classes。 As someone who has studied inequality， the topic was just brushed over many times， more depth could have been provided。 But the author makes valid points that we need to address in America。 Some of the structure was not as structured as I would have liked， but overall was a good read。

Ellis ，

dragged on a little toward the end

Scott ，

A refreshingly quick， easy read （surely the mark of much hard labor at the keyboard） on the world of the high income/high net worth individuals who dominate so much of American society and culture。 Michael Mechanic， a long-time writer for Mother Jones among other superlatives， brings a sensitive journalistic eye to a subject that makes so many see nothing but blinding rage。Mechanic addresses a surprisingly basic question - is it worth it to be filthy stinking rich？ Americans work themselves into A refreshingly quick， easy read （surely the mark of much hard labor at the keyboard） on the world of the high income/high net worth individuals who dominate so much of American society and culture。 Michael Mechanic， a long-time writer for Mother Jones among other superlatives， brings a sensitive journalistic eye to a subject that makes so many see nothing but blinding rage。Mechanic addresses a surprisingly basic question - is it worth it to be filthy stinking rich？ Americans work themselves into early graves by the hundreds of thousands each year， literally dying to be Rich。 We're not talking owning your own home， paying for your kids' education， and driving new cars every couple of years。 We're talking being so rich that people give you stuff for free - think Kardashian-level wealth。 For in America， Wealth is actually celebrity。But Mechanic points out in great detail （but never boring detail） that Wealth brings problems。 Stress may be the most surprising。 Most of us dream of the big payday that will get us out from under our debts - good debts， like a mortgage， or student debt， or paying for our parents' elder care。 While the Wealthy do not worry about those， they worry about other things。 Will I blow this fortune？ Do I keep my friends from my former life， or will the wealth gap make things awkward？ If I can pay for my best friend's medical treatment， should I？ Some stresses are surprising。 First， the Wealthy may live in perfect enclaves， but that is to preserve privacy。 So the Wealthy may live in an exclusive neighborhood， but they don't have "neighbors" in the traditional sense。 Sly Stallone may live down the street from you， but he doesn't want you stopping by。 Second， Wealth requires administration。 You need accountants， lawyers， and family offices to allow you to live your life free from managing your Wealth every day。 But if you trust the wrong advisers too much， you risk losing everything。 Third， your kids no longer have any excuse for failure。 Nothing but the best for them - but are you parenting them， are have you outsourced this to their nannies？ This book is not a "how terrible the rich are" book。 Rather， it seeks to look soberly at the life of the Wealthy - how they actually live - and ask whether it is a worthy goal。 If you've ever pondered how great life would be if that $200 million jackpot came your way， give this book some consideration。 Also， if you've ever thought about how much we should be taxing the Wealthy， this is worth another read。Most importantly， if you've ever told your kid that you're too busy working to play with them， you must read this book。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Shivesh ，

The book is especially strong in the first chapters， where author takes it upon himself to investigate and deeply dissect the multitude of wealth preservation techniques as well as wealth growth that successful people undertake。 Much of their success relies on top-line revenue growth rather than consistently cutting other costs or liabilities。 Nonetheless， estate planning is crucial here -- it is clear from the author's own research that much of the great ideas behind how great fortunes are made The book is especially strong in the first chapters， where author takes it upon himself to investigate and deeply dissect the multitude of wealth preservation techniques as well as wealth growth that successful people undertake。 Much of their success relies on top-line revenue growth rather than consistently cutting other costs or liabilities。 Nonetheless， estate planning is crucial here -- it is clear from the author's own research that much of the great ideas behind how great fortunes are made are directly related to what we would describe as living within your means and maximizing a sale of a business。 After all， it doesn't matter how much money you make if you're spending it all。 Those fortunes that are inherited， tend to corrupt more。Where the book bogs down and where I tended to skip over large sections is around the social justice aspect of wealth distribution， which has tenuous evidence to back up policy proposals。 Ironically， the very marginalized people that society has historically held back from gaining great wealth， tend to be the ones that want to take advantage of legacy admissions， dynasty trusts， and tax avoidance the most。 After all as one minority millionaire says in a book says "after legacy admissions are finally open to us， now you want to take it away？" Overall， this a very quick and engaging read。 This reminds me of a very long and multipart Wall Street Journal article or something。 However the conclusions are very dire， and although he attempts to end the book on a high note， clearly there is significant wealth inequality that simply is not going to go away in the next 10， 50， or even 100 years without a drastic rethink of the system of economics in this country。 From my own personal experience seeing inequality， living in probably one of the most unequal of cities， you're either a Have or Have-not and all of us are striving to be in the first camp regardless of our personal beliefs or how much we agree with this author。 No one else is watching out for you but you。 。。。more

Raza Mustafa ，

Some interesting revelations on how the ultra-rich spend money and evade taxes， and how that impact the lower economic stratum of the society。 The statistics are related to America but inequality is prevalent in every society。

Margaret Dillon ，

A thorough look into the uber rich and the effect they play on society as a whole。 After lulling us with chapters about the burdens the multi-millionaires and billionaires face， the author hits us hard with the incredible concentration of wealth in the hands of the very few at the expense of the great majority。 He also explains how politics is governed by this privileged group for their benefit and how even their philanthropy can have unintended harmful results。

Claudia ，

How many people dream of winning the lottery？ Of hitting the jackpot either at a casino， at a race track？ At the poker table？ At your fantasy football league tournament？ The odds of winning the lottery are not good but we keep buying those tickets。 We desire to become part of the wealthy even as we rally for 'them' to pay an equivalent portion of their wealth as the majority has too。Admittedly， the first part of the book was kind of fun， looking at what one could use their sudden wealth for if t How many people dream of winning the lottery？ Of hitting the jackpot either at a casino， at a race track？ At the poker table？ At your fantasy football league tournament？ The odds of winning the lottery are not good but we keep buying those tickets。 We desire to become part of the wealthy even as we rally for 'them' to pay an equivalent portion of their wealth as the majority has too。Admittedly， the first part of the book was kind of fun， looking at what one could use their sudden wealth for if that lottery dream came true， an unexpected inheritance or that business stock took off。 In fact， the opulence got a bit garish at times but still fun looking in as the author takes the reader along that pathway。 The goodies that can be bought - the cars， the homes， the boats， maybe even an airplane。 Bespoke suits and watches and jewelry and that means not just customized， but one-of-a-kind that the general public are not even aware of being a possibility。 The perks from an American Express Black card as well as the luxury management services available by invitation only。 Concierge medical service where for a fee， personal doctor home visits as well as in-house pharmacies and detailed testing are available。 Private schools where the teacher to class ratio is in the single digits。 The second part was， in turn， quite insightful。 He had the opportunity to talk with several of those that could be considered wealthy and discusses the reality and legacies that one might want to leave behind。 How much to leave the kids。 Protecting their wealth from a greedy ex-spouse。 Entourages that shield their employer， protecting their privacy as well as the bodyguards that provide their security。 Every wealthy person must be constantly aware of the possibility of being a target for kidnapping and ransom to just plain anger-laden envy and rage。 By the third and final section， the author is talking about how unequal the group of ultra-wealthy is - nearly all are male and just as many are white。 Women and blacks are the rarity， especially in the boardrooms and executive suites。 Even philanthropy can sound good but Mechanic takes a hard look at some of the numbers。 Mark Zuckerberg's worth is along the lines of $100 billion （more or less）。 He has pledged to give away 90% of that wealthy。 That still leaves him with $10 billion and huge amounts of land， homes and shares of Facebook in trust for his children。Of course， there are some truly generous people out there。 Living on maybe $40，000 while giving away every other penny that comes their way。 Not wanting their names on buildings。 Not wanting their benevolence to be broadcast and dissected by media and economists。 But at this point in time， the gap is yawning larger and until not only the government but the wealthy themselves work to change the economic inequality can something positive happen。But the last few pages reveals the author's personal views。 That the so-called elite are aware that they are a heated focus point in today's society。 But they need to realize that writing checks isn't the answer。 Working on remaking the American economy along more equal lines is。 Challenging their own ethical values and complacency is。 And it's going to be a matter of what they are willing to give up in the end。 Eventually something will need to lure them out of the gilded cage that provides some sense of safety。 Hopefully， it'll happen before the anger in our society finds an outlet。 2021-126 。。。more

Phoebe ，

One may pick up this book out of curiosity and some desire to see how the other half lives， but will put it down feeling unsettled。 Mechanic explores the lifestyles of the super-wealthy and the top one-percenters， providing an honest glimpse into a world we can't really even imagine。 He isn't introducing us to anything really new; anyone who has had the chance to attend a Bridges Out of Poverty training， or has read any other books about the extremities of income circumstance， will find familiar One may pick up this book out of curiosity and some desire to see how the other half lives， but will put it down feeling unsettled。 Mechanic explores the lifestyles of the super-wealthy and the top one-percenters， providing an honest glimpse into a world we can't really even imagine。 He isn't introducing us to anything really new; anyone who has had the chance to attend a Bridges Out of Poverty training， or has read any other books about the extremities of income circumstance， will find familiar concepts here; it's just that he writes so well and did so much fieldwork， and puts his research into context。 He isn't presenting us with the astonishing details of what life is like if you're rich， really rich and your wealth has no end in sight， from an envious standpoint; he goes much deeper to discuss the consequences of income inequity on the country。 He talks about gender and ethnic inequalities。 He presents a full and complex picture--and most interestingly discusses the fact that extreme wealth creates the same mental distress as intergenerational poverty。 An eye-opening read。 Adult。 。。。more

Elisabeth Young ，

This book is garbage and I knew that before I got to this nauseating line， "They also tend to be pretty sensitive about how they come off， and fair enough because society tends to view the super rich as a monolith。 In fact， rich folks come in a wide variety of flavors， but anyone's cringe worthy move can reflect poorly on the entire demographic。。。" I shit you not， he actually said "folks" and the whole line word for word。 It's laughable in so many ways， but if you look at the data， the super ric This book is garbage and I knew that before I got to this nauseating line， "They also tend to be pretty sensitive about how they come off， and fair enough because society tends to view the super rich as a monolith。 In fact， rich folks come in a wide variety of flavors， but anyone's cringe worthy move can reflect poorly on the entire demographic。。。" I shit you not， he actually said "folks" and the whole line word for word。 It's laughable in so many ways， but if you look at the data， the super rich are actually one of the most monolithic， homogeneous， "communities" demographics that there are。 The author also likes to talk about literal jackpot winners and conflates them with those whose "jackpot" is just theft， chicanery， and disaster speculation。 In fact the theme of this piece of propaganda is of discussing wealth in terms of "winnings" which serves to obfuscate wrong doing as if it's an act of god。 Paradoxically， he still has a lot of "hard work and cleverness" bs in here too， partly coming from those he interviews， which is to be expected but it's also baked into his commentary as well。 Inexplicably， he switches back and forth from lottery winners to the ultra wealthy without missing a beat。 I mean this book actually runs the gamut of terrible rich apologia， that you can catch pretty much anywhere in our culture， no need to read this awful book。 Another one of his idiotic insights is that， in summary， the rich and poor and really just the same， with the same impaired mindset and problems。 Don't worry though， he thinks people having to face the new standard of having to pay for basic healthcare as a concierge service， is a bit mean and society should probably do something there。 He's that vague about it and his standard is that low。 。。。more

Annmarie ，

A few surprises in the book。 I loved the last3 chapters。 Why don't we just go back to the original tax form？ One sided 5% no deductions？ Just eliminate the deductions， lawyers， accountants， senators ect。 Make it fair for all。 Little do the elite know how much they are cursed daily。 A few surprises in the book。 I loved the last3 chapters。 Why don't we just go back to the original tax form？ One sided 5% no deductions？ Just eliminate the deductions， lawyers， accountants， senators ect。 Make it fair for all。 Little do the elite know how much they are cursed daily。 。。。more

Cooljoe815 ，

A really good book about the rich and their lifestyle。 When I saw the author was an editor for mother Jones magazine。 A very liberal Magazine I thought he was going to do a hatchet job complaining about the rich。 But Michael Mechanic did a good and balled job on how the rich lived。 My three takeaways are rich have access to everything good and exceptional in life。 They have businesses that cater and fulfill their every needs and fix their every problems。 They protect their power and money by any A really good book about the rich and their lifestyle。 When I saw the author was an editor for mother Jones magazine。 A very liberal Magazine I thought he was going to do a hatchet job complaining about the rich。 But Michael Mechanic did a good and balled job on how the rich lived。 My three takeaways are rich have access to everything good and exceptional in life。 They have businesses that cater and fulfill their every needs and fix their every problems。 They protect their power and money by any means necessary including changing the laws to their advantage。。 。。。more

Tracy Robertson ，

Wow， this book taught me so much and most of it is not good news！ If you grew up middle class/ lower middle class like me， odds are that you don't enjoy the opportunities that your parents did。 I know I don't。 The mega-wealthy suck up all of the money and it's more than difficult to find a job that pays a living wage for a lot of us。 There are a few stray rays of sunshine in here。 Some billionaires actually want to give back to the community。 But basically the American dream may be alive and wel Wow， this book taught me so much and most of it is not good news！ If you grew up middle class/ lower middle class like me， odds are that you don't enjoy the opportunities that your parents did。 I know I don't。 The mega-wealthy suck up all of the money and it's more than difficult to find a job that pays a living wage for a lot of us。 There are a few stray rays of sunshine in here。 Some billionaires actually want to give back to the community。 But basically the American dream may be alive and well somewhere else， but not in America！ 。。。more

Edwin Roorda ，

Just finished this excellent book。 I have a 4 decade career in finance。 It is well written， meticulously documented， current， with a hopeful finish; and I need the hopeful part。Along with Jane Mayer's "Dark Money"， provides essential understanding of the forces at work in our current American "Success" myth。 Just finished this excellent book。 I have a 4 decade career in finance。 It is well written， meticulously documented， current， with a hopeful finish; and I need the hopeful part。Along with Jane Mayer's "Dark Money"， provides essential understanding of the forces at work in our current American "Success" myth。 。。。more

Mam ，

A reluctant 3 stars。 Some of the book is fascinating; some of it is boring and， in MY opinion， too opinionated。

Giv ，

For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world， but lose his soul？As people hit the jackpot， they form new friendships and join new networks， and their boundaries shift。 Their points of references also change and so is what seems normal to them changes as well。 The book highlights how people shifts towards socialising with the “same type” of people as they move up the socioeconomic ladder， because they “want to be free to enjoy the fruits of their labour without being reminded c For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world， but lose his soul？As people hit the jackpot， they form new friendships and join new networks， and their boundaries shift。 Their points of references also change and so is what seems normal to them changes as well。 The book highlights how people shifts towards socialising with the “same type” of people as they move up the socioeconomic ladder， because they “want to be free to enjoy the fruits of their labour without being reminded constantly of their privilege。” This may be why touching on topics such as poverty and inequality can be so sensitive to certain people， and they tend to want to attribute the level of success to individual behaviour such as “I work hard to get to where I am today。” The book talks about how we are never “self-made” for the success we have。 For many of us who have not hit the jackpot， we often fantasize what the riches have can one day be ours， thinking about the freedom it could possibly bring， but as the author observes， the rich are hardly truly “free”。 They are still trapped in anxieties towards other things。 We think money can be the solution to the problems we are facing， but there can be another whole set of problems we are creating as well。 So。。 are we truly self-made man？ Or is there something bigger out there than just money that can bring us true “wealth”？ It makes me consider if the wealthy are truly “wealthy” in joy， contentment， happiness or are they just wealthy in their belongings？ 。。。more

zina ，

'In some ways， being very rich and very poor are strangely similar''Parents who wear Rolexes tend to have big Rolodexes'Mostly asinine， as above， but some amusing bits 'In some ways， being very rich and very poor are strangely similar''Parents who wear Rolexes tend to have big Rolodexes'Mostly asinine， as above， but some amusing bits 。。。more

W。 Whalin ，

Fascinating Insights about the Super RichWhat happens when your business takes off and you suddenly inherit wealth？ Editor Michael Mechanic uses detailed storytelling about the super wealthy to give readers insights about their challenges。 I listened to the audiobook version of JACKPOT cover to cover。 I found the chapter about professional athletes fascinating and showed that poor choices with your wealth reveals the fleeting nature of it。 As I listened to JACKPOT there were several continuing t Fascinating Insights about the Super RichWhat happens when your business takes off and you suddenly inherit wealth？ Editor Michael Mechanic uses detailed storytelling about the super wealthy to give readers insights about their challenges。 I listened to the audiobook version of JACKPOT cover to cover。 I found the chapter about professional athletes fascinating and showed that poor choices with your wealth reveals the fleeting nature of it。 As I listened to JACKPOT there were several continuing themes。 First， the super-rich do not live problem-free lives but often fall into addiction and other society ills。 Also Mechanic gives details about how these super-rich use the tax laws to maintain and foster their wealthy lifestyle。 My experience with this audiobook was worthwhile listening and recommended。W。 Terry Whalin is an editor and the author of more than 60 books including his latest 10 Publishing Myths， Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Jackpot: How the Super-Rich Really Live—and How Their Wealth Harms Us All

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Jackpot: How the Super-Rich Really Live—and How Their Wealth Harms Us All&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Jackpot: How the Super-Rich Really Live—and How Their Wealth Harms Us All&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0