"Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have is this. When I have a subject in mind, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. My mind becomes pervaded with it... the effort which I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought."  Can you guess the source of this quote? These words come from Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), the first treasury secretary of the U.S. under George Washington and the architect of the nation's financial system. Hamilton, who sang the praises of a strong central government, was a brilliant theorist and prodigious writer. He, along with James Madison and John Jay, wrote The Federalist Papers, which pushed for ratification of the U.S. Constitution. He championed the establishment of the First Bank of the United States and led the Federalist Party, the first political party to rise to power in the United States. It's no surprise that Hamilton's story b...

Some of my friends and relatives seem driven to do nothing more than amass as much money as they possibly can. While having enough money to live a comfortable life is certainly important, I've never really sought to become a millionaire -- nor do I think I would want to be one. I'm the furthest thing from flashy and materialistic. I'm a minimalist by nature, so I try my best to avoid accumulating junk -- hence the reason why I'm thinking about buying a condominium rather than the huge house with white picket fence so many envision as encapsulating the American Dream. If I were to strike it rich, I'd think first about providing for my family, then helping the less fortunate. I've seen people who come from humble beginnings become wealthier and change dramatically, almost overnight. I think people who have a lot of money feel the impulse to show it, and Hollywood is partly to blame. You usually won't find the well-to-do settling for Toyota Corollas and S...