People talk about winning the lottery as if it were the Holy Grail everyone is after. And, sure, having a lot of money can enhance your life in myriad ways. You can pay off your house and buy a much bigger one, purchase a luxurious car, do away with your college loan debt, buy expensive clothes and jewelry with no restraint, etc. Society tells us this is the ideal life. But is it really the kind of life we ALL yearn for? Not me. Instead, I just want to be comfortable financially, and that's well within everyone's reach by (1) saving up (2) scouring the internet and newspapers for great deals (3) staying within or below one's budget. I can only surmise that people who are rich feel immense pressure to display with their wealth. (Not to mention they likely get asked for money left and right by friends and relatives.) The issue is that I'm the farthest thing from a materialistic person, so if I found myself thrust into that situation, I would not feel compelled...

An article published recently by CNN reveals that eight men -- Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Bloomberg, Larry Ellison, and Amancio Ortega -- are insanely rich. Collectively, they're worth $426 billion, now controlling as much wealth as the world's poorest 3.6 billion people. To put it in perspective, the richest 1% has owned more wealth than the rest of the planet since 2015. In the U.S., the richest 1% control 42% of the wealth. And the problem is only getting worse. . Despite many world leaders sharing a common goal to reduce inequality, the gap between the rich and the rest continues to widen. In fact, seven out of 10 people live in a country where inequality has worsened over the past three decades. And over the past 25 years, the top 1% has gained more income than the bottom 50% combined. In other words, income and wealth are being funneled upwards at a staggering rate -- rather than trickling down. To boot, the...