Annual Report XLIX - 2022: Are we rich?
This was the question I was asked by my just-turned-ten daughter, back in the middle of August. Given that we were sitting in a holiday home on a private island off the east coast of the USA, it seemed like a fairly ludicrous question from an adult’s perspective. Thinking about it more, how should she know? Yes, we live in a big house, but it’s not fancy. We don’t eat off gold plates, drip with jewellery, or drive posh cars. Of course, the answer had to be ‘Yes’, but this did seem like a moment ripe for further discussion: did Elyse know why people are rich - us or anyone else?
Obviously, it’s not because we are clever. Yes, some rich people are very smart, but I went to school with thousands of very rich people, and I can guarantee that plenty of them were very stupid. Maybe then it’s because we work hard? That must be why nursing is such a highly paid job, and why those people who have to work two or three full time jobs to make ends meet are well on their way to being millionaires.