The Library Means Business: Millionaires' deepest secrets revealed in various books

The rich. They're just different from the rest of us. Vast amounts of money give people opportunities that the rest of us don't have, whether it's establishing a $1,000,000 charitable foundation, dropping $10,000 in an afternoon of shopping on Rodeo Drive or bankrolling a $1,000-a-day addiction. It's all in what you do with it.

But money in and of itself is not the problem. After all, the saying isn't "money is the root of all evil," rather it's "the love of money is the root of all evil."

Of course, wealthy is in the eye of the beholder. As citizens of the richest nation on the planet, middle-class Americans have a lifestyle far more affluent than people in Third World nations ever dreamed of.

If you'd like to read more about the lifestyles of the rich and famous, check out some of these books and web sites available at the Springfield-Greene County Library.

Books @ the library

"Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic" by John de Graaf, 306.0973 D, is defined as a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.

Did you know that more people file bankruptcy each year than graduate from college, and that we spend more for trash bags than 90 of the world's 210 countries spend for everything? Based on two PBS documentaries, this slashing analysis of the way we live and work comes to the ultimate conclusion that the best things in life aren't things.

Working the other side of the street, so to speak, "The Feng Shui of Abundance: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Attracting Wealth Into Your Life" by Suzan Hilton, 332.024 H, is all about coming to terms with the creation and unmitigated acceptance of plenitude. Psotooning itself as a practical and spiritual guide to attracting wealth into your life, this approach requires that you get comfortable with concepts such as locating a wealth area in your home or office.

Millionaires are 4.9 times likelier to play with their grandkids than shop at Brooks Brothers. You'll discover things like that if you survey 1,371 millionaires. Or you can save yourself a great deal of time and trouble by reading "The Millionaire Mind" by Thomas J. Stanley, 305.5234 S, which also notes that hard work and tenacity count for more than scholastic prowess when it comes to wealth creation. "The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy" by Thomas J. Stanley, 332.0973 S, is from the same author and covers a lot of the same territory.

Pertinent Web sites

www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/

1889carnegie.html

Today most people think of Andrew Carnegie in terms of the many libraries which he funded and which still bear his name.

In 1889, he wrote a short article in the North American Review detailing his thoughts on the disposal of surplus wealth. The points that he makes are still worth reading.

www.fortune.com/sitelets/navigation/listlinks.html

This page provides links to the Fortune Magazine online lists, including the third annual America's Forty Richest under 40.

The list is heavily seasoned with athletes and entertainers Tiger Woods barely managed to squeak in at No. 40 with $160 million. You also can find out who's fallen off the list due to age or financial reversal.

www.forbes.com/fdc/sitemap.shtml

Use this site map under "Lists" to find more than you want to know about the world's richest people, the 400 richest Americans, and the 800 best-paid CEOs. It is possible to categorize and limit the lists to customize your search.

(Mike DePue is the business librarian at the Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell.)