sonable discussion about public policy related to taxation is just
about impossible. The income gap between the highest-earning
and lowest-earning segments of the population steadily increases,
and the promise of middle-class financial security is rapidly becom-
ing a fantasy. (Here we are referring to the typical middle-class
dream of homeownership, sending kids to college, and saving for a
comfortable retirement.) If you feel guilty about becoming rich,
then you will tend to avoid or fail at those steps that will make you
rich, in order to avoid the discomfort of the associated guilt. Con-
versely, if you resent rich people, you will tend to avoid riches, so as
to avoid the possibility of receiving the same resentment that you
now project onto rich people. There may be many reasons why you
cannot afford a Rolls-Royce; the fact that someone else has one is
not one of these reasons.PARENTAL GUILT
Personal and societal expectations regarding parenthood are un-
reasonably high. Parenthood is one of the toughest jobs in the
world, and there is little useful training for it. Unfortunately, the
only training most people receive at this is from their own parents.
Although you have the ability to influence others, you do not con-
trol them, including your children. You probably made lots of mis-
takes of commission and omission in raising your children. If you
did the best job you could and your children turned out below your
expectations, this is OK. Further self-punishment serves no one.RELIGIOUS GUILT
Thankfully all of us in the United States have freedom of religion.
You can have whatever religious beliefs you like. The issue here is
how religious beliefs affect your finances. No matter what religion
you belong to, there are rich people who are members. It is OK for
you to be one of them. One religious model of life says that we sep-
arate from God at birth and remain so until death. From this as-
sumption comes the conclusion that the purpose of life is to earn a
reunion with God at some unknown time in the future. Such a re-
union is often believed to be conditional on adherence to an elabo-
rate system of morality. This morality often includes the idea that
money is evil.
If you believe that money will corrupt you, you are corrupt al-
ready. There are lots of popular sayings about this: “Money is the
root of all evil.” “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts ab-116 Stop Wasting Your Energy