Friday Fun: Agree, or disagree, with the following statement:

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He who dies rich, dies shamed.

Andrew Carnegie

READERS: Agree, or disagree?

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Nancy (aka Moneycoach)
Imagine if Canadians were known for being all over their money. Engaged. Proactive. Getting out of debt. Savvy. Saving. Generous. Nancy wants to help. Nancy started her own journey with money over 15 years ago, and formed her company “Your Money by Design” in 2004 to help others along the same path. It’s not the usual financial advising/investment stuff. It’s about taking control of day-to-day finances –managing monthly cashflow effectively, spending appropriately, getting out of debt, saving. If you're ready to take control over your finances, pop by her business site, YourMoneybyDesign.com

11 Comments

tracey

agree, if you subscribe to the notion that we (the human race) are a community and are all connected with each other through community and the earth, then what a waste to die wealthy and not have taken the opportunity to direct that wealth towards a greater purpose. money is a resource to be utilized during life – it serves no purpose in death.

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Apr 24, 2009
Big Cajun Man

Agree, but also, he who dies rich, is still dead as well.

Big Cajun Man’s last blog post..Weekend Video

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Apr 25, 2009
Mark

Disagree. Unless one dies wealthy and leaves all to his/her Cocker Spaniel! Someone may leave wealth to be distributed upon death to various organizations, or to be given to individual beneficiaries to be used well. Or one may die unexpectedly before having the time to do with their wealth as they’d like. No shame in accumulating wealth through a life of hard work! Perhaps one can argue there’s shame in dying without ever having tried in life to work hard – or creatively (both which can amass wealth)? There’s too much stigma against those that have worked hard.

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Apr 25, 2009
Traciatim

Disagree, it’s how you manage your wealth and what happens when you die with it according to your instructions that will determine if you die in shame or not. Simply possessing wealth at death shouldn’t make much of a difference at all.

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Apr 25, 2009
John Mutford

Depends. Did he die doing a monkey?

John Mutford’s last blog post..Saturday Word Play- Chicken Soup Souls Double Clues

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Apr 25, 2009
david - living in the tree house

wow, I tend to think that no ones dies with any wealth left except what they have invested in the lives of others, SO maybe I need a different question.
I am so glad for the conversation here.

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Apr 25, 2009
Carmi

On the fence on this one. I guess it all depends how we define wealth, and how deeply we invest in legacies that make a difference in the lives of those who follow.

I’m glad Tanya sent me this eve…you’ve made me think!

Carmi’s last blog post..Breaking through the glass ceiling

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Apr 25, 2009
Mongoose

I’m with Mark. It depends how, why and when they died, and what’s in their will. If you die unexpectedly with millions of dollars in the bank and your will distributes it all to good causes, there’s nothing more you could have done about it. If you die old and rich and your will leaves everything to your lazy kids, then yeah, that’s pretty sad.

Mongoose’s last blog post..Ukraine, Schmukraine

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Apr 27, 2009
ioana

Kinda agree.. of course there are a lot of “but”s and “if”s etc but the general idea is that wealth is accumulated by greed and by stepping on other people.

I would end this with “vote ndp” but I can’t anymore, they have betrayed me.

ioana’s last blog post.._this_ is how you tell me you love me??

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Apr 27, 2009
Anna

I’ll DISAGREE too.

Everyone above pretty much said what I felt.

As Andrew Carnegie was apparently the “2nd richest man in history”, he probably knew what he was talking about though!

Anna’s last blog post..Canadian Deals: Daily Bargains And Great Offers!

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Apr 27, 2009
nancy

Well just to be contrarian to the majority, I’ll fall on the “I Agree” side. I suspect what he was getting at was a high-level Hording problem.
@mark – I’m not convinced that being rich is a function of working hard (else I should be much, much richer than I am!) but a combination of natural talent, life circumstances, and what you have to work with in the first place.
At first, I too thought, “so what, as long as she/he leaves money to good causes”. But then I thought, “wait a minute. So you hold back, hold back, hold back your whole life, then all of a sudden turn on the tap after you’re dead?” Hmm — seems like some control issues?

nancy’s last blog post..Investing with a conscience

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Apr 28, 2009