80% of today’s millionaires are first generation wealth.
About 120,000 millionaires are between 26 and 34 years old.
People 34 and younger account for 40% of all business start-ups
35% of high net worth households are over 65; 30% are between 55 and 64, and another 32% are between 37 and 55.
41% of the wealthiest 1% of individuals own or have an interest in a private company.
92% of women executives support charities, and there are 6.2 million woman owned businesses.
92% of small business owners/managers were asked to give donations last year, and 91% did.
We all aspire to grow and benefit from our education and hard work. Many of you according to today’s statistics are able to taste the fruits of those labors for the first time in your families’ genealogy.
Nevertheless when it comes to our personal development why do we have such disconnect within us about our new wealth and its social expectations? Truth is told, wealth once achieved, has proven to be an easy acquisition for today’s creative intellectuals but it is the social graces; manners, etiquette, courtesy and civility that leaves us at a disadvantage in integrating into our new tax bracket. Those lessons that our parents tried to instill upon us as children come forefront to the mind and in today’s world as in times past only the most socially astute continue to elevate their status and enjoy their riches wholeheartedly. Navigating the rituals of Social and Business opportunities is an exercise in familiarity; of course one must know the rules of engagement, those things we call propriety, protocol and diplomacy are only pre-established acts of discourse used to alleviate unfamiliarity amongst individuals and settings.
An old Victorian definition of etiquette states that “Etiquette is the shield that society protects itself from the intrusions of the improper, impertinent and the vulgar”. This invisible barrier remains to this day constantly evolving and changing at the will of those in the know. So unless a concerted effort is put in to the development of your status all the financial success and intellect acquired will still remain limited. A legacy- your legacy, exist not erected with bricks and mortar but by the influence and development of those that come in contact with you. You can not build your legacy and the legacy of your family with out those social interactions. This is the prestige understood and passed down by the elite; this is why their names remain the subject of our adoration. Their philanthropic endeavors, commissions of art and humanity are the sources of these nations’ greatest riches. How will you measure up if you exclude yourself from the opportunity? How fulfilled will your life be by standing on the sidelines for fear of committing to the dance?
Upwardly Mannered
Your Starting Place for Social, Political and Economic Advancement
