You Can't Take It With You: The Life and Afterlife of America's Greatest Fortunes
Why do people want to become very rich? In this series, Eric Schoenberg, a psychologist who studies the behavior of the very wealthy, offers an answer by looking at the stories of nine Americans who became among the richest people of their time, with a particular focus on what happened to their great wealth after they died.
You Can't Take It With You: The Life and Afterlife of America's Greatest Fortunes
3. A Man With A Better Plan
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Eric Schoenberg
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Season 1
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Episode 3
Stephen Girard and Daniel Ludwig lived strangely parallel lives almost exactly a century and a half apart: both started careers as sailors at very young ages, both made their first fortunes in shipping and then multiplied them via successful investments to become the richest American of their times, and both had wives who gave birth to a daughter that in one case most likely wasn’t his and in the other case definitely wasn’t. And both ended up leaving their entire fortunes to charity despite repeated attempts by their family members who thought they deserved to get them more.
