KarunaNews Story

Excess wealth can be damaging — for example, wealth is associated with lower empathy and compassion, and more susceptibility to addiction. Studies suggest that happiness declines beyond a certain level of income (although there is ongoing debate about the specific threshold). Iris Brilliant, who gave away much of her inherited wealth and now helps others in doing so, argues that riches bring more feelings of insecurity. “As you get wealthier, the [level of wealth] that feels like ‘enough’ only increases, which, of course, creates suffering because you can’t appreciate what you have. There’s more fear the more money you have.” Brilliant is part of a growing movement in the financial sector to help people give away inherited wealth.