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Lords of Greed – Mo’ Money Less Problems Let’s play a little game.

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We’ll call it “Greedopoly.” We’ll definitely be playing the top hat.

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The players in this game?

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A number of individuals whose

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aim during the late 19th century was to amass as much wealth as humanly possible.

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We’re talking titans of industry -

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guys like John D. Rockefeller…

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Andrew Carnegie…

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and J.P. Morgan...

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who revolutionized business practices and built monopolies.

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These three weren’t the only guys to experience success...

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They were just better at recognizing major trends…

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…and played the game better than everyone else.

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Of course, they were happy to help society at the same time by providing new technologies,

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making assembly lines run more effectively, and so on…

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…but mostly, they just wanted swimming pools made out of diamonds.

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These guys were whipping around the board, buying up all the most expensive properties,

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and making all the right investments.

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They certainly didn’t waste their time winning $10 at a beauty contest.

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Thanks to them, America’s economy grew by more than 400 percent between 1860 and 1900.

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The only other thing we can think of that grew that fast was Uncle Harvey’s belly

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during the Superbowl…

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But… how did the rich help bring about this economic boom?

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What gave America such a leg up?

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Well technological advances, improved transportation, financial innovation and new business practices…

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…all combined to fuel this lightning-fast economic growth.

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There were new technologies being developed

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that improved industrial and agricultural productivity…

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…growing cities provided markets and workers for industrial businesses…

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…and improved rail transportation allowed products to reach distant markets,

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which had never before been an option.

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Suddenly, having “tunnel vision” was a good thing.

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Carnegie’s big score was in railroads.

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He made his fortune in the steel industry,

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developing cheaper and more efficient ways to mass produce this valuable material.

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He grew his empire, gobbling up other, smaller steel companies, and making it impossible

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for anyone else to compete with him…

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Poor Reading Railroad didn’t even see it coming…

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Rockefeller was an oil guy.

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Which could explain the slick head of hair.

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He founded the Standard Oil Company, and got into the biz at just the right time.

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With the sudden explosion of automobiles and other vehicles…

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figuratively, not literally…

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gas and oil were suddenly valued commodities.

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Because of his good business sense and ability to predict the market,

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Rockefeller was able to become the world’s first billionaire.

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We’d definitely suggest staying at his hotel, as long as you don’t mind spending $500

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to get a Snickers bar out of the vending machine. Morgan figured out that he could make his

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money work for him. Rather than the other way around.

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And he didn’t have to give it paid vacations either.

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He was a corporate finance pioneer and made gobs of money arranging mergers and financing

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the creation of new companies.

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One of them was the Federal Steel Company, which eventually merged with other steel companies…

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…including that of our friend Andrew Carnegie.

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All three of these guys became big philanthropists toward the tail-end of their careers…

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…starting numerous charities and giving back to society.

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Although… tough to say whether they were inspired to open their wallets out of the

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goodness of their hearts…

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…or out of guilt. Of course, not everyone knew how to play the game.

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There wasn’t a huge overlap between the money-hungry… and the food-hungry.

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Unskilled urban workers moseyed along the board, landing on all the wrong spaces and

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drawing all the wrong cards.

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They did not share in economic gains, but instead endured poverty.

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Unfortunately, there’s no Get Out of Poverty Free card.

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For some, the path to financial success was extremely difficult, if not impossible.

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If an individual was born into poverty and never had access to a good education…

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… it was going to be tough for him to put a roof over his head, let alone have that

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roof be a three-story one.

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Others had plenty of opportunity to grab hold of the high life…

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…but either they were lazy, or didn’t quite have the necessary smarts to make it happen.

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Of course, there were still others who were busy playing an entirely different game altogether.

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Say what you will about greed…

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…but without it, our country never would have flourished and become the superpower

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that it is today.

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All we know is that, when we pass “GO”…

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…we sure want somebody to give us our two hundred bucks.

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