The $5 Trillion Question They Forgot to Ask

I recently have been asking rooms of teenagers — heirs to extraordinary fortunes — a question that doesn’t appear on balance sheets:

“What is your wealth?”

No lead-in. No coaching. Just the question.

And here’s what happened: 99 out of 100 didn’t mention money.

Not even once.

✦ Their Answers Were Unmistakable

“Time with my sister before she leaves.” “A forest I can name.” “Not having to perform all the time.” “Being able to cry and not apologize.” “Knowing I can change my mind and still be loved.”

These weren’t curated. They weren’t metaphorical. They were unfiltered truths—offered before the world arrived to edit them.

What they described wasn’t financial. It was existential.