One reality we all face -- rich, poor or middle -- is this:

When you die, you can't take any of it with you. Not the millions of dollars in the bank. Not the furniture, the cars, the McMansions.

Death is the final, and great, economic leveler.

So it seems fitting, and somehow cosmically fair, that many studies show that great wealth does not translate to great happiness.

This month's Atlantic magazine article has a fascinating story on an in-depth survey taken of 165 super rich households, 120 of which have at least $25 million in assets.

Here's the "nut graph" as we say in the journalism biz:

The respondents turn out to be a generally dissatisfied lot, whose money has contributed to deep anxieties involving love, work, and family. Indeed, they are frequently dissatisfied even with their sizable fortunes.

One of the antidotes to this despair? Giving a lot of money away, the article explains.

---

---