Two Extremes of What We Really Need

What do human beings really need? At one tragic extreme, at least 700 million people do not have access to clean water. Every year, half a million children ...

Warren Buffet on Sacrificial Generosity

I once heard Warren Buffet say in an interview (I paraphrase here) about his $26 billion gift to the Gates Foundation: "My gift has not changed my ...

Money—Our Hardest Conversation Topic

Everyone knows there are a few hot-button topics that can make any conversation go nuclear. Religion. Health. Politics. Death. But when it comes to the ...

Ship Stuffed with Gold Sinks Off Wales Coast

On the 25th of October in 1859, the steam clipper Royal Charter rounded the island of Anglesey off the coast of Wales on what was supposed to be the celebratory ...

Researcher Claims Credit Cards Make Us Forgetful

In the early 1990s, a behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago named Dilip Soman set out to study the effects of consumer credit, on the human ...

He Could Find a Sunken Treasure, But Not Wisdom

"One of the most intelligent fugitives ever sought," said the U.S. Marshal Service, of treasure hunter turned con-man Tommy Thompson, recently ...

True Love? There's Not an App for That.

There's an app for everything, it seems—including dating. For anyone in the dating world who wishes for an electronic matchmaker that eliminates ...

Ancient Ruler Loved Things, Used People

Abd Al-Rahman III was a ruler in 10th-century Spain who lived in complete luxury. Here's how he assessed his life: "I have now reigned above ...

The Story Behind the Self-Storage Movement

In the 1960s Jim Knuppe was building apartments in the Bay Area around San Francisco. Apartments are cramped and usually do not have garages, and Mr. ...

John Ortberg Tries to Teach His Daughter about Money

John Ortberg writes:

When our kids were little, we put them on the envelope system. When we gave them an allowance, they would put it in envelopes labeled ...