Sudden Wealth Syndrome

The number of millionaires in the United States has risen an astonishing 40% since 1997. Yet new evidence shows that many of the nouveau riche are uncomfortable with their wealth. Not a problem for the widow of this text.

The very night the Maryland lottery made Robert Bronson a millionaire, his wife told him it would ruin their marriage.

Seventeen months later they were divorced.

Still, who wouldn't want to get his hands on the largest jackpot in U.S. history, $363 million?
Chances are, it wouldn't make you any happier than you are now.

Truth be told, people don't handle financial windfalls very well, at least not if studies of lottery winners are any indication. Troubles start to pile up, according to top winners, with big payouts serving as no guarantee of future happiness.

Now comes another report. Merrill Lynch announced last spring that the number of millionaires in the United States and Canada has risen almost 40 percent since 1997. The question is no longer "Who Wants to BE a Millionaire?" — but instead, "Who Already IS a Millionaire?" Can you guess the size of the group that exists right now?

Two and one half million. Living all around us are two and a half million...