Invisible Wealth

Chapter 7The Wealth of Knowledge, Status, and Influence

With a healthy foundation in place, we’re ready for the third Principle of Invisible Wealth: knowledge, status, and influence. Each of these intangible assets can have profound effects on self, and others, when paired with good intention and use. These assets elevate us, and those around us, to the next level—evolving into the next iteration of self. Oftentimes we forget how powerful it is to share our knowledge, to utilize our status, and to wield our influence for good—benefitting our souls, and benefitting society.

To set the stage, we'll look at the relationship between knowledge, status, influence, and wealth. Thereafter, we'll do a deep dive into each, ultimately arriving at the present‐day value of all.

“Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.”

—Dalai Lama

The Relationship Between Knowledge, Status, Influence, and Wealth

Knowledge, specifically the accumulation and use of knowledge, has a powerful relationship with financial wealth, status, and influence. This we intuitively know. But the topic deserves revisiting given the technological advancements and societal shifts underway. Knowledge is a resource for accumulating wealth, and wealth and status are interlinked, because you can pay your way into status and you can monetize status. Plus, as Jordan Peterson points out, “wealth is a proxy for status.” Further, influence is often a byproduct of knowledge and status. Fundamentally speaking, ...