Below are two lists. My intention was to list the smartest people in the world today, as far as we know. My initial concept was to base the list on tested IQ – Intelligence Quotient – that attempts to identify a person’s intelligence, relying largely on how your score compares to others.

It occurred to me that some of the “smartest” people in the world surely would be among the richest, as well. So I whipped up a list of the people with the world’s highest EQ – Economic Quotient – that simply identifies the size of a person’s value to his or her heirs.

Here is the comparison of Smarty Pants and Rich Pants:

Your personal IQ changes all the time. Tests are varied and inaccurate, and you can actually learn how to get higher scores. As the world population continues to explode, your place on the bell curve moves constantly. Plus, IQs change (decline) as we age, for various reasons.

Your personal EQ changes all the time, as well. Income and expenses are in a constant tug-of-war. Market value of personal assets bounce around more than a crack baby. And are you including your Cayman Island bank account in your public income statement? (Please note: at least half the people on the Rich Pants list inherited their fortunes.)

In an entirely unscientific way, the chart comparison above reveals that it takes more than brains to make money. Or that smart people realize there’s more to life than collecting coin. Or that rich people don’t let a little thing like intelligence get in their way. Or that rich people aren’t smart enough to hide their assets.

Whatever. All I know is that you and I are not on either list. How do we carry on?

O.C. DeeDee

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