I don't disagree with your statement that wealth changes people, I've watched many people, both close to me and mere acquaintances become suddenly wealthy from

I don't disagree with your statement that wealth changes people, I've watched many people, both close to me and mere acquaintances become suddenly wealthy from an equity liquidity event. And how it affected them varied wildly. Surprisingly, a very large number (perhaps the bulk) reached a level of wealth where they didn't have to work "for" someone any more and just stopped pursuing wealth and switched over to doing other stuff. I also find the effects on wives of rich men who in divorce became quite wealthy and how it affected their character. My unscientific sampling seems to suggest women handle it better than men. I don't know why that is, but I have noticed that many wealthy women I know don't tie their wealth to their self image. That is less common with the men I know. I always hope that people who become wealthy have enough self awareness to recognize changes in themselves but like the lyric in the song "Life's Been Good to Me" says, "It's tough to handle this fortune and fame; Everybody's so different, I haven't changed"