Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English weal, which is from an Indo-European word stem. An individual, community, region or country that possesses an abundance of such possessions or resources is known as wealthy.

The concept of wealth is of significance in all areas of economics, and clearly so for growth economics and development economics. Yet the meaning of wealth is context-dependent and there is no universally agreed upon definition. At the most general level, economists may define wealth as "anything of value" which captures both the subjective nature of the idea and the idea that it is not a fixed or static concept. Various definitions and concepts of wealth have been asserted by various individuals and in different contexts. Defining wealth can be a normative process with various ethical implications, since often wealth maximization is seen as a goal or is thought to be a normative principle of its own.

Jordan Belfort (born July 9, 1962) is an American author, motivational speaker and former white collar criminal who spent 22 months in jail for offences related to stock market manipulation and running a boiler room. In the 1990s, he founded brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont which functioned as a boiler room, and developed a hard-partying lifestyle, which included a serious drug addiction (namely Quaaludes). The firm also served as inspiration for the 2000 film Boiler Room. As the owner of Stratton Oakmont, he employed over 1000 stockbrokers and was involved in stock issues totalling more than $1 billion, including an equity raising for footwear company Steve Madden Ltd.

Belfort was the final owner the 37m yacht the Nadine (renamed after his second wife) originally built for Coco Chanel which by the time it was sunk had been extended to over 50m. In June 1997, it sank off the east coast of Sardinia. The Italian Special Forces were called to rescue all aboard the vessel - no one was harmed. In his book, Belfort details how he insisted on sailing out in high winds against the advice of his Captain which eventually caused the ship to sink as result of violent waves smashing the foredeck hatch. Features of the Nadine included a helicopter, 8 jetskis and 4 or 5 tenders.

Anthony "Tony" Robbins (born February 29, 1960) is an American self-help author and motivational speaker. He became well known through his infomercials and self-help books, Unlimited Power: The New Science Of Personal Achievement and Awaken The Giant Within. Robbins writes about subjects such as health and energy, overcoming fears, persuasive communication, and enhancing relationships. Robbins began his career learning from many different motivational speakers, and promoted seminars for his personal mentor, Jim Rohn. He is deeply influenced by neuro-linguistic programming and a variety of philosophies.

Robbins's work has been featured in major media including Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Forbes, Life, GQ, Vanity Fair, Business Week, Tycoon and Success magazines, the CBS Evening News, NBC News, ABC's Prime Time Live, Fox News, CNN and A&E as well as newspapers, radio programs, and Internet media worldwide. Robbins has been mentioned or featured in 15 major motion pictures, including a cameo role a romantic comedy film Shallow Hal, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, and Jason Alexander. In 2007, he was named to Forbes magazine's "Celebrity 100" list.

Angus Stewart Deaton (born October 19, 1945 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a leading microeconomist. He was educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh, where he was a Foundation Scholar, and earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. at Cambridge University, where he was a Fellow at Fitzwilliam College and a Research Officer working with Professor Sir Richard Stone and Terry Barker in the Department of Applied Economics. Deaton was a Professor of Econometrics at the University of Bristol before moving to Princeton University in 1983. He is currently the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of International Affairs and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School and the Economics Department at Princeton.

Deaton's first work to become widely known was the Almost Ideal Demand System, which he developed with John Muellbauer. The Almost Ideal Demand System represents an elegant treatment of consumer demand. It provides an arbitrary first order approximation to any demand system, one which satisfies the axioms of choice while avoiding unattractive features of other models. In 1978, Deaton became the first recipient of the Frisch Medal, an award given by the Econometric Society every two years to an applied paper published within the past 5 years in Econometrica. Deaton is a Fellow of the Econometric Society, a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Rome,Tor Vergata, University College London, and the University of St. Andrews. In 2007, he was elected President of the American Economic Association. In 2012, he was selected to receive the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the category of Economics, Finance and Management for his "fundamental contributions to the theory of consumption, savings and measurement of economic wellbeing."

Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer, and director.

After working as a standup comic and appearing in small film roles, Rock came to wider prominence as as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s. He went on to more prominent film roles, and a series of acclaimed comedy specials for HBO.

He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central. He was also voted in the UK as the 9th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007, and again in the updated 2010 list as the 8th greatest stand-up comic.

Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. A few years later, they relocated and settled in the working-class area of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. His mother, Rosalie (née Tingman), was a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped; his father, Julius Rock, was a former truck driver and newspaper deliveryman. Julius died in 1988 after ulcer surgery. His younger brothers Tony, Kenny and Jordan are also in the entertainment business. His older half-brother, Charles, died in 2006 after a long struggle with alcoholism. Rock has said that he was influenced by the performing style of his paternal grandfather, Allen Rock, a preacher.