by Paul H. Ray, Ph.D. and Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D.

Ask The Authors...

What implications does Ray and Anderson's research have for More Than Money Journal readers? Here's what the authors told us:

MTM: How many Cultural Creatives are there in the wealthiest five percent of the population?

Sherry: Based on our data, we would estimate 20-30%, the same as in the general population. Among More Than Money Journal readers, the figure would likely be much higher, given your mission.

Paul: We can also say that, typically, people who have inherited wealth or who have become wealthy in nontraditional ways are much more open to new possibilities than are those who made their money through Modernist business practices. The LOHAS industries (Lifestyles Of Health And Sustainability), for example, are based entirely on serving Cultural Creatives; they do $230 billion worth of business per year in the U.S. and half a trillion around the world. Eighty percent of owners and managers in LOHAS industries are Cultural Creatives. So among that group, you would likely have a high percentage of Cultural Creatives with serious assets.

MTM: What would you say specifically to Cultural Creatives with wealth?

Paul: One of the main things you can do as a person with wealth is help provide a "container" to assist Cultural Creatives to create change. For example, you can provide back-up funding when they are organizing events, reducing the financial risk in case the event doesn't fully fund itself. Supporting Cultural Creatives is not just about paying for something. Many Cultural Creatives are not very knowledgeable about money and are not aware of what it is possible to do with it. You can show them how to use it to change the culture.

Also, people with wealth have networks that other Cultural Creatives don't have. There is a huge volume of social inventions being made now, often on a shoestring. You can hold fundraisers and help give other Cultural Creatives with creative ideas access to funding that will support their growth.

People with wealth are often regarded as opinion leaders; they are also frequently hyper-competent people who are asked to do things in a Modernist setting that is reinforcing the world that is going away. You can be aware that there is a new civilization wanting to be born and take leadership to assist it.

-Interviewed by Pamela Gerloff