The kitchen table had become Lola's place to write. The clock said 3am and the house was silent except for the ticking of the old, and familiar clock. Tick tock, tick tock; she rocked her head from side to side in time. After a while she got up to make some tea. "Yes," she thought, this was what happened to her mothers later in life; they became nocturnal creatures. She would always go to bed early with Edward, but then get up at these quietest moments of the night - the perfect time to think. Edward would sometimes join her for a minute or two, but he would tell her that she worked too hard, and she would promise to stop. He knew she wouldn't, and she knew he knew, but this was their script and there was a certain comfort in sticking to it. Now, as she waited for the water to boil, she thought of Jason. It would still be daytime in California. What would he be doing? At least he was safe now. She sighed and returned to the table with her mug of rosehip tea. Everything was laid

Kittridge and Jason are both concerned. Their concern is that small businesses are dwindling and the rich are getting richer but America is getting poorer. Like the popular ice caps, the middle class is disappearing. America is becoming a two-class society. This phenomenon - the shrinking middle class - is a global problem, but predominantly in the rich Nations ( in countries such as England, France, Germany, Japan, etc.) With the threats to the stability of democratic capitalism itself within the country.Mr Kittridge and Jason placed the blame on lack of education. But they focused on a different type of education, financial education. Both men were concerned about the lack of quality financial education in America, at all levels. Both men blamed the lack of financial education for the government having gone from the richest government in the world to the biggest debtors in history. Both Kittridge and Jason are successful entrepreneurs and investors. Both men do business and are r

When Kittridge and Jason were talking about the shrinking middle class, it made Kittridge aware that some things can be explained. It's like an hourglass with the middle class the pinched part, or like someone with a very small waistline. What happens when you flip the hourglass? Either way you flip it, you have the poor feeding the rich or the rich feeding the poor. It's either one or the other. Kittridge doesn't like the visual because it reminded him of the old world and aristocratic ways that the country revolted against. Kittridge had been reading some news papers while enjoying some travel time, but there was a story in The Wall Street journal that got him thinking about risk. Just yesterday a new spread like wildfire about three Climbers dying on their way down from Mt. Everest, evidently from exhaustion, after they had reached their goal. And there was an article about the great racehorse, Barbaro, and his terrible injury, and the tragedy in the Volvo Ocean Race, where a

Kittridge has known about the 90/10 ratio for a long time. He predicted it could reach 90/05 or even 90/01 with 1 percent of the people owning 99 percent of the nation's assets, if they didn't pay attention. Jason's ideas When it comes to attitude, most employees seek security. They say "I'm looking for a safe, secure job with benefits." A small business person may say, "if you want to do it right, do it yourself." A big business owner is often looking for a president, CEO or other talented person to run his or her operations. One of the differences between Small business owners and Big business owners is the number of employees. "Simply because there is very little you can do for yourself from taxes - hence you really do not need an accountant to advise you. Most governments give tax breaks to Big business owners because they provide jobs, and governments offer tax breaks to investors because they invest their money back into the economy. Special tax breaks were usually giving to p

Kittridge's mother was of Scottish heritage, and she gave Kittridge some sage advice that he always tried to follow."Trust in God and be true to yourself."His mother enjoyed lavish spectacle, and she liked to watch the royal procession and ceremonies from Europe. Kittridge's flamboyant side came from her mother, she was Scotch and very careful with money and time. She always had time to give to charity and needy causes, so her interest were diverse yet well-balanced. Kittridge's mother was a devout person, she lived her faith. Which was a great example to Kittridge as a child and as an adult. She was very strong and yet gentle, and she was also very humble. She gave everything she had without reservation. He spoke so highly of his parents for a good reason. His mother's advice was simple but wise. It cuts to the core and kept him focused and well-balanced. "Trust in God and be true to yourself." It didn't get any better than that. A defining moment in Jason's life was when he disco