Radical Personal Finance 1125-Leaving a Legacy: Inheritance, Charity, & Thousand-Year Families: Interview with Johann Kurtz
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Jan 7, 2026 In this engaging discussion, Johann Kurtz, a writer and commentator on inheritance and cultural stewardship, delves into the importance of legacy and family continuity. He critiques modern meritocracy, emphasizing its hidden costs and the need for intergenerational responsibility. The conversation explores why parents disinherit children, the virtues of thousand-year families, and the moral duty to provide for the next generation. Kurtz passionately argues for a structured freedom within families that fosters true excellence and civic identity.
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Meritocracy’s Narrowness Damages Culture
- Modern meritocracy narrows the definition of excellence to standardized tests and metrics.
- This impoverished merit view erodes family, place, and traditions that sustain long-term social goods.
Life Games Versus Death Games
- Life-games give security and encourage honor; death-games create crushing stakes and stress.
- Johann argues families and traditions convert death-games into life-games by offering stable belonging.
Don’t Disinherit — Cultivate Duty Instead
- Wealthy parents should not simply disinherit to force ambition; they must intentionally form character.
- Use imaginative, rigorous parenting to pass duty and purpose alongside assets.
