Rule Your Wealth: The Six-Spoke Framework for Mastering Inherited Fortune

Rule Your Wealth Rather Than Having It Rule You

The Problem Nobody Prepares You For

What happens when you inherit enough wealth that you never have to work again? Most inheritors and early exiters wing it.

Chip Fisher knows this territory intimately. His father founded America's #1 high-fidelity equipment brand, selling in 1969 for generational wealth. Now chairman of a medical device company and coach to family office and ultra-high-net-worth inheritors, Chip has distilled decades of experience into a structured framework.

"The lack of structure is the biggest problem I see with people with a lot of money," Chip explains. "They don't feel the obligation to be in a socially engaged environment. That's incredibly dangerous."

The Six Spokes on the Wheel

Chip's framework addresses six critical areas that determine whether inherited wealth becomes an asset or a burden. Each spoke requires attention—not perfection—to build the foundation for ruling your wealth rather than being ruled by it.

Spoke One: Understanding Wealth Origins

Chip works with a sixth-generation client—so removed from the founding story that money might as well have appeared by magic.

"My father said to me when I was 20: 'You'll never know how hard I worked for this money, and it probably isn't coming around again, so don't screw it up.'" - Chip Fisher

Without understanding the sacrifice, failures, and decades of effort, you can't develop appropriate stewardship.

Spoke Two: Pursuing Direction

Everybody needs discipline. Without financial necessity, that discipline must come from within. "Do something. Give everything a good shot, as if you really had to do it to make money." Work means showing up, contributing, and being accountable to something beyond yourself.

Spoke Three: Friends and Partners

"Be wary, don't be paranoid, but be wary." Chip shares: "When a man with money and a man with experience get together, the man with the experience gets the money and the man with the money gets the experience."

The goal isn't cynicism—it's calibrated trust. Chip deliberately doesn't lead with his family name, allowing relationships to develop authentically.

Spoke Four: Dynastic Marriage Choices

When significant wealth is involved, choosing a life partner becomes complex. The person you marry enters a complicated structure—social, financial, sometimes political.

Chip's 40-year marriage offers a case study. His wife understood the responsibility of wealth. Culturally aligned. Socially aligned. Values aligned.

"If you know your brand—who you are—then you're okay. But be old enough and mature enough to actually know yourself. For men, that often doesn't happen until their 30s."

Spoke Five: Parents and Siblings

Your siblings won't necessarily share your values around money. The key: respect differences without allowing them to influence your choices.

Chip's father demonstrated restraint. After selling his company, his lifestyle barely changed. One attempted luxury: a Jaguar in 1971. It fell apart in six weeks.

"I've lived my life in a contained way. I live very comfortably, but I've never done anything excessive, and I've taught my sons the same."

Spoke Six: Third Places

"One of the things disappearing in society is third places—places that people can socialize. If you can join organizations where you share interests with people who aren't judging you for your money, those things are amazing."

Read. Be cultured. These aren't frivolous—they're the infrastructure of meaningful life.

The One Principle That Changes Everything

"The best step is understanding the origins of your family's wealth. That isn't about you. It's about the money. But the money is about you—your life, your lifestyle."

From there, extend that to yourself. Where did you come from? What are your family's values? What's your personal brand?

"If you figure out who you are, it's much easier to find friends that are compatible and trustworthy, a spouse or partner that's trustworthy, you'll make good business decisions, and you'll have good social engagement."

This process doesn't happen overnight. But it's worth starting immediately.

Why This Matters Now

The challenges facing inherited wealth have intensified. Social media creates constant comparison. Extreme wealth creates isolation. Third places are disappearing. Most people with inherited wealth are winging it.

"You have to rule your wealth rather than having it rule you. Set a high bar in controlling these different spokes. You don't have to conquer them all at once. Just be aware of their influence on your ability to be a happy person."

The framework isn't about perfection. It's about intentionality—consciously addressing whether wealth becomes an asset or a burden.

Key Takeaways

• Biggest risk of inherited wealth: lack of structure and social engagement

• Understanding wealth origins creates appreciation for stewardship

• "Dynastic marriage choices" mean finding a partner who understands wealth's responsibility

• Know your brand: understand who you are before major life decisions

• Third places make joining clubs and associations around shared interests essential

• Early exiters often become "besotted" with lifestyles incompatible with their values

• Raise children expecting they'll earn their achievements

• Maintain small circles of trusted friends; be wary of those approaching because of wealth

• Wealth guilt resolves through engagement with normal life

• Most important starting point: figure out who you are

Watch the full conversation with Chip Fisher for detailed examples and practical advice.

About Chip Fisher:

Charles Avery Fisher, known as Chip, is a lifelong New Yorker. He earned his BA from Harvard, and is the founder of several companies in a number of different industries.

He established Fisher Wallace Laboratories, a medical device company, in 2007, where he now serves as Chairman.

Chip serves on the board of the Avery Fisher Artists Programs and Virtual Music Academy. Over the years he has been active in many nonprofits including being one of the founding board members for City Harvest.

In 2022, Chip founded Ursus Advisory, a peer-to-peer life consulting firm focused on working with UHNW clients between the ages of 21 and 40, to discuss issues which arise in the first fifteen years or so of an inheritance.

Topics discussed with clients include the origin of one’s family wealth, career options in the presence of wealth, friends and partners and how they relate to you vis a vis your wealth, choosing a life partner who can understand your background, parents and siblings and how they relate to you on the subject of money, and how to become a full person ; hobbies and interests and why they’re part of the narrative.

He is currently lecturing on this topic at wealth conferences worldwide, and meets with clients, both locally and internationally to conduct conversations, either in person or by Zoom.