This is the time of the year when we are particularly thankful for good health, family, friends, and our many other blessings. However, there is one facet of life in which many of us are not sufficiently grateful and that is financial success. In a recent podcast, Author Michael Lewis reminded us that the self-made zillionaire is largely a myth in that financial success is generally the result of a combination of luck and the help of others. The 2024 Bank of America Private Bank Study of Wealthy Americans found that only 25% of wealthy Americans are self-made with the remainder getting a head start from some combination of an upper middle class or wealthy upbringing and inheritance. Several professors at MIT built an elaborate computer model of wealth creation that found that the most successful people are not necessarily the most talented, just the luckiest. Those of us who have achieved some measure of success have every right to be proud of our accomplishments. However, we should also be grateful for good luck and the support received from so many people and organizations along the way.