I have been lucky in life.

Born poor, I learned the skills of doing more with less early on. I saw firsthand how close invention and creativity and diplomacy sit near frugality. These choices sat in my head like competing family members.

I learned from my mother to act with the spirit of frugality and to mimic the older sisters of invention and diplomacy. After my father died when I was three years old, my mother, Lillian Anna Piasecki, took in foster children from New York City foundling homes to make ends meet. From Lillian, I learned how painfully accurate Franklin's warnings about folly, pride, and idleness prove to lives with little margin of protection.

Bruce Piasecki is a visionary author who challenges conventional thinking, inspiring readers to embrace simplicity, sustainability, and the pursuit of a thriving, adaptive life. With a storyteller's touch and a focus on doing more with less, he bridges the gap between personal values, business needs, and societal good. His work transforms how we see wealth and frugality, showing us how to create value and live richly without waste. Now the subject of a new PBS documentary.

Avoiding the oncoming car crash by watching the road signs and warnings. More on our homeland, your national rights, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Almost every morning, I get into my car to drive to the local YMCA. This nourishes me, body and soul. I enjoy the social value of vibing with friends, colleagues, and health fanatics. But, I also do it for a simpler purpose: to rediscover, daily, that motion is the solution to many things.  The routine opens my mind and spirit.

On Cars, Computers & Moving Beyond Blame

The cars we drive, the computers we use, and even the homes we live in are products of international collaboration. The people making these products span many nations and states. We are all friends in this same world, making money, befriending diversity, acknowledging the global supply chain that enables real modern-day innovation in a car, a computer, or a handheld. These aren’t just machines—they’re the foundation of our modern quality of life. Instead of dividing ourselves over ideology or politics, we should embrace the efficiency and ingenuity that unites us, and by doing so enjoy the incredible innovations of our era.

In today’s swift and severe interconnected world, we need to sharpen our acceptance of diversity, innovation, and inclusion and celebrate what the world has to offer us. Our readers who embody this “Global American” ethos transcend national borders and the politics of hate. Many of us vacation in vibrant precious cities of the world. Many of us have children who studied abroad or who benefit from international medical colleagues and lawyers. The average American is more caring than presented recently.

Author of Wealth and Climate Competitiveness and Doing More with One Life
Founder & Chair of AHC Group · Named one of 2024’s Worthy100 by Worth Magazine, in recognition of changemakers who are making a difference

Many of the central concerns of the twenty-first century—racial inequity, white supremacy movements, greater inclusiveness of diverse peoples—are rooted in facing and overcoming prejudices, both common and hidden. Another great challenge—the role of wealth and innovation in solving the climate crisis—is also riddled with disabling prejudices about how corporations work, and about the rights and needs of consumers and world citizens.