Wealth quote of the day by Andrew Carnegie, “The man who dies rich dies disgraced.” Andrew Carnegie rose from a $1.20-a-week factory hand to a steel titan worth $480 million by 1901. This massive fortune represented 2.1% of the U.S. GDP. Despite his immense power, he viewed hoarding riches as a moral stain. Carnegie argued that billionaires are merely "trustees" of public funds. He spent his final decades distributing $350 million to ensure his legacy was defined by service, not just accumulation.