What would you be willing to do to inherit $1 billion? That’s the question posed by The Ultimate Gift, an enticing parable written by Jim Stovall about 24-year-old Jason Stevens, whose crusty but extremely wealthy great-uncle, Red Stevens, has died, leaving an unusual last will and testament.

While the older members of the Stevens family greedily receive their millions, a different fate awaits young Jason, whom, Red believed, could be the family’s last hope. “Although, to date, your life seems to be a sorry excuse for anything I’d call promising,” the will reads, “there does seem to be a spark of something in you I hope we can fan into a flame. For that reason, I am making you an instant millionaire.”

What Red does give Jason is a chance to change his life and become a far better human being in the process — the ultimate gift of the title. And, yes, he also gets $1 billion to play with, but even that has a twist at the end.

The storyline is simple. Each month for a year following his great-uncle’s death, Jason has to accept a gift, but not a tangible one. Instead, the gifts are lessons in life that he must experience, acknowledge and internalize through a series of assigned tasks. His progress is monitored by Red’s lifelong friend and attorney, Ted Hamilton, and failure to complete fully any requirement will disqualify Jason from his inheritance.

As you might expect, Jason is impudent and irresponsible at the beginning of the process and gradually comes to see the wisdom of his benefactor’s ways, transforming himself along the way into the kind of person we should all strive to be. The lessons, too, are what you might expect. They are:

> The gift of work. Born into a life of luxury, Jason is unfamiliar with the satisfactions of hard labour, so he is given the chance to have that experience.

> The gift of money. Although money was never a concern in Jason’s life, his task is to take $1,500 and make a significant difference in the lives of five people so that he can to learn to appreciate money’s relative value.

> The gift of friends. Previously surrounded by so-called friends who shared his fast lifestyle, Jason is challenged to demonstrate what true friendship really means.

> The gift of learning. While a formal education has value, it is the quest for knowledge that leads to lifelong learning.

> The gift of problems. Jason’s assignment is to find people with significant problems to learn how they are managing them.

> The gift of family. Jason finds out that a “sense of family” doesn’t have to come from conventional familial relationships.

> The gift of laughter. This gift teaches how having a sense of humour while facing severe adversity diminishes the difficulties and helps people grow.

> The gift of dreams. Red Stevens believed that dreams generate passions in life, so he instructs Jason to articulate his dreams and ambitions.

> The gift of giving. If you are wealthy but aren’t permitted to give away money or possessions, what can you give to those in need?

> The gift of gratitude. One of Red’s own life lessons came from a friend who began each day thinking of 10 things for which he was truly grateful. Jason is challenged to develop his own Golden List.

> The gift of a day. Red asks, “If you had only one day to live, how would you spend it?” The lesson: why wait until your last day to do what you consider important?

> The gift of love. Jason’s final task is to identify the role love plays in each of the gifts received.

Some readers might wonder in what way a review of a book such as The Ultimate Gift fits into a financial newspaper. The answer is contained in another lesson: the accumulation and management of wealth has to be kept in perspective. To be sure, it’s why we are in this business, But, at the end of the day, we are really all about helping people achieve satisfaction in their lives and peace of mind. The 12 “gifts” described in this book are invaluable assets that should be a part of anyone’s overall life plan.

@page_break@The Ultimate Gift, written in 2001, has recently become one of our industry’s most heavily promoted books. It is being made into a movie that includes James Garner, Lee Meriwether and Brian Dennehy in its cast.

Author Jim Stovall is now a motivational speaker, following his success as an Olympic weightlifter, investment broker and entrepreneur. His own story is one of overcoming diversity. Stovall started to go blind at 17, yet succeeded in his endeavours. It’s not difficult to understand how The Ultimate Giftcame to be. IE