Winning the lottery has not always been the ticket to paradise. But if people use the money wisely, for a purpose, and with financial security being their number one priority, it might allow them to get closer to that elusive dream of happiness.

I've always encouraged people to put the maximum amount into a 401(k) plan. Few do. Many put in little or nothing at all. Now they are looking at a bleak retirement. Or no retirement at all.

Most people have friends and companions who are within 15 percent of their own income. When that number gets out of whack, the temptation for the person who has money to use it as a source of control increases, and the temptation of the poorer person to justify being subsidized increases as well.

Although I am the son of a professional gambler and a lifetime, self-employed entrepreneur, I preach a gospel of being risk-averse when it comes to money. I want people to be secure and have a safety net before they roll the dice on an investment.

I grew up in an era of unrest in the Middle East I've lived most of my life with unrest in the Middle East. There is plenty of unrest in the Middle East now. I'd like to make sure that the United States has supplies of energy that actually come from the United States.