What Gordon Gekko Got (Almost) Right — A Modern Take on Wealth and Meaning

Saw this film again recently — probably for the 5,000th time — and one line still hits just as hard as it did in 1987.

"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good."
— Gordon Gekko, Wall Street (1987)

That one line practically defined a decade.
Gordon Gekko — slick, ruthless, obsessed with wealth for its own sake — became an icon of 1980s capitalism. To many, he was the villain. To others, an unlikely hero.

But here’s the question: Was he entirely wrong?

In today’s world, more people are asking not just how to build wealth, but how to make their financial lives serve something bigger — happiness, purpose, values. In that light, what does Gekko’s mantra look like today?

Let’s explore — and maybe give the man a little credit along the way.

Why Money Without Purpose Falls Flat

Study after study reveals a simple truth: beyond a certain point, more money doesn’t automatically equal more happiness.

A famous Princeton study led by Daniel Kahneman found that emotional well-being increases with income — up to about $75,000–$100,000 per year. Beyond that, additional income has a diminishing return on day-to-day happiness. [source]

_{Of course, that figure was based on data from over 15 years ago — and inflation, lifestyle shifts, and cost-of-living differences today may mean the real number is meaningfully higher. Still, the deeper insight holds: after a certain point, it’s not how much you make, but how aligned your money is with your values that matters most.}

Another long-running Harvard study on adult development highlights the same insight: relationships, purpose, and meaningful work are far greater drivers of life satisfaction than financial status alone. [source]

Legendary music producer Rick Rubin (on the right) put it well:
"The idea that when you finally reach a certain level of success, everything will be perfect — it’s an illusion. The journey is everything."

You can see this lesson play out in Wall Street itself. Bud Fox — the young, ambitious stockbroker — starts out chasing the Gekko ideal: fast money, power, prestige. He buys into the myth that success, at any cost, will make him whole.

But as he rises, Bud begins to see the darker side of this world — the ethical compromises, the emptiness at the top. In the end, he realizes what many ambitious strivers eventually do: “winning” alone isn’t enough.

One of the few voices of wisdom in Bud’s life is Lou Mannheim — a seasoned, principled stockbroker who serves as a mentor figure. As Lou warns:

"Man looks into the abyss. There’s nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss."

Without clarity of purpose, even great success can pull a person toward that abyss — and only values can keep them grounded.

Integrating Money Into Life Values

Here’s the good news — money can play a powerful role in a fulfilled life. But it’s a supporting role, not the main character.

When aligned with your values, money becomes a tool:

✅ To create freedom of time
✅ To enable experiences that matter
✅ To contribute to causes you believe in
✅ To build security for those you love

When disconnected from purpose, it tends to drive burnout, comparison, and emptiness.

The Gekko Paradox: Where He Was a Little Bit Right

Here’s where we tip the hat to old Gordon. While pure greed is toxic, ambition — a desire to build, achieve, create — isn’t. In fact, it’s a vital ingredient in a meaningful life.

If we reframe his philosophy:

"Greed, channeled through purpose, is good."

In other words: Resourcefulness, drive, smart risk-taking — these qualities can build not just wealth, but also opportunity, impact, and legacy.

The real flaw wasn’t ambition itself — it was the lack of purpose behind it.

Gekko’s world was rooted in zero-sum thinking: for one person to win, another must lose.
But today, the most fulfilling forms of wealth-building often take a positive-sum approach — creating value, opportunity, and well-being not just for oneself, but for family, community, and society. In that sense, purposeful ambition is more than good — it can be transformative.

In contrast, Carl Fox — Bud’s father — embodied a different ethos: hard work, integrity, steady progress. He may not have had the flash of Wall Street titans, but he understood something deeper — that true wealth is built with consistency, values, and a focus on the long game.

His voice of reason became the moral anchor in Bud’s story — and for today’s investors, his philosophy holds more wisdom than ever: purposeful achievement, not reckless greed, builds a life worth living.

Gekko vs. Modern Wealth Mindset

What Anthony Scaramucci (Ex-White House Communications Director, SkyBridge Capital Founder) gets right about wealth (click below):

scaramucci

123K followers

View more on Instagram

How to Align Your Money with Purpose

How do you bring this to life?

1️⃣ Define your core life values

Family, adventure, contribution, freedom, learning — what really matters to you?

2️⃣ Set goals that express those values

For example:

• “Build financial freedom so I can travel with my kids.”

• “Invest in a way that reflects my social values.”

3️⃣ Use values-based budgeting and investing

Direct your dollars where they support what you care about — not where society says you should spend.

4️⃣ Regularly review and realign

Life changes. So should your money strategy. Revisit every year.

Conclusion

So — was Gekko wrong?

Unbridled greed will never build a life worth living. But purposeful ambition, backed by clarity, integrity, and values? That’s powerful stuff.

Rick Rubin had it right — “the journey is everything.” The joy is in building a life where money serves what matters most to you.

And Bud Fox’s story reminds us: blind ambition leads to regret. Purposeful ambition — like the quiet, steady wisdom of Carl Fox — leads to meaning.

And when the abyss stares back — as Lou Mannheim warns — only your character and values will keep you from falling.

Here’s the modern take:
"Greed alone isn’t good — but purposeful ambition is."

That’s something we can all build on — one intentional step at a time.

FAQ

How do I figure out my life values?
Start by listing moments in life that made you feel most fulfilled. Look for themes: connection, freedom, contribution, creativity — these are clues.

Can money really buy happiness?
To a point. Beyond basic needs and some comfort, the relationship between money and happiness depends more on how you use money — aligned with purpose and relationships — than on how much you have.