What is What Would the Rockefellers Do? by Garrett B. Gunderson about?

What Would the Rockefellers Do? by Garrett B. Gunderson reveals how ultra-wealthy families like the Rockefellers preserve and grow wealth across generations using strategic financial systems. The book introduces the "Rockefeller Method," which centers on establishing family banks, using Cash Flow Insurance (overfunded Whole Life insurance policies), and creating trusts to protect assets. Gunderson contrasts the Rockefellers' enduring legacy with the Vanderbilts, who squandered over $250 billion within a few generations, demonstrating why systematic wealth management matters.

Who is Garrett B. Gunderson and why did he write this book?

Garrett B. Gunderson is a New York Times bestselling author, financial strategist, and founder of Wealth Factory who helps people achieve financial independence. Coming from a fourth-generation coal mining family, Gunderson overcame a scarcity mindset to build financial expertise. He wrote What Would the Rockefellers Do? after receiving numerous requests for practical wealth-building strategies and discovered insights from someone who worked with the Rockefeller family, validating his approach to creating generational wealth without creating "spoiled trust fund babies".

Who should read What Would the Rockefellers Do?

What Would the Rockefellers Do? is ideal for parents wanting to create a lasting financial legacy, entrepreneurs building first-generation wealth, and anyone interested in strategic wealth preservation. The book benefits readers who want to move beyond traditional "buy term and invest the difference" advice and learn how wealthy families actually manage money. Whether you're starting with $50 monthly or managing significant assets, Gunderson's strategies apply to various income levels, making it accessible for those committed to long-term family financial planning.

Is What Would the Rockefellers Do? worth reading?

What Would the Rockefellers Do? is worth reading if you're interested in alternative wealth-building strategies beyond conventional financial advice. The book provides practical frameworks like Cash Flow Insurance and family banking that wealthy families actually use, not theoretical concepts. However, it challenges popular financial gurus like Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman (dedicating an entire chapter to this), so readers should approach with an open mind. The book's emphasis on value creation, legacy planning, and avoiding mistakes that destroyed fortunes like the Vanderbilts' makes it valuable for serious wealth-builders.

What is the Rockefeller Method explained in the book?

The Rockefeller Method is a three-part wealth preservation system that centralizes family wealth through trusts and a family bank, uses overfunded Whole Life insurance policies to create liquidity and tax advantages, and emphasizes passing both financial assets and family values to future generations. Unlike traditional investment approaches, this method focuses on creating a personal banking system where family members can borrow against their policies while still earning interest. The Rockefellers have maintained wealth for six generations using this coordinated financial management approach, proving its effectiveness for long-term legacy building.

What is Cash Flow Insurance according to Garrett B. Gunderson?

Cash Flow Insurance is an overfunded Whole Life insurance policy that functions as both a savings vehicle and personal banking system. Rather than using insurance solely for death benefits, this strategy allows policyholders to access cash value through loans while the policy continues earning interest, creating dual benefits. Gunderson designed this approach to increase financial liquidity, provide tax advantages, and safeguard wealth beyond traditional savings accounts. The concept challenges conventional "buy term and invest the difference" wisdom, positioning permanent life insurance as a wealth-building tool rather than just protection.

How do I set up a family bank like the Rockefellers?

Setting up a family bank involves three key steps: creating a trust structure that acts as a centralized lending institution for descendants, funding it with overfunded Whole Life insurance policies that provide liquidity and growth, and establishing a board of trustees to oversee borrowing for education, business ventures, or emergencies. The family bank allows members to borrow from the trust while keeping wealth within the family system rather than paying interest to external banks. This approach requires proper design and alignment with family values to ensure it empowers rather than spoils future generations.

What mistakes did the Vanderbilt family make that destroyed their wealth?

The Vanderbilt family lost over $250 billion (in today's money) within a few generations due to extravagant spending, lack of financial discipline, and failure to implement systematic wealth preservation strategies. Despite Cornelius Vanderbilt's hope that heirs would grow the fortune, they lacked a coordinated approach to managing inheritance, leading to steady wealth depletion. What Would the Rockefellers Do? uses this cautionary tale to illustrate why having wealth without a preservation system fails, contrasting it with the Rockefellers' six-generation success through trusts, family values, and strategic financial management.

What Would the Rockefellers Do?

How the Wealthy Get and Stay That Way, and How You Can Too

Garrett B Gunderson

Overview of What Would the Rockefellers Do?

Discover the wealth secrets of America's richest dynasty. With nearly 2,300 glowing reviews, this guide - written while Gunderson listened to Taylor Swift - revolutionized legacy planning for financial experts. What generational wealth strategy are you missing that the Rockefellers perfected?

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Chapter 1

Beyond the Trust Fund: The Rockefeller Legacy Blueprint

What if you could create generational wealth that lasts for centuries? While most families see their fortunes disappear within three generations, the Rockefellers have maintained and grown their wealth for six generations spanning over 150 years. Their $10+ billion fortune continues supporting over 150 descendants who donate approximately $50 million annually to charity. This remarkable achievement wasn't accidental-it resulted from deliberate financial strategies that anyone can implement. The contrast with the Vanderbilts is striking: despite amassing a fortune exceeding $200 billion in today's dollars, their wealth vanished within just 48 years. The difference? The Rockefellers established professional family trusts that preserved capital while the Vanderbilts squandered their inheritance. This blueprint for multigenerational wealth isn't just for billionaires-it can transform any family's financial destiny through strategic planning that empowers rather than entitles future generations.

Chapter 2

The Tale of Two Fortunes: Vanderbilt vs. Rockefeller

The contrasting legacies of Cornelius Vanderbilt and John D. Rockefeller provide a powerful lesson in wealth preservation. Cornelius Vanderbilt built his transportation empire starting with ferries, expanding to shipping, and ultimately amassing his greatest wealth in railroads. At his death in 1877, his $100 million fortune (equivalent to over $200 billion today) exceeded the U.S. Treasury's holdings. Despite his dying words to "keep the money together," his heirs became notorious socialites, constructing ten Manhattan mansions and lavish estates like The Breakers in Newport. Without new income to sustain their spending, the fortune rapidly diminished. By 1947, all their Manhattan mansions were demolished, and the family fortune had vanished in just a few generations. John D. Rockefeller took a dramatically different approach. After building Standard Oil into a company refining 90% of America's oil by the late 1870s, he became America's wealthiest historical figure with up to $341 billion in today's dollars. Unlike Vanderbilt, Rockefeller was both philanthropic and strategic. He donated over $530 million during his lifetime while leaving $460 million to his son "Junior," who created individual trusts for his children managed by a professional "Family Office." This structure provided heirs with interest income while preserving principal. The Rockefellers succeeded where the Vanderbilts failed by truly keeping their money together. Through carefully designed trusts, they protected their fortune from taxes, lawsuits, and spendthrift heirs while establishing guidelines for how money could be used. This wise financial planning has empowered six generations of successful Rockefellers, including governors, senators, and a Vice President. Meanwhile, the last notable Vanderbilt descendant, Anderson Cooper, had to forge press credentials to break into journalism without family financial support. The lesson is clear: don't simply leave money for your heirs to spend freely. Keep it together through trusts that direct spending while passing down values that extend your vision beyond your lifetime. And importantly, this method isn't just for the ultra-wealthy-it can change any family's financial destiny.

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Chapter 3

The Family Banking System: Your Financial Foundation

The Rockefellers maintained their wealth for generations through a family banking system that centralized their wealth. Most people destroy wealth by distributing and spending it after death, but wealth can be preserved and perpetuated through proper planning centered around Cash Flow Insurance-overfunding a permanent life insurance policy to use as a savings vehicle and personal bank. This approach allows you to retain control of your money, access it anytime, earn interest while borrowing, and enjoy tax advantages. With Cash Flow Insurance, you can minimize risk and taxation, earn returns, have money available throughout life, plan for contingencies, achieve economic certainty, and maintain flexibility. Unlike traditional banking, you don't need to apply for loans, use your credit, or fill out extensive paperwork. You choose your own flexible payback periods and may even write off interest for business purposes. You can earn 3.75% to 5.25% on cash in properly structured policies, outperforming bank interest rates while maintaining liquidity, guarantees, and tax advantages-all while building your legacy plan. This system functions like a river rather than a stagnant pool. When money flows through your financial system rather than sitting idle, it creates multiple benefits. Cash Flow Insurance provides contractually guaranteed 4% growth (far exceeding typical savings accounts), plus potential dividend increases, while maintaining liquidity, tax advantages, and protection from creditors in most states. Perhaps most remarkably, Cash Flow Insurance allows borrowing against (not from) your policy, meaning the policy continues growing as if no loan was taken. Loans require no credit checks, have flexible repayment terms, and when used for business purposes, the interest is often tax-deductible. The system improves both internal rate of return (direct investment performance) and external rate of return (broader financial impacts including tax savings and lifestyle benefits).

Chapter 4

Beyond Financial Gurus: The Truth About Permanent Insurance

While Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman excel at helping financial train wrecks get back on track, their advice against Whole Life insurance is shortsighted. They focus on short-term cost-cutting rather than long-term wealth building. The Rockefellers don't take their advice, and neither should you unless you're in dire financial straits. These financial gurus condemn permanent life insurance as "one of the worst financial products available" and recommend "buy term and invest the difference." However, their perspective misses the long-term benefits of properly structured Cash Flow Insurance. They focus on the higher initial premiums without acknowledging the greater value, guarantees, and cash accumulation. Many insurance agents do oversell policies for commissions, but this doesn't invalidate the merit of Cash Flow Insurance when properly implemented by a certified specialist. Ironically, the mutual funds Orman recommends often have fees that compound to exceed insurance commissions over time-up to 40-70% of gains by retirement age. Cash Flow Insurance isn't necessarily an investment but a foundation for financial efficiency that outperforms savings accounts while providing tax advantages. It guarantees your family receives benefits upon your death, unlike term insurance which typically expires before death. The Rockefeller family office confirms these strategies are "commonplace and a matter of course" in wealth preservation. The popular "buy term and invest the difference" strategy requires unrealistic 9.8% returns to match Whole Life performance. Term insurance becomes prohibitively expensive as you age, and group term policies carry additional risks like aggregate payout caps and lack of portability. Unlike term insurance, permanent life insurance guarantees payment and functions like a high-return savings account with tax advantages. Whole Life insurance provides certainty with fixed premiums, guaranteed death benefits, and minimum returns on cash value. As a unilateral contract, the company can't change terms even if your health changes. Unlike other policies, Whole Life guarantees aren't negated if you miss payments-premiums are simply taken from cash value. This certainty allows you to spend more in later years while knowing your legacy is secure, just like the Rockefellers.

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Chapter 5

Building Your Financial Pyramid: Finding Money for Your Family Bank

To fund a Cash Flow Insurance strategy, proper money management is essential. Expenses fall into four categories: destructive expenses (vices and fees pushing toward poverty), consumptive/lifestyle expenses (enjoyable experiences that should be paid with cash), protective expenses (insurance and savings that safeguard wealth), and productive expenses (that generate income or assets). The goal is to eliminate destructive expenses, manage consumptive and protective ones, and increase productive expenses. Your financial structure should resemble a three-level pyramid: first establishing a foundation by guarding against uncertainty with liquid savings and insurance, then building a Wealth Creation system, and finally implementing advanced investment planning. The Cash Flow Index helps identify efficient ways to pay off loans by dividing loan balance by minimum payment-targeting low index loans first. Setting up three key accounts is crucial: a Peace of Mind Account (for emergencies), a Wealth Creation Account (for productive expenses), and a Living Wealthy Account (for guilt-free spending). Understanding your money personality type (Saver, Spender, Avoider, Giver, or Amasser) helps tailor your financial approach. Finding money to fund your Cash Flow Insurance policy involves reclaiming cash that's currently being lost to financial institutions, taxes, and inefficient loans. Start by adjusting tax withholdings to prevent giving interest-free loans to the government. Restructure inefficient loans identified through your Cash Flow Index to free up monthly cash flow. Rather than focusing solely on paying off loans quickly, consider extending loan terms to lower monthly payments while putting the difference into your policy. You can even refinance paid-off vehicles at low interest rates to pay off higher-interest debt. By consolidating loans into potentially tax-deductible mortgages and optimizing your debt structure, you can free thousands of dollars monthly to fund your policy while maintaining better credit scores and improved debt-to-income ratios.

Chapter 6

Creating Your Family Trust: The Rockefeller Method

While the Rockefellers used sophisticated trusts and family offices to preserve their vast fortune, you can create similar protective structures even without enormous wealth. The key principles of multigenerational wealth preservation work whether you're protecting millions or more modest assets. To safeguard your family wealth after you're gone, establishing a thoughtfully structured board of trustees becomes crucial for managing your legacy. Research consistently shows that inherited money doesn't fundamentally change someone's relationship with money - it amplifies existing behavioral patterns. Spenders tend to accelerate their spending, savers become even more conservative, and investors seek bigger opportunities. Understanding this pattern is critical when structuring your trust. To protect wealth from unprepared heirs, organize your trust like a modern corporation, complete with a CEO (you during your lifetime) and a carefully selected board of trustees to succeed you. During your lifetime, you serve as the CEO of your trust, wielding three key responsibilities: establishing clear vision through a detailed Statement of Purpose, creating lasting culture through consistent example-setting, and managing finances for your heirs' long-term benefit. Your Statement of Purpose should outline specific values, goals, and guidelines for wealth management. As CEO, you retain ultimate power to approve or deny any withdrawals, ensuring alignment with your vision. After your passing, your board of trustees becomes the guardian of family wealth, operating through a structured voting system on critical decisions including distributions to heirs, strategic asset sales, and resolution of family conflicts. They can implement protective measures like restricting distributions to heirs showing destructive behaviors or requiring certain milestones (education, career progress, etc.) before accessing funds. Trustee selection requires exceptional diligence. Look for individuals who deeply understand your financial philosophy and personal values - often a mix of family members and trusted professionals. Each trustee should bring unique expertise: financial acumen, legal knowledge, family dynamics understanding, or business experience. Appointing a chairman proves valuable for coordinating board activities, calling meetings, and ensuring decisions align with your documented wishes. For additional security, consider appointing a trust protector - an independent authority with power to overrule board decisions and replace trustees if they deviate from your trust's purpose. The Phipps family exemplifies successful trust implementation. Henry Phipps, Andrew Carnegie's business partner, established the Bessemer Trust in 1907 to manage family wealth across generations. His approach balanced structure with flexibility - avoiding "fixed rigid limitations" that might handicap future generations while maintaining prudent oversight. Six generations later, the trust continues thriving under his great-grandson's chairmanship, managing billions in family assets. The trust's success stems from clear governance structures, professional management, and adaptability to changing economic conditions while preserving core family values. Modern families can learn from these examples by creating scaled versions appropriate to their wealth level. Even modest trusts benefit from professional governance structures, clear guidelines, and mechanisms for protecting assets from both external threats and internal family dynamics.

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Chapter 7

Implementing Cash Flow Insurance: The Heart of Your Plan

Insurance forms the core of the Rockefeller Method. It's not an investment but a strategic tool that works through Cash Flow Insurance-a comprehensive approach that integrates with your overall financial blueprint. When structured properly, Whole Life insurance creates power and cash flow, not just death benefits. Unfortunately, only one in a hundred people have properly structured policies, and most don't understand the Rockefeller Method. A Cash Flow Insurance policy can be transformative when utilized correctly or dangerously expensive when misunderstood. When selecting an insurance company, look for A-rated firms that have existed for at least a century, consistently pay dividends (even through major crises), offer fixed loan interest rates without unreasonable withdrawal fees, provide competitive convertible term rates, feature good Whole Life products, and allow minimal-fee overfunding with high early cash value. The first priority when acquiring insurance is maximizing coverage to fully protect your human life value. While overfunding a smaller policy might accelerate Cash Flow Insurance benefits, proper protection should never be compromised. Insurance should replace your lifetime income potential if something happens to you. Your human life value encompasses your character, health, knowledge, experiences, education, judgment, and ability to produce value-the creator of all physical assets you enjoy. After determining coverage amount, decide on the type of insurance. For Cash Flow Insurance, overfunded Whole Life insurance works best. If current cash flow is limited, convertible term insurance can serve as a temporary solution-but ensure it's convertible regardless of health changes. Finding the right specialist is critical-not all policies, companies, or agents are equal. Seek a Certified Cash Flow Insurance/Banking specialist trained to minimize commission and maximize cash flow. The ideal specialist will examine your entire financial architecture, use these strategies themselves, and help you reclaim cash from the "four I's"-IRS, investment fees, insurance costs, and interest. Insurance agents receive commissions on all policies they write-typically 40-115% of first-year premiums. Properly designed Cash Flow Insurance policies can reduce agent commissions by 50-70% on every dollar because overfunding dollars go straight to cash value rather than base premium. Many agents sell policies with zero cash value in the first few years, directing your money to commissions instead of your pocket. With Cash Flow Insurance, policies become cash-rich in their first year. Overfunding through paid-up additions accelerates growth and internal rate of return while minimizing commissions. This supercharges cash value and grows your death benefit, allowing at least 50% of first-year contributions to show as cash value.

Chapter 8

The Financial Impact: Quantifying the Benefits

Cash Flow Insurance offers remarkable protection, privacy and tax advantages. The cash value grows tax-deferred, policy loans are tax-free, and death benefits avoid income tax. Unlike other investments that use LIFO accounting (taxing interest first), insurance policies use FIFO, meaning withdrawals come from premiums first, making them tax-free. Policy loans offer complete flexibility with no required repayment schedule and no credit reporting. Cash Flow Insurance creates perfect "bullet funds" (money for seizing opportunities) and "war chests" (reserves for unexpected challenges). These resources allow you to act quickly when opportunities arise or when challenges demand immediate attention. The financial impact is substantial-to match a Cash Flow Insurance policy's growth, a mutual fund would need over 9% annual returns after fees and taxes. More importantly, optimizing cash flow through reduced taxes, interest payments, and fees can save $15,000 annually-equivalent to the income from a $300,000 investment earning 5%. Over thirty years, someone earning $100,000 annually has $3 million flowing through their hands. With 5% annual income growth, that becomes $6.6 million. Adding 5% investment returns increases the total to $12.9 million in earning potential. However, this potential faces three major erosion factors: taxes (40%), loan payments (35%), and lifestyle costs (23.5%). After these deductions, only $194,000 of the original $12.9 million remains after thirty years-an alarming shortfall for retirement. Conventional wisdom suggests increasing your rate of return, but even doubling it from 5% to 10% only increases savings to $433,206-still inadequate for retirement and requiring much higher risk. The real solution lies in reducing the eroding factors. By using Cash Flow Insurance to decrease tax burden by just 4% (from 40% to 36%), savings jump to $713,120. Further reducing loan payments from 35% to 20% increases savings dramatically to $2.6 million-all without additional risk.

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Chapter 9

Leveraging Your Death Benefit While Living

With Whole Life insurance, the death benefit is guaranteed to last one day longer than you, creating certainty that can be leveraged while alive. This allows you to spend 20-50% more during your distribution phase without fear of market downturns. You can coordinate spending your principal and interest because your heirs are protected. New riders can provide long-term care benefits if you can't perform basic daily activities. While viatical settlements (selling policies when terminally ill) and senior life settlements exist, the best strategy is coordinating your assets with your death benefit as backup. This enables pension maximization, protection against inflation, and reduced tax burden. Your death benefit can serve as collateral for reverse mortgages, avoiding risking your home. For appreciated assets, charitable remainder trusts paired with life insurance create a tax-free legacy strategy the Rockefellers have used for generations. This approach creates lasting family wealth while allowing you to live fully in your later years. Net worth is overvalued if you can't access it when needed. Rather than building net worth through years of saving, risk-taking, and market volatility, you can instantly buy it through a Whole Life insurance death benefit. This provides immediate estate value while allowing you to utilize your actual assets during your lifetime. A guaranteed death benefit instantly adds that amount to your estate, creating your nest egg without the stress and uncertainty of traditional wealth building. Unlike 401(k)s where you're merely a beneficiary and face taxes upon withdrawal, Whole Life insurance is honest-the cash value stated is truly yours to access. This approach particularly benefits older individuals who can secure tax-free assets to pass to the next generation while living fully in their later years, Rockefeller style.

Chapter 10

Beyond Money: Your Statement of Purpose

Another critical aspect of the Rockefeller Method is passing on more than money-values, philosophies, contribution, and opportunity. The Rockefellers treat their legacy like a business through proper estate planning and a Statement of Purpose. Your Statement of Purpose should capture your wisdom about life's important areas. Consider writing down a Premise (truth about the world), Vision (how you see your family impacting the world), Purpose (why the Vision matters), and Strategy (how to implement) for each important life area. For finance, your premise might include principles like: Money is a man-made tool of exchange and byproduct of value creation. Cash flow is superior to Net Worth. Wealth and spirituality go hand in hand. Be a steward over your money. Overcoming scarcity mentality is essential. Abundance exists through exchange that builds wealth by solving problems and serving others. Your financial vision might envision a world where Soul Purpose is the priority for wealth, where money serves purpose rather than being an obstacle, where business owners invest aligned with purpose, where money is no longer the primary reason for doing or not doing anything. Beyond finance, your Statement of Purpose should include wisdom about intellectual life, health, character, quality of life and parenting. Key insights might include: powerful thoughts lead to great outcomes; passion fuels intellect; worry is intellect's enemy; questions are gateways to intellect; simplicity is organized intelligence; energy flows where attention goes; meditation and journaling create clarity; health increases performance in all life areas; character must be consistently exercised; integrity means doing what you say; enjoy the fruits of your labor. We all gather wisdom over time. Don't wait until forming your family trust to write it down. Start your Statement of Purpose now, capturing thoughts as they come. It needn't be perfect. A family trust isn't just about leaving money-the Vanderbilts proved that's insufficient. It's about passing on values, traditions and knowledge for generations. What you leave in your Statement of Purpose will be read by future generations regardless of wealth left behind.

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Chapter 11

Creating Your Financial Future Today

The opportunity to implement Cash Flow Insurance and the Rockefeller Method is available right now-and timing is crucial. Current life insurance laws offer significant tax advantages that make these strategies particularly powerful, but these benefits aren't guaranteed to remain unchanged. Moreover, waiting could prove costly, as future health complications might limit or prevent your ability to qualify for optimal insurance coverage. The fundamental principle behind this approach isn't about traditional saving or making sacrifices. Instead, it focuses on building generational wealth through strategic financial management. By becoming your own banker, you gain the flexibility to capitalize on investment opportunities while maintaining control over your money. This system allows you to optimize your cash flow without downgrading your current lifestyle-effectively planning for tomorrow while living fully today. When financing major purchases through Cash Flow Insurance, you're not just acquiring assets-you're implementing a wealth-building strategy that helps avoid the devastating effects of opportunity cost. Consider this: every time you withdraw money from traditional retirement accounts or savings, you're not just removing those funds-you're sacrificing all future compound growth on that money. This interruption in compounding can reduce your long-term returns by hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars over time. The genius of Cash Flow Insurance lies in its unique borrowing structure. Instead of making withdrawals that permanently remove money from your account, you can borrow against your policy's cash value. This approach maintains the critical uninterrupted compound growth on your full cash value, even while you're using some of that money elsewhere. Your policy continues growing as if you never touched the money-a powerful advantage over traditional financing methods. The system becomes even more powerful through strategic structuring. By properly designing your policy, you can maximize cash value growth while maintaining death benefit protection. This approach creates a financial foundation that can benefit multiple generations, not just your immediate future. The policy's tax advantages, including tax-deferred growth and tax-free loans, further enhance its wealth-building potential. Time is a crucial factor in this strategy's success. Starting while you're healthy and insurable ensures the best possible rates and coverage options. Additionally, the sooner you begin, the longer your money has to compound and grow. Whether your goals include real estate investment, business expansion, or creating a family legacy, establishing your Cash Flow Insurance strategy now positions you to achieve financial independence while protecting and growing your wealth for generations to come. Take action today to secure these benefits. Begin by establishing your trust and implementing your first Cash Flow Insurance policy-the foundation of your personal banking system. This step initiates your journey toward true financial freedom, where you control your money's velocity and growth while building lasting wealth for your family's future.

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Key Themes in What Would the Rockefellers Do?

generational wealth preservation
family banking system
cash flow insurance
permanent life insurance
legacy trust structures

Quotes from What Would the Rockefellers Do?

The Rockefellers succeeded where the Vanderbilts failed by truly keeping their money together.
Don't simply leave money for your heirs to spend freely.
This system functions like a river rather than a stagnant pool.
They focus on short-term cost-cutting rather than long-term wealth building.
Cash Flow Insurance isn't necessarily an investment but a foundation for financial efficiency.

Characters in What Would the Rockefellers Do?

Garrett B GundersonAuthor and financial strategist
John D. RockefellerFounder of Standard Oil and family legacy builder
Cornelius VanderbiltTransportation tycoon whose family wealth vanished
John D. Rockefeller Jr.Son of Rockefeller who created the family trusts
Anderson CooperVanderbilt descendant used as a case study

About the Author

Garrett B. Gunderson is the author of What Would the Rockefellers Do?: How the Wealthy Get and Stay That Way, and How You Can Too and a leading expert in personal finance and wealth-building strategies. With over 25 years of experience helping entrepreneurs achieve financial independence, Gunderson challenges conventional money myths and teaches people to build wealth without sacrificing their quality of life.

His business and finance expertise stems from founding an Inc 500 financial firm and working directly with thousands of clients to optimize their financial strategies.

Gunderson's debut book, Killing Sacred Cows: Overcoming the Financial Myths That Are Destroying Your Prosperity, became a #1 bestseller on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Businessweek lists. He has been featured on Fox News, CNBC, and contributed to Forbes and Entrepreneur magazine.

Known for combining financial wisdom with theatrical storytelling and comedy, he has shared stages with thought leaders including the Dalai Lama, Richard Branson, and Stephen R. Covey, bringing paradigm-shifting lessons about money to audiences worldwide.

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@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

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@djmikemoore

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@OojasSalunke

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483

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@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

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@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

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Chapter 6

What Would the Rockefellers Do?

OverviewOverview of What Would the Rockefellers Do?

One book. Many ways to hear it.

Beyond the Trust Fund: The Rockefeller Legacy Blueprint

The Tale of Two Fortunes: Vanderbilt vs. Rockefeller

See every word as you hear it

The Family Banking System: Your Financial Foundation

Beyond Financial Gurus: The Truth About Permanent Insurance

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Building Your Financial Pyramid: Finding Money for Your Family Bank

Creating Your Family Trust: The Rockefeller Method

See every word as you hear it

Implementing Cash Flow Insurance: The Heart of Your Plan

The Financial Impact: Quantifying the Benefits

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Leveraging Your Death Benefit While Living

Beyond Money: Your Statement of Purpose

See every word as you hear it

Creating Your Financial Future Today

You made it to the end of What Would the Rockefellers Do?

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1,000,000+ curious minds.

1,000,000+ curious minds.

One book. Many ways to hear it.

Beyond the Trust Fund: The Rockefeller Legacy Blueprint

The Tale of Two Fortunes: Vanderbilt vs. Rockefeller

See every word as you hear it

The Family Banking System: Your Financial Foundation

Beyond Financial Gurus: The Truth About Permanent Insurance

Get more out of What Would the Rockefellers Do?

Building Your Financial Pyramid: Finding Money for Your Family Bank

Creating Your Family Trust: The Rockefeller Method

See every word as you hear it

Implementing Cash Flow Insurance: The Heart of Your Plan

The Financial Impact: Quantifying the Benefits

Get more out of What Would the Rockefellers Do?

Leveraging Your Death Benefit While Living

Beyond Money: Your Statement of Purpose

See every word as you hear it

Creating Your Financial Future Today

You made it to the end of What Would the Rockefellers Do?

Users also liked

Discover more

Overview of What Would the Rockefellers Do?