Book excerpt: "Expertly reasoned and meticulously researched, Wealthy and Wise shows us how we can convert tax-deductible contributions to great reward at little or no personal risk. Rosenberg provides a detailed plan for transforming our troubled communities and improving our lives, and the lives of all Americans, by learning simple strategies for more effective giving. In addition to teaching people of all tax brackets how to cultivate constructive financial habits, this innovative guide will tell you everything you need to know to turn your philanthropic contributions into the soundest investments of all, including: how to calculate what you can realistically afford to give, and where to consider giving it; how to contribute most effectively within your own area of interest, and how to assess where your money is going; how to promote leadership locally; how to estimate your needs over short and long periods of time; how to plan bequests to your children and to charities; how to stop depriving yourself, and allay anxieties over dipping into capital, by learning a new definition of surplus money; how to diversify assets to protect financial investments; how to establish cushions against unforeseen financial problems; and how to plot your own lifelong financial statement and chart goals for personal wealth and intelligent gifting.".