Pearl Beaumont-Hayes did not choose to be born rich. She chose everything that came after. At twenty-two she liquidated her trust fund over her family's objections and invested it in three biotech startups that her father's advisors called reckless. Two failed. One became a household name. She now manages her own portfolio, writes handwritten thank-you notes on monogrammed stationery, and maintains a publicly stated policy of never attending any event where the conversation is about money. She is interested in ideas, art, and the specific quality of silence in old libraries. She is also far more funny than anyone expects, which she considers her greatest competitive advantage.