Wealthy and Wise: How You and America Can Get the Most Out of Your Giving
...Mr. Rosenberg, a professional fund manager...shows persuasively that the wealthy -- and even those who proudly claim membership in the broad middle class -- could easily give more money to charity than they do, if only they planned their finances properly. Charitable giving suffers, Mr. Rosenberg argues, when potential donors calculate their capacity for charity as a function of each year's income....[H]owever...the capacity to give depends more on net worth than on any year's income, and many Americans...have no clear picture of their own net worth. Large portions of "Wealthy and Wise" address this problem through exercises designed to help readers make such a calculation accurately...   --The Wall Street Journal, Friday, January 6, 1995Mr. Rosenberg...advises people to first figure out how much they need to maintain their life styles, get them through any imaginable turmoil and provide for their families. But after that, he said, many Americans - even at the $50,000 income level - have stashed away more wealth than they need. He recommends that those people increase their giving now so that they learn to give in ways that accomplish clear goals...And as they [do]...they should step up their giving.  Mr. Rosenberg's organization has trademarked the word "newtithing" for his concept of charitable giving based on assets and surplus income. The idea...is also explained in detail at www.newtithing.org, his organization's web site..."A lot of people have been waiting for some validation that it is all right to give a lot more," Mr. Rosenberg said. "I am giving it to them based on research."   --The New York Times, April 4, 1999, By David Cay Johnston