From Riches to Rags in the Documentary, The Queen of Versailles

The documentary The Queen of Versailles follows a wealthy couple, David and Jackie Siegel along with their family. The film starts off when Mr. and Mrs. Siegel begin constructing what became known as the largest home in America. By the looks of it, the Siegel’s appear to be on top of the world, and they believed that the money would last forever. Due to the economic crisis of 2008, the Siegel’s soon endure financial struggles, which drastically changed their perspective regarding money. This just goes to show that those who choose to live beyond their means will soon have to face the consequences later. The Siegel’s are a good example because through their struggles they realized that they need to make wiser decisions when it comes to dealing with money, and that there is more to life than money. For David Siegel, his biggest problem was that he was a workaholic, and all he was concerned about was making money. All he thought about was the items he planned on purchasing with the money he was convinced he was going to make with Westgate Resorts. During an interview David says “I’m going to spend all the money I’m going to make in Vegas. I’m going to buy my plane, a yacht”. This to me says that he never thinks of the long term effects because he’s only focused on right now, and when he will make his next buck. David reminds me of a drug addict who’s looking to get his next fix. His money is the drug, and whenever he makes a purchase he gets a rush off of the sensation it