Thomas Kaplan's 3 tips for happiness and success

Billionaire investor Thomas Kaplan says gratitude, humility, and conviction are key to a rich and happy life. He owns the world’s largest private collection of Rembrandt artworks and recently sold the drawing "Young Lion Resting" for nearly $18 million, with the proceeds going to Panthera, the big-cat conservation nonprofit he cofounded.

Kaplan says protecting endangered felines has been his passion since he was six. He once wanted to be a felid zoologist but discovered he lacked the flair for science, so he vowed as a youth that if he ever made enough money he would support the conservationists who did have that aptitude.

He later made his fortune in the energy and precious-metal industries and cofounded Panthera in 2006 with the late Alan Rabinowitz, helping build the organization into a leader in the field. He offered three pieces of life advice.

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