He must have had a tremendous ability to instill confidence in people. Unfortunately, he didn't leave a diary. The evidence I relied on is fragmentary, including his accounting statements and letters to customers and creditors.
Q. Did he actually enjoy his money?
A. Fugger had the biggest house in Augsburg, Germany, wore furs and got driven around in coach with 12 horses. It was important to make show of wealth to demonstrate to customers and lenders that he had a lot of money.
There was a perception game in those days that symbols mattered more than they do today. You couldn't look at a proxy and see he owned 100 percent of a company. The outward trappings of wealth mattered a great deal.
Q. What was Fugger's life like?
A. He worked all the time, but for him, like Buffett, work was fun. Buffett says he tap dances to work every day because he loves it. I don't know for sure, but Fugger was made of the same stuff. He worked until his dying breath in 1525 at the age of 66.