Losing a Lot Over a Little

A mutual fund giant worth nearly a billion bucks is brought down on relatively miniscule trading profits of 600,000 bucks over several years.

A decorating diva worth a billion on paper, is pummeled over a controversial stock trade that netted her barely $200,000.

A former CEO worth billions himself at his height, is caught trying to dodge a few million bucks in taxes on some overpriced artwork.

Time and again, it happens: Big titans brought down on petty issues over relatively petty sums.

Richard Strong (search) could lose his job at the mutual fund empire he built for doing something stupid.

Martha Stewart (search) could end up behind bars for trading on inside information over figures that in the scheme of things were stupid.

And Dennis Kozlowski (search) could still be thriving today if he just paid taxes on artwork that was so overpriced, that was stupid.

They say Al Capone ended up in the slammer for tax evasion and Richard Nixon was brought down not by a break-in, but by the cover-up of that break-in.

It happens all the time: Little things that bring down big guys. It's fitting and at the same time, it's tragic.

I don't know what compels someone who has amassed so much, to risk it all on something so silly.

Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's arrogance. Most definitely, it's stupid. And it’s a timely reminder to us all we should never get so big, that we forget we started out so small.

Watch Neil Cavuto's Common Sense weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on Your World with Cavuto.