Ever wonder if the fabulously wealthy are happy

[daepp]

Originally Posted by URY914

Are the poor happy?

The one thing the poor may have over the rich, is the belief that money will make them happy. The rich know this is not so!

[daepp]

Milt - I have a hard time believing that you would not want to do something constructive if you were wealthy and didn't have to work. If I'm wrong, then I have completely misread your postings these last few years.

O the other contributors here, I am not talking about someone who has earned wealth through sweat/toil, but more so those who have inherited wealth, either from their family, or from the largesse of adoring fans. Do these people find purpose and joy (the joie de vivre) in their lives?

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally Posted by URY914

Are the poor happy?

When we were poor, my wife and I were happy.
As business increased and I started to get busier, and had more money, we started to get more and more unhappy. Too much time working, too many hobbies taking away time from each other. Untill eventually, we passed away as a happy couple.

Now, we are divorced.

I'd give anything to be poor again. And happy.

[pwd72s]

Money may not buy happiness, but it keeps the kid in touch.

[alf]

Happiness to me is the absence of desire, delusion and attachment.

Money helps with the first but not so much the second and third.

By that definition, I know rich people (million and billionaires) that are happy, I know poor people that are happy and I know middle class people that are happy. Although i have to say that i know more unhappy poor people than unhappy middle class and rich people.

From personal observation, there is a diminishing return to the Money/Happiness ratio. Once basic needs and maintiaing a comfortable life in the environment you live in is met, more money buys incrementally less happiness and sometimes regress because you get delusional and attached to stuff.

[dewolf]

My dear old departed Dad used to say,"money can't buy you happiness, but it can sure as hell buy your choice of misery"

[azasadny]

My grandfather always said "Money won't buy happiness, but it will let you drive right up next to it".

[cgarr]

I have seen people go for extreme wealth, then when they get it and find out that didn't do it for them, they become very bitter. One I know was a great guy when he didn't have a pot to piss in but now he has it!! a different person, sad.

Remember: A rich person is not one who has the most but needs the least.

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by dewolf

My dear old departed Dad used to say,"money can't buy you happiness, but it can sure as hell buy your choice of misery"

That is a great saying!

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by cgarr

Remember: A rich person is not one who has the most but needs the least.

Another good one!

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by KaptKaos

Money is nice to have and it sucks when you don't have any. It also brings on bigger problems. The stress of large investments, and the impact of them going south on you can be catastrophic. The more zeros, the more stress, the more people your decisions impact.

Also, anecdotal evidence seems to show that the children of really rich folks have lot of issues too, particularly with substances. It takes time to make and support that income. Time not spent raising the kids.

One could take a responsible position about the investments, yet hold the philosophy "easy come, easy go."

+1 on the offspring.

Originally Posted by DAEpperson

Milt - I have a hard time believing that you would not want to do something constructive if you were wealthy and didn't have to work. If I'm wrong, then I have completely misread your postings these last few years.

O the other contributors here, I am not talking about someone who has earned wealth through sweat/toil, but more so those who have inherited wealth, either from their family, or from the largesse of adoring fans. Do these people find purpose and joy (the joie de vivre) in their lives?

I said I'd build for fun and I indicated I'd promote healing and cure. Beyond that, I guess I wouldn't care to be "constructive." I suppose goals become more modest with age.

[the]

Originally Posted by DAEpperson

Milt - I have a hard time believing that you would not want to do something constructive if you were wealthy and didn't have to work. If I'm wrong, then I have completely misread your postings these last few years.

O the other contributors here, I am not talking about someone who has earned wealth through sweat/toil, but more so those who have inherited wealth, either from their family, or from the largesse of adoring fans. Do these people find purpose and joy (the joie de vivre) in their lives?

When looking for happiness, people get close, but not quite there.

The happiest people I know tend to be those who enjoy their work/career/business.

That, and a good family (wife/kids).

If you ask me to guess if "Person X" is happy, and I only get two questions, those would be the two. "How much money do they have?" would not be.

If you look deeper at why so many people think more money would make them happy, a large part of it is because they do not have work/career/business that they enjoy (in fact, they probably hate what they do). They would be best off focusing on remedying that problem, rather than dreaming about just having more money.

[techweenie]

"Money can't buy you love, but it can buy you something so close you can't tell the difference!"

[Dueller]

Beyond bringing a person out of abject poverty, money does not equate to happiness. Once your basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, etc are met, money doesn't really contribute to whether a person is happy or not.

Don't get me wrong...money can provide pleasure but not basic happiness in and of itself. To wit: give a miserable addict a weekend in a first class hotel with unlimited room service, three hookers, a case of Jack Daniels and an ounce of coke and he will surely find pleasure, but not happiness. This is where those longing to be rich miss the point: They confuse pleasure with happiness. They are not the same thing.

In my line of work I have clients who have unbridled wealth be it from being a member of the lucky sperm club, a profitable divorce, a life of hard work or a windfall legal settlement and their money only exagerates their core happiness or unhappiness.

To answer the original question, if a person is fundamentally happy, then yes they can be rich and happy. But if they are fundamentally unhappy, then money will likely make them more unhappy. I am persoanally acquainted with a person who has struggled with finding peace and harmony, drug issues, etc. At age 45 she became an heiress. She struggles daily with staying sober, is wary of people's motives in their attempts to forge relationships with her (i.e., are they trying to befriend me because of my wealth or other reasons?) yet she is purchasing $250K motorhomes and porsches and Harleys and vacation homes yadadadada, is travelling constantly but she does not seem very happy. Experiencing pleasure at times but not finding happiness. Much like she was before her inheritance but even more miserable and paranoid now that she is wealthy.

[gatotom]

yes, I know some pretty wealthy people that I would not want their lives, for the most part they are not happy.

My view is if you don't have your health you will spent all your wealth to try to get back your health.

Your health is the greatest gift you have, without it you have nothing.

[techweenie]

Originally Posted by gatotom

Your health is the greatest gift you have, without it you have nothing.

True.

I used to be pretty tight with Steve Jobs, and I'm fairly sure he'd give up some of his billions to be free of the aftereffects of pancreatic cancer surgery.

[911Rob]

money will accentuate your personality.

It doesn't cause you to get divorced or be unhappy! It might rapidly excellerate that fact, but it doesn't cause it.

Give a bad person lots of money; they'll do more bad things.
Give a good person lots of money; they'll do more good things.

If you had/having problems or challenges based on money; you need to look within and not blame it on having money?

[911Rob]

Way back when; when I was in my thirties (ha, ha) I recalled that most of the testimonies I'd read about creating wealth were largely done by people in their senior years; beyond 50 for the most part.

Now I know there has been alot of wealth produced by younger generations with the new age interent businesses; but when you read books written by many successful people you will see a definate trend of MORE SUCCESS in their senior years than in younger years....... truly happening over 50 and some go into their 70's.

So if someone resolves to quit on themselves before they reach the age where all their life skills can come together to make the grand project of wealth building; well imo they are selling themselves short.

Draw a line today; start over if you have to.
Don't let yesterdays accomplishment be the best of your life

[Axeman]

I'll go with what David Lee Roth once said: "people who say money doesn't buy happiness don't know where to shop"!

Also I would much rather be miserable in a mansion overlooking the ocean instead of miserable living in a cardboard box.

Last thing I agree 100% that your health is the most important, without it you have nothing, I learned that one the hard way and even if I had all the money in the world I wouldn't be able to buy a new body. Then again if I was loaded, at least I would be able to buy my own clinic and have the hottest nurses give me morphine all day. That would help a lot with the daily agony I have to go through!

[myamoto1]

I work to live, not live to work. If someone were to drop a pile of cash in my lap, I could just live.

I don't understand the "health is the best wealth" comments. On a philosophical level sure, but in reality, you have no control over whether you get cancer or not. If you're wealthy, you have more resources to stay healthy. That also doesn’t really address the question about happiness.

Good friends, family and life experiences make you happy (wealthy?), good health just allows you to enjoy it longer.