MattLikesAnalysis Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > For all you T.Dot CFAs: remember this song… > > “Money can’t buy me happiness > But I’m happiest when I can buy what I want, > anytime that I want > Get high when I want” hahah, jellicoe, he thought being a baller was driving a volvo. for some people on this forum thats borderline poverty. As for me, if i could buy whatever I wanted it wouldn’t make me happy. material possesions don’t really mean anything compared to freedom, interesting work and meaningfull relatioships.
Eh… For me i dont care about money… I just dont want debt. 0 debt makes me very happy. right now i have debts… and not enough money to pay for it all… not so happy… I only need a few things in life: a hot shower booze porn pizza no strings attached sex 0 debt. Someone make an utility equation out of that…
I’m one of those that always shops for sale items at the grocery store more so out of principal, rather than money restrictions, I HATE being ripped off for any reason. That being said, I enjoy making money often time over having/spending money, gives me a sense of value and accomplishment. I’m sure no matter how much money I have in my life, I’ll always want more for the sake of saying that I still can, and am better than ever at it. I want my grandkids someday to see me as “wise old man” as opposed to “senile grandpa”.
“Of course he’s not happy. Nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers. Look at me, I’m miserable… that’s why I’m rich.” - Ari Gold. Money can’t buy happiness but it can make your life a hell of a lot easier. You’ll get to focus more on things you enjoy and won’t have to worry about day to day expenses getting in the way of your path to happiness. A guy once told me in an interview, “Money’s not everything- but after God, family, and health…that’s about all that’s left.”
TPain88 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- “Money’s not everything- but after God, > family, and health…that’s about all that’s > left.” I like that a lot.
Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean-favoured and imperially slim. And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, “Good Morning!” and he glittered when he walked. And he was rich, yes, richer than a king, And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine – we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place. So on we worked and waited for the light, And went without the meat and cursed the bread, And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet in his head. By Edwin A Robinson.
“I’ve never seen anybody cry on a jetski.”
I’m reading the “Ten Roads to Riches” by Ken Fisher. It’s a funny book http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Roads-Riches-Wealthy-Investments/dp/0470285362
i remember the feeling of reach 100k in facebook texas holdem. later i was unhappy since i start to play with those with PRO 1M , so i try and try , ups follows downs… someday. i leave the poker game. i feel releave. that rule also apply to happiness in life i guess
“All you need is love, da da da da da”
Never confuse that while lack of money will make you sad, abundance of money will not make you happy. Happiness is living a life that consistent with your values, and knowing that the way you live is sustainable. If you don’t know what your values are, and what you stand for, you cannot be more than momentarily happy, no matter how much money you have. This is why being too wealthy too young can be a dangerous thing.
well all of the philosophy aside, if offered a multi-million dollar prize money, each one of us would take it in an instant and would never come back to this thread.
i don’t think so… I find the conversations intellectually stimulating. That’s like saying if you win the lottery you are going to quit reading
needhelp Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > well all of the philosophy aside, if offered a > multi-million dollar prize money, each one of us > would take it in an instant and would never come > back to this thread. That just means that there is a marginal benefit to having more money, so you’d prefer to have more than to have less. That’s a completely different issue than saying that the marginal improvement will make you happy. It’s very possible that you could acquire all the money in the world and still not be happy, because happiness comes from other things. In addition, there are actually diseconomies of scale with too much money. Think about how excited you are to get 2 cents in change. Do you ever think - geez, I wish I didn’t have to deal with all the pennies. Maybe I’ll just get rid of it so I don’t have to deal with the pennies. Maybe the investment crowd will be thinking about the reinvestment possibilities, but a lot of people in their daily life don’t want to have to run around thinking about their pennies. When you have too much money, you then start to wonder if your friends are really your friends because of you, or do they just like hanging around your money. Sometimes you even have to worry about friends and spouses killing you to get at your money. That’s why looking at money as a facilitator of happiness is useful; it can get you there, but if you don’t know where you’re trying to go, it can destroy you. That’s what people often forget. 1) Decide what will make your life meaningful to you; 2) Figure out how much money is needed to get there; 3) seek to acquire that sum (and maybe a cushion on top of that for risk control); 4) reevaluate item (1) periodically.
bchadwick Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > needhelp Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > well all of the philosophy aside, if offered a > > multi-million dollar prize money, each one of > us > > would take it in an instant and would never > come > > back to this thread. > > > That just means that there is a marginal benefit > to having more money, so you’d prefer to have more > than to have less. > > That’s a completely different issue than saying > that the marginal improvement will make you happy. > It’s very possible that you could acquire all the > money in the world and still not be happy, because > happiness comes from other things. > > > In addition, there are actually diseconomies of > scale with too much money. Think about how > excited you are to get 2 cents in change. Do you > ever think - geez, I wish I didn’t have to deal > with all the pennies. Maybe I’ll just get rid of > it so I don’t have to deal with the pennies. > Maybe the investment crowd will be thinking about > the reinvestment possibilities, but a lot of > people in their daily life don’t want to have to > run around thinking about their pennies. > > When you have too much money, you then start to > wonder if your friends are really your friends > because of you, or do they just like hanging > around your money. > > Sometimes you even have to worry about friends and > spouses killing you to get at your money. > > That’s why looking at money as a facilitator of > happiness is useful; it can get you there, but if > you don’t know where you’re trying to go, it can > destroy you. That’s what people often forget. > > 1) Decide what will make your life meaningful to > you; 2) Figure out how much money is needed to get > there; 3) seek to acquire that sum (and maybe a > cushion on top of that for risk control); 4) > reevaluate item (1) periodically. I undersrtand and I agree. Please see my earlier post in this thread for my true feelings on the topic.
The fact that no one would pass on a million dollars does not preclude them being happy without it. I honestly think I can be happy as long as I have the security that a reasonable income provides. I enjoy the fact that I no longer stress about a toothache or freak out when there is a cop behind me on the road because I can afford insurance. I am also content with the fact that I have a car that I more or less know will start in the morning and have no outstanding loans to worry about paying. Do I work my but off to earn a raise and position myself for future prospects, yeah, and I might get depressed if things don’t work out but not because of the money- rather the personal failure of not reaching my goals. One thing I know for sure is that if I DID win the lottery (which is tricky considering I never play 
I know I would claim it anonymously. Have you seen what happens to the winners?!?! I’d rather put it away and spend it conspicuously on my family and causes I find dear. No gold plated rims in my future.
Don’t worry, needhelp, I wasn’t trying to rip you apart… For me, the last decade has been tough in a number of ways. This focuses your mind on what’s important in life, so I have strong opinions about this stuff. 
your quality posts are always appreciated bchadwick, hope everything’s going well for u right now…
Not having to worry about money does bring me a considerable level of happiness, because it gives me the freedom to do things as I wish without having to penny pinch all the time. Having money in and of itself doesn’t make me happy, but rather it is a means to an end and I enjoy the freedom of being able to do what I need to do. Above all else, I know that having a good work-life balance is exactly what I’m looking for in life, and I know this because even though I’m making a moderate amount more at my present job compared to my former one, I am multiple times happier because of a good, healthy working environment and being around people that actually inspire me on the day-to-day. I could have made more money if I worked at an even larger firm, but I know I’m happy where I’m at now. For me, once I’ve reached a certain point (and that point for me is that I’m earning more now than I imagined I’d be making at my current age), money itself isn’t entirely satisfactory – once you have enough resources to do what you need to do, you start thinking about the other things in life. I know some people who are always counting change and it just looks really bad, especially in social situations, where they’re seem to perennially be the ones to “shortchange” on group dinners. They think nobody else notices, but it doesn’t work that way. Does anyone else have this pet peeve?! Please tell me I’m not the only one. Bottom line is, I think that however much or little that people are making, it always looks bad to penny pinch. I’m all for erring on the more generous side; if you don’t have money, it’s better just to say so up front (we all know people in graduate school or college who aren’t making income), rather than trying to shortchange your way out of things and expecting nobody else to notice.
I’m with you, numi. I’ve noticed that the nickel-and-dime crowd is the same group that will conveniently forget when you’ve been generous and come after you for costing them a tiny bit extra. I’m for erring on the generous side. The trick is how to handle it when you go out with friends that are substantially less wealthy or are struggling. Sometimes you want to do things that they can’t afford and so maybe you subsidize them, but you also want to protect their pride. I’ve had situations where the wealthier group maybe pays for dinner and the more struggling group takes people for dessert, coffee, or drinks. If the wealthier party is covering something out of generosity, it can help if they suggest an inexpensive way for the poorer party to even the score. Back in the dark ages, men would traditionally pop for expensive dinners out, while women would offer to cook a nice meal at home. Yeah, there was other stuff too, but you see what I’m getting at. If you are the wealthier party and want to be completely generous, you should suggest a token action that the other party can do (e.g. get drinks next week, etc.) as you reach for the check (preferably giving the poorer party an opportunity to protest that you’re paying before offering the token). That way, you protect their wallet and their pride.