Live data from Hacker News

10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

smartmoney.com

11–20 of 99 posts

Re: 10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

#12
post #10

it's impossible to be happy if you're always comparing yourself to others. there will always be someone smarter, better looking, richer, and with a bigger ____ than you :p True happiness is contentment, contentment comes from financial security. I laugh at those millionaires who, as the article said, are squeaking by on 400k a year. The biggest key to financial security isn't making more money. It's reducing your liv…

Because real estate always goes up? The "houses are the greatest investment ever" myth is amazingly persistent.

putting money into a house that maintains its value or even drops slightly is better than paying rent. rent money is gone forever. a mortgage is building equity that you can draw on. plus I don't get how people don't realize that renting out a house to pay its mortgage is basically free money. Someone else is building equity in a house for you and all you have to do is pay the down payment and manage tenants.

My personal plan is to buy a house that has something that can be turned into a studio, live in the studio and rent out the main house. I have a feeling this type of situation doesn't go on the market too often for obvious reasons though.

Re: 10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

#13

You may think I'm rich, but I don't. How very very true that is. I have friends that make less than half what I do. Once upon a time, I would have thought that my current income would mean I'd "made it". But somehow, here I am, still occasionally concerned about being overdrawn, still trying to be frugal, still feeling like I don't make enough to do all the things I want to do. By world standards, I was fantastically…

all things are relative. You can be the smartest person in your state, but not the country. You can be the smartest person in the country, but not the world. Same thing with wealth, you may be a millionaire but there are MILLIONS other people who are richer than you.

Re: 10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

#15
post #13

You may think I'm rich, but I don't. How very very true that is. I have friends that make less than half what I do. Once upon a time, I would have thought that my current income would mean I'd "made it". But somehow, here I am, still occasionally concerned about being overdrawn, still trying to be frugal, still feeling like I don't make enough to do all the things I want to do. By world standards, I was fantastically…

all things are relative. You can be the smartest person in your state, but not the country. You can be the smartest person in the country, but not the world. Same thing with wealth, you may be a millionaire but there are MILLIONS other people who are richer than you.

So if you're the smartest person in the world, does everything stop being relative? Or do you start worrying about alternative Everett branches?

Re: 10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

#16

it's impossible to be happy if you're always comparing yourself to others. there will always be someone smarter, better looking, richer, and with a bigger ____ than you :p True happiness is contentment, contentment comes from financial security. I laugh at those millionaires who, as the article said, are squeaking by on 400k a year. The biggest key to financial security isn't making more money. It's reducing your liv…

there will always be someone smarter, better looking, richer, and with a bigger ____ than you

Oh, come on, nazgulnarsil, where's your spirit? You can do it!

Bart: You make me sick, Homer. You're the one who told me I could do anything if I just put my mind to it!

Homer: Well, now that you're a little bit older, I can tell you that's a crock! No matter how good you are at something, there's always about a million people better than you.

Bart: Gotcha. Can't win, don't try.

Re: 10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

#17
post #10

it's impossible to be happy if you're always comparing yourself to others. there will always be someone smarter, better looking, richer, and with a bigger ____ than you :p True happiness is contentment, contentment comes from financial security. I laugh at those millionaires who, as the article said, are squeaking by on 400k a year. The biggest key to financial security isn't making more money. It's reducing your liv…

Because real estate always goes up? The "houses are the greatest investment ever" myth is amazingly persistent.

I am also skeptical of the conventional wisdom of home ownership. I think a mortgage is simply a way to force yourself to save money. If people save with the same commitment as mortgage payments, even while paying rent, they should end up doing just fine.

Re: 10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

#18
post #15
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

all things are relative. You can be the smartest person in your state, but not the country. You can be the smartest person in the country, but not the world. Same thing with wealth, you may be a millionaire but there are MILLIONS other people who are richer than you.

So if you're the smartest person in the world, does everything stop being relative? Or do you start worrying about alternative Everett branches?

Well at that point I guess you can strive to be the smartest person ever. But its a finite measure, at some point there is always that 1 person who is the richest/smartest.

Re: 10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

#19
post #10

it's impossible to be happy if you're always comparing yourself to others. there will always be someone smarter, better looking, richer, and with a bigger ____ than you :p True happiness is contentment, contentment comes from financial security. I laugh at those millionaires who, as the article said, are squeaking by on 400k a year. The biggest key to financial security isn't making more money. It's reducing your liv…

Because real estate always goes up? The "houses are the greatest investment ever" myth is amazingly persistent.

Because mortgages remain a great leverage instrument. Find a bank who will lend you 4X your initial deposit with a low fixed (or not...) interest rate, without margin calls, in any other investment vehicles?

Re: 10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

#20
post #15
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

all things are relative. You can be the smartest person in your state, but not the country. You can be the smartest person in the country, but not the world. Same thing with wealth, you may be a millionaire but there are MILLIONS other people who are richer than you.

So if you're the smartest person in the world, does everything stop being relative? Or do you start worrying about alternative Everett branches?

Well, smartness is a bit more complex. I may be better at skill A, but my friend is way good at B. Thus, he is "smarter".
Post reply on HN