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Is getting rich worth it?

quora.com

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Re: Is getting rich worth it?

#31

Post by ph0rque »

speeder wrote: post #8

I want to get rich. But I don't want to do it because I want stuff. I don't want a Audi, or a Maserati, or a fancy home, or the newest gadget. I have a objective, a plan, for me, and for future generations, and I know how much it will cost, and doing it will require me to be rich. And I know how much problems it will attract, how much relationships it will wreck, and how much danger it will bring to my life. But I do…

This is a very noble comment. I feel the same way about my side project, except I don't think it requires me to get rich to attain it. In fact, I'm not sure what it requires, so I'm finding out as I go along.

Re: Is getting rich worth it?

#32

Post by GotAnyMegadeth »

thoughtcriminal wrote: post #21
GotAnyMegadeth wrote: post #7

My plan, if I ever manage to get rich, is to live like a student forever, without having to go to work. I don't really care for owning things, as long as I have got a bass guitar, a laptop and a cat, I'm happy.

So you think. I'm just kidding. I'm the same way. What makes me happy is my four cats, making other people happy and having a great idea to work on. But it's the idea part that can cause me problems. If I have a good idea I'll do nearly anything to make it happen. I'll spend my bill money to make it real. If/when I become money rich (I'm already rich in other ways) I may scale this risky behavior and still find mysel…

4 cats!? You must be rich already! lol

Re: Is getting rich worth it?

#34

Post by [deleted] »

malandrew wrote: post #24
jpdoctor wrote: post #4

> Most people now want something out of you This is a common mistake, esp among the newly wealthy who are young: The last thing you want is for anyone to know that you are wealthy. There are many ways to make sure people stay ignorant of your wealth. For the people (and dates) that don't know your wealth, then you sure as hell don't educate them by words or bling. For people that know you had an exit, they never saw…

The other piece of advice I always here is that as soon as you have the money, put it away in some safe financial instrument (after you've paid any outstanding debts) for at about a year and keep living your life on exactly the same income you had before you became rich.

[deleted]

Re: Is getting rich worth it?

#35

Post by johnnyn »

prawks wrote: post #3

The original post on Quora: http://www.quora.com/Wealth/Is-getting-rich-worth-it

I think the answer from Paul Buchheit on that post is the better one:

"I certainly don't regret it.

Wealth removes constraints. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on the extent to which you needed those constraints. If you have a serious alcohol or other drug addiction, wealth could be fatal for you. In general, it makes people more of whatever they already were. If you're an asshole, getting more money will probably make you more of an asshole. However, if you have purpose and meaning in your life that goes beyond chasing the golden carrot, money can give you the freedom to focus on the things that truly matter to you.

One of the biggest dangers of wealth is that it often causes people to cut themselves off from the larger society, either out of fear or the belief that they are somehow better than others. We are all one."

Re: Is getting rich worth it?

#37

Post by willholloway »

therobot24 wrote: post #28
phillmv wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm entirely uninterested in these people's problems. The mere question in the title seems preposterous, verging on offensive.

I think you're illustrating the first point of the article quite well.

I agree that that point is a valid complaint, but a complaint is all it is.

If the money was really bringing someone down so much, the problem could be dispensed with by writing one check to a charity of their choice.

The fact that wealthy people do not give all of their money away is proof that having it is better than not having it.

Re: Is getting rich worth it?

#38

Post by willismichael »

speeder wrote: post #8

I want to get rich. But I don't want to do it because I want stuff. I don't want a Audi, or a Maserati, or a fancy home, or the newest gadget. I have a objective, a plan, for me, and for future generations, and I know how much it will cost, and doing it will require me to be rich. And I know how much problems it will attract, how much relationships it will wreck, and how much danger it will bring to my life. But I do…

Why backstabbing? Is that really necessary? Sure, politics and hard work, and even hustling (as used by Steven Corona here: http://stevecorona.com/college-was-my-biggest-mistake, rather than the "semi-legal activities" pop definition)

I just don't see backstabbing as a necessary (or even effective) means to accomplish an end, no matter how noble the end may be.

Re: Is getting rich worth it?

#39

Post by bencollier49 »

thoughtcriminal wrote: post #21
GotAnyMegadeth wrote: post #7

My plan, if I ever manage to get rich, is to live like a student forever, without having to go to work. I don't really care for owning things, as long as I have got a bass guitar, a laptop and a cat, I'm happy.

So you think. I'm just kidding. I'm the same way. What makes me happy is my four cats, making other people happy and having a great idea to work on. But it's the idea part that can cause me problems. If I have a good idea I'll do nearly anything to make it happen. I'll spend my bill money to make it real. If/when I become money rich (I'm already rich in other ways) I may scale this risky behavior and still find mysel…

This.

I sometimes wonder if the reason that I always push things to the limit in an attempt to do as much as possible with my resources is somehow down to years of playing strategy games on computers, where correctly timing several turns of complete poverty results in massive success 50% of the time.

Unfortunately, this behaviour doesn't translate well to a medium in which the "reset" button involves 6 years without access to credit.

Hasn't happened yet. Nearly. But fortunately not yet.

Re: Is getting rich worth it?

#40

Post by lifeisstillgood »

malandrew wrote: post #24
jpdoctor wrote: post #4

> Most people now want something out of you This is a common mistake, esp among the newly wealthy who are young: The last thing you want is for anyone to know that you are wealthy. There are many ways to make sure people stay ignorant of your wealth. For the people (and dates) that don't know your wealth, then you sure as hell don't educate them by words or bling. For people that know you had an exit, they never saw…

The other piece of advice I always here is that as soon as you have the money, put it away in some safe financial instrument (after you've paid any outstanding debts) for at about a year and keep living your life on exactly the same income you had before you became rich.

That sounds an excellent idea - plus, to be fair, it kinda solves the "what if I go crazy and spend it" - if the right amount is tied up in trust funds for your children (enough to do something, not enough to do nothing) then you can consider the rest risk-potential and worry less (one hopes)

In general however, people who win lotteries tend to go back to their norm of happiness within a year. By the time you are 18 you are either a happy person or not. Sorry.

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