Is getting rich worth it?
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So one day in 2002, all the boxes were packed, the apartment was empty. We had two moving trucks waiting downstairs to move us an hour north of the city.
It was like an exile. My self-esteem was gone, my apartment was gone, I hadn’t slept a full night in almost three years, and other things I can’t even talk about.
My ex-wife, my two toddler girls, and Lynne, a close family friend who was helping us move, were taking one last look around. “Oh. My. God,” Lynne said. “This is really it.”
It’s been a decade and a lot has happened, good and bad (mostly good). Someone on quora yesterday asked the question, “what’s it feel like to be rich?”
I figured I’d answer based on my pre-2000 experiences. I’ll save 2000-2010 for another time.
A lot of people started answering the quora question with “I was able to buy this, or that, or ‘this and that’. “
Money was never about that for me, then or now. There’s never been anything I wanted to buy (other than the next ipad!)
I have minimal material possessions. If you know me you’d see I dress like crap and the edges of all of my pants are frayed.
I don’t own a suit. I don’t have a drivers license so fancy cars are out. I like comic books more than paintings. I don’t like to fly or sail. And I don’t drink wine or eat out a lot. So what did it mean for me back then:
– DNA. I finally felt good enough about myself to pass on my genes and have children. I never wanted to have children before that.
There’s apparently some evolutionary reason that we feel a strong urge to pass on our genes. I had never felt that before but somehow having a significant amount of money gave me permission to want to have kids.
– Safety.
For the briefest of moments, I felt “safe” – like nothing could harm me and I could live forever. In 1999 I visited the Chairman of a company I was a shareholder of. I was in LA and he picked me up at the hotel in his latest Porsche.
We drove to his enormous house and he gave me a tour. When we sat down he told me, “I don’t even have to do this anymore. I have so much money now that nothing can touch me.”
I know it sounds unbelievable and a cliché but a year later he came down with cancer. After battling with cancer for years he was given worse and worse news about the outlook until eventually he shot himself and his kids found the body.
I heard about the news when his wife called everyone in his address book. This is not meant to be a lesson. Money has its benefits but immortality is not one of them. (Although, if you must – How To Live Forever).
Another example.
A friend of mine was running a prominent gaming site and wanted to maybe sell it or do something with (it was 1999, so why not?) I introduced him to a successful guy I knew on Wall Street.
I couldn’t even find the guy’s office. I had never been down as south as Wall Street. My friend and I sat there while Shlomo (not his real name, but you get the drift) said, “look at me! Ten years ago I was a shlub. Now I have 100 million dollars. Only in America, right?”
About two years later Shlomo was in the center of a massive FBI sting involving a currency brokerage he had started that had been simply pocketing investors money since the 70s. He went to jail. Even my orthodox friends turn away and refuse to talk about him whenever I ask if they knew him.
– Scarcity. My feelings of safety and immortality quickly gave way to scarcity. After all, I thought, if I could make 10 million dollars then it must be too easy.
In fact, I honestly thought, everyone else had probably already made 11 million dollars. So then I felt poor again. I now needed 100 million dollars to be happy. I drove in a car with a friend of mine and his wife. I said, “everyone has 10 million dollars now.” She quickly said, “not everyone”.
– Friends. I lost some friends. Then I made some new friends. By the time I was going down in the elevator from my apartment that one last time, 100% of those new friends were destined to never speak to me again (at least through January 12, 2011).
My new friends said things like, “Mark Cuban is a stud” or “Fuck him. Take away all his shares” or “Good luck. Have a nice life” or “of course its legal!”
– The value of money. I realized (too late then, but I learned) that I never knew the value of money. I had never even been aware of money before. My prior goals had been playing games, making fun websites, or writing novels.
Then my only goal was money, money, money, and more money. I told my therapist at the time, in 2001, “its like losing a loved one” and she said, “sweetie, sounds like you’ve never really lost a loved one before.”
Money is a great thing. It’s the payoff on hard work, great luck (which is often earned luck) and you can do amazing things with it. Build new businesses, create jobs, buy your independence and freedom from corporate America.
But first you have to climb many hurdles, of which earning the money is only the first. Very few things are better than earning a lot of money.
Money finds a home only in places where it’s appreciated.
I didn’t appreciate the money. So it left me.
When we were in the car, driving to our new home back in 2002 it was in the middle of a snowstorm. I wanted to cry I felt so bad about what was happening.
But it was too much to think about. So for a brief moment I watched the snow and remembered what it was like to be a kid. Tasting the first snow of the year on the tip of my tongue.
Read More: What do you do after you make a ZILLION dollars?
Hell! Yeah!
Getting rich is worth not because of these cliches.
These are just hypes that when you'd get rich you would buy these things. Well you can but when you're rich you can actually get the sense of satisfaction. It isn't about getting rich it is about having purchase power.
How many times did you have that thought in the middle of night that let's order something either from dominos, pizza hut or McDonald's?
Yeah! 90% of the time you have had that thought but did you order no. You didn't. Well you never did order because you wanted to make sure you're pocket money / salary you had to make sure it lasted until next month's.
You wanted to buy something for your parents and you had to save money every month? Why is it worth getting rich you ask?
Let me explain it to you.
- You live longer.
Studies show that rich people outlive the other people by 20 years. That's alot of years to live a significant life.
- You do better in academic life.
Wealthier individuals can afford expensive tutors that help them get ahead of others, so next time your mom and dad says that look at my boss's child he's doing better than you, you know what to say.
- You don't have to worry about health issues as much.
There are ofcourse plenty of diseases that can kill you no matter what your net worth might be but it is alot less likely to die than an untreated infection than you can't afford at a high end doctor.
- You pay lower taxes
The rich are smart people they worked really hard for their money and they do not part with it that easily they have an entire system set in place that prevents government from taking as big of a cut as they do in case of other individuals.
- You eat better food.
If you have money you can afford better food. Not available to the larger population. Healthier food is also a lot more expensive than fast food these days. So the sooner you get wealthier the sooner you can enjoy healthier food.
- You have a greater chance of surviving a car accident.
If you do decide to do the driving although rich people have a chauffer you're likely to drive a higher end vehicle that dramatically increases the chances of walking out alive from the accident.
- You don't have to worry about debt.
You don't have to take out a loan while paying for anything studies, house, cars etc.
- You get to drive your dream car.
You know that dream car you had in that poster on your wall or phone, rich people have that and a few more in their garage. They don't even drive them every day just when they feel like it.
- You can do more for the world.
As wealthy individual you can make a difference and make an impact upon the world. Your contributions doesn't only counts for your country but the whole world.
- You don't have to worry about bills.
Bills take care of themselves. Wealthy individuals have accountant and financial advisors to take care of their best interests. Their financial life is sorted.
- You can afford a really good lawyer.
A good lawyer can make most of the problems go away, so choose when you say that he's rich he'll get away yeah! That's right because he has a goddamn good lawyer you have it and even you can get away.
- You can provide for your family
Your family has their basic needs fulfilled so they can focus on personal growth.
- You have access to the latest technology.
- You can travel the world.
Emerge yourself into a completely different cultures and learn as much as possible about the world making you alot less ignorant of how just similar are we in core values.
- You can actually follow your passion.
No matter what you always dreamed of doing you're free to do soo. Because you no longer need to work for the things you don't love because you don't have to worry about your livelihood.
- You get to meet famous people.
The best perk of getting rich is that you get to hang out with famous people and even work with them.
- You have homes in countries.
2nd home somewhere far away with gorgeous view while most are still gonna work hard to pay their house mortgage. You own several properties around the world where you can relax and enjoy the view.
- You don't have to look at the price tag.
If you have to look at the price tag you aren't rich, rich people buy the things they want to. They don't have to look at the price tag.
- You Fly Private
No more trains, Buses or fear of missing your flight. You have your own plane ready to go whenever you need.
- Your sex life is a hell lot better. Don't believe me. Here you go.
For example Dan Bilzerian is a living example although money can't buy love but it can buy amazingly hot sex.
- You can buy beauty to some degree. Although it cannot alter genetics.... Yet
Money has improved the track record of beautification.
- You don't work for the money, money works for you.
Compound interests, real estate, shares, bonds etc. Anything that pays you are your most loyal soldiers. They make your lifestyle possible without you doing anything.
- You are free.
Above everything else money has become the instrument of freedom money is key to opening doors that others can't open. The alternate possible to see the world.
