“Whoever said money can’t solve your problems must not have had enough money to solve ‘em…”
Ariana Grande
Can money buy happiness? In short, yes it can. Don’t look at happiness as buying more stuff, that’s a fairly immature way thinking. How many items have you bought over the course of your life that were great in the moment but then the shine fades, it breaks, it gets dirty, and right after you spent the money some emergency came up and you felt like an idiot for spending that much on the item.
I put to you that money does buy happiness in terms of choice, security and freedom. Choice means you can choose to go on a vacation and where. You can choose which new vehicle to buy, which charity to support, or where to live. Security has never been more obvious than during the current COVID pandemic. Right now is a good time to be debt free and sitting on a pile of cash. Hoarding money for no purpose and living crazy cheap to the detriment of enjoyment is a different thing however. Freedom means you can do what you want not what you have to.
Everyone’s lifestyle has limits. If you make $100k per year, you can’t live like you make $300k or $500k. If you choose to have three kids and mom stays home then no problem. But it does mean that something has to give. Depending on income you probably won’t be taking three huge vacations per year with Griswold Christmases and new cars. What’s more important to you? The expression follow the money means that you vote with your dollars. Money will flow to what you give the most value to. If you have a bunch of debt and are live check to check, logic and common cents would say to get on a budget and out of debt. Too often ego takes over and signs up for a car lease.
We’ve all heard the expression the more you make the more you spend. You know, because you don’t have a choice, the raise at work comes with a clause stating that you must get a jet ski if you take it. Hedonic adaptation means that we’re never satisfied. If only I made X, then we’d be set! Then you make X and six months later it’s still not enough. This is how celebrities and lottery winners end up broke and addicted. Learn to be content with what you have while earning more.
People talk about the evil one percent but globally the top one percent income earners make $32,000! Obviously there are many factors to consider there but it does put things in perspective. When people whine about others making millions per year, they really mean they want that too. If people were willing to spend outrageous amounts to watch you handle a puck on skates, sing, throw a football or act, I’m sure you would take it. It always confuses me when someone in a sports jersey, watching a movie collecting EI complains about those rich people and how the government isn’t doing more for them. You vote with your dollars.
Social programs are great. They prop up the bottom rung and provide a safety net. More can always be done but the theory of most of these programs is to provide temporary support for some, and long term support for a minority. Too often the safety net becomes a hammock and people get a sense of entitlement. If you decide to drop out of school, decide to go into massive student loan debt to get a Klingon history degree, or decide to sell drugs and (shocker) get arrested then you aren’t owed anything by the government.
marksdailydollar.com 