Comments on: Money Isn’t Everything And It Isn’t You

By: MoneyEnergy

MoneyEnergy — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:19:29 +0000

Well said, Jim. I’ve also thought before that money can very much (is?) everything until you’re making enough of it to survive, and perhaps even do a minimum of “thriving” (since I’m not sure it’s enough to just be able to sit in one’s shelter and eat).

I guess the trick is learning what level “enough” is for you and then working hard to make the attitude shift away from acquiring/earning to pegging your happiness instead to purpose and enjoying. (though all the better the more you can enjoy life anyway, no matter how poor you are).

I also know some very money-poor folk who are yet one of the happiest families I know.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:55:05 +0000

Wow man, you need some serious help haha, if all that you just said you really feel all at age 23, you need serious enlightenment, if you were older like end of the line and had the life you suggest, I could understand but it still wouldn’t justify your claims haha, I know plenty of happy people, its the ones who aren’t online worrying about how to be happy and how to make $ and blahblahblah, just do what you love, only you can find what makes you happy and it may take some $ but hey, that’s what work is for.its never too late, but it may take time, start now man, you can find that happiness, just be you, do your thang, don’t worry about internet finance blogs hahah they won’t get you anywhere even though my posy will be most useful thing you”ve read GL man, and remember, its all about getting to afterlife, eternal happiness, that’s what religion is for, those who fear having nothing, its not wrong to have faith out of fear, its what we do, its normal so you know maybe pick up religion, helps many out, So point being, $ isn’t happiness nor is it life, it helps get some things which may bring temporary happnees but you can’t take it with you life seems long but compared to forever, what’s 75 odd years or so, there you have it, enjoy what u have left, nd be optimistic, you’ll feel better and therfore be “happier!” Layta

By: Andre

Andre — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:42:43 +0000

F****** morons…..

” Money isn’t everything” What bullshit- u know at the age of 23 I have some concepts about what money means to other people and what it means 2 me. Here are are the definite facts people that you will all come 2 realize unfortunately one day if u believe otherwise;

1. Money is EVERYTHING
2. God does not exist.
3. Trust no one.
4. The only two people who will every love and resepct you are your parents.
5. Live life 2 the fullest

Hmm..Let’s see… In the end, in d very end it all boils down to money.

When I was younger I believed otherwise but as I grow older its all about money

So there you go.

Does happiness exist? Nope.
Does love exist? Nope

Nothing is free. It always seems u have to pay for everything

In the end people its all fucking money

Wow..I am not even an American and have to explain this shit 2 u

Thanks

Bye

By: mysticaltyger

mysticaltyger — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:18:54 +0000

I find it surprising that college grads couldn’t do at least a little better than that. But assuming you are correct and is is not possible for them to get paid better somewhere else, it may be too late for the 50 year olds. That said, the larger problem I see in America is that too many people put the cart before the horse in everything they do and then assume “things will work out”. 1/3 of our children are born out of wedlock (that’s financial suicide right there). And TONS of people simply do not save when they do make living incomes. They act as if they will be able to earn X income or more for the rest of their working lives. BIG MISTAKE! I’m 37, live in a high cost area, have never made more than 50K a year at my job, and have 164K in long term savings / investments. Assuming an 8% return, I could stop saving right now and have a nest egg of over 450K at age 50. 450K will not be a fortune when I’m 50 (it isn’t now), but it will certainly keep me from needing to take some crappy minimum wage job when I’m 50. Unfortunately, most Americans never plan for the worst case scenario and then they wonder why they’re always living at or near “crisis” mode.

By: mysticaltyger

mysticaltyger — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:03:08 +0000

The money we sent to Africa is insignificant, and that would be true even if most of it made it into the hands of Africans who need it. Most of the people of Africa would give their eye teeth to come to America to work for $5.15 an hour….as is the case with the people from Mexico who come here…and Mexico is certainly a better off country than those of Sub-Saharan Africa.

By: Dblog

Dblog — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 23:24:34 +0000

I am with the StubbornCapitalist on the minimum wage issue. Raising the minimum wage also creates more unemployment, and what is worse: someone with a low paying job who can work hard, save, get educated and eventually get ahead, or someone with no job, who’s a burden on government (tax payer) resources, who doesn’t contribute to the economy and who may resort to crime to get paid? Capitalism rewards working hard, working smart and discipline — the way it should be.

By: Dirk

Dirk — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 12:24:38 +0000

I disagree. The difference between an income of $100000 and $110000 is that it gives you the freedom of one year at $10000 instead of $0. If you save the $10k up, that is.

Once you have more money than you can (reasonably) spend, though, working for money makes no sense.

I suggest the book “Your Money or Your Life”.

By: Terry Piatt

Terry Piatt — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 23:19:44 +0000

Should the marketplace dictate housing attributes? (quality, size, etc? Or is that something government should impose on everyone, even if doing so prices out the bottom economic tier and thus causes homelessness?

To SCapitalist: where I work we have no internal advancement opportunities and four college graduates earning minimum wage; two are over 50 and on the basis of age are effectively unemployable anywhere else. Got any suggestions for them?

By: Foobarista

Foobarista — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 22:51:22 +0000

The focus of the debate should be whether the minimum wage actually helps society more than it hurts it, not whether it makes you feel good to advocate it. Political feel-goodism and the need to feel self-righteous is at the core of much of what pollutes political debates these days.

And a hint: if you’re saying “you’re making that argument because you’re rich, fat, and happy”, you’re engaging in all of the above…

By: a.

a. — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 10:14:56 +0000

re: free markets – we don’t HAVE A free market. so let’s stop pretending like we do! our government subsidizes and regulates TONS of things. i can assure you that the vast majority of these supposed “free market” advocates have gotten where they have as a result of some sort of government support, or some government program, or regulation, or even lack of regulation compared to another area that created an opportunity for them. we all have! i have! so quit talking all this free market B.S. because that’s what it is, B.S. it doesn’t exist. and think about what wanzman said – “get over yourselves.”

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 07:10:51 +0000

And for the record, the only time I hyperventilate about free markets in housing and land use is when people are trying to argue against them.

Goernment regulation is about the use of force by people powerful enough to wield politicians as weapons against those not powerful enough to do so. Trying to pretend that it’s really for the benefit of the poor and disenfranchised just makes the practice more offensively craven.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 07:05:01 +0000

I’d rather be employed at $5.15/hr than unemployed at $8/hr. A minimum wage simply consigns the bottom layer of the talent pool to poverty and dependence on charity or robbery. And the higher that minimum wage is raised, the more people are priced out of the job market. Frankly, I doubt they would derive any more value from the $8/hr they’d see teenagers making at Burger King than they do today from the millions per year they hear about Fortune 500 CEOs making. No matter how high a wage gets, it only benefits the people who are still employed to earn it. The minimum wage started out as a program to keep blacks, immigrants, and women out of the workforce. Now it’s mostly just a government policy to steal from the truly poor for the benefit of middle-class teenagers, while making self-righteous leftists feel better about being unrepentant cowardly thieves.

Of course, the core premise of the original post is entirely correct…money isn’t everything. Money is just a tool, and what you use it for is way more important than how much of it you have.

By: Terry Piatt

Terry Piatt — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 05:43:28 +0000

For all you free market advocates:

If there should not be a minimum wage – if a person chould be free to work for an employer at any wage – say, $1 per hour – landlords and developers should also be free to offer housing they can profitably provide to someone earning $1 per hour.

Funny how people support a free market in labor but hyperventilate about free markets in housing and land use.

By: Marshall Middle

Marshall Middle — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 03:01:39 +0000

Reminds me of Fight Club “you are not your bank account, you are not your job, you are not your khakis” good point. It is easy to get wrapped up in money and forget what is really important in life. For me it’s spending time with family and friends.

By: eROCK

eROCK — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 20:52:25 +0000

Interesting you point this out. Right now, I’m speaking with a recruiter about a possible career change. I’ve only been in my current job for six months, but the money I make just isn’t inline with what I want to do in life so I’m switching companies. $10-$12K difference is what I’m looking for and it’s true … the extra $12K for a college grad is very significant given the amount of my loans.