Does Money = Happiness

Your peace of mind. Your happiness. Your return on life. How much does all of this stuff cost? Can you buy it at Whole Foods or Trader Joes? Can you get a deal online at Amazon?

It’s not about the money. Or is it about the money?

Gallup, the American Institute of Public Opinion, did a study of which country had the happiest people. They found out that the countries that had the happiest people were some of the poorest. El Salvador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago. Wait a minute! The happiest people out there are among the poorest in the world? What’s going on? More on that in a bit.

On the other side, Princeton University did a study and found that as people make more money, they actually are happier. But once people’s income was over $75,000 they did not report a higher level of happiness.

I know tons of uber wealthy people that aren’t happy. They have mansions, caviar, Ferraris, hair gel (still reading?),yachts, art, and tons of Veuve Cliquot. But they are not that happy. Why? Because happiness comes from the inside, from within, not from just what you have. You actually have to decide to be happy. Tal Ben Shahar, a famous Harvard professor says happiness is something you work towards. It’s not a destination, but flat out a journey.

Art Buchwald said, “the best things in life aren’t things.” I totally agree. I think the best things in life are experiences. Birthday parties, anniversaries, walks on the beach, vacations, a great cup of coffee, weddings, holding a newborn, doing puzzles with kids – I could go on and on. While some of these experiences cost money, you don’t have to be wealthy to have them. They really don’t cost a fortune. Some of them are free, and that’s why some of the poorer countries seem to be happier. They appreciate the little things in life, and learn to be grateful for what they have.

But having money sure does make things easier. Money can stress us out, especially if we don’t have enough to buy the things we need. Many of my clients say that they don’t want to have to worry about money. They want to have enough money so that they don’t have to think about money. They can just buy or do what they want when they want. That financial position may take some serious time to reach, but why not work towards it? You will be happier as you grow, expand, and try to make more money.

You guys are my peeps. I don’t want money to stress you out. I want it to make your life easier. But I don’t want it to be the only thing that will make you happy.
Important Disclosures: These articles are provided for informational and educational purposes only, represents our views as of the date of the posting only, and may change without notice. Some of the information has been obtained from third parties and believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed. We have not considered any investment objectives or financial situations of any investors and we are not responsible for consequences for any decisions made based on the information in the blogs. There is risk of loss from investing in securities, which varies depending on different types of investments. Forward looking statements are based on assumptions only and no reliance should be placed on such statements. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information displayed.