What Is Wealth?

Most people associate WEALTH with money, investments, making a profit, increasing net worth...   etc., and some people equate wealth with perhaps happiness...   or, peace of mind...  or, friends met along the way...  or, how much you have helped others...  or, living off the grid...

My association to WEALTH is MONEY...

The real question is now much wealth does one actually need?

Of course...

living location in the USA has a lot to do with it because a $150,000 home in East TN might cost you $300,000 in the NC Piedmont and $1,000,000+ just 8 miles outside of Washington, DC, and around $500,000 in the suburbs of NYC...

SO...

one actually needs more WEALTH/MONEY living in other States than in TN or perhaps other States that are farther south...

THEN...

there is the lifestyle...  and, that varies about as much as one's New Year's Resolutions...

1. How large is one's home?
2. How often does one eat outside the home?
3. How often does one purchase new clothes?
4. How new is the car that one purchases?
5. How often does one purchase a new car?
6. How many children live in the home?
7. How many adults work a second job?
8. How large is one's debt and is it increasing?
9. How much money is being saved?
10. Do you live by a budget?
11. Do you gamble your money...  how much?
12. How much do you spend on entertainment?
13. How often do you use public transportation?
14. Do you smoke, drink alcohol, use illegal drugs?
15. Are you healthy, maintain a healthy diet, and exercise?

There are people out there that are so much in debt that if they lived another 50 years and doubled their debt payments, they would not pay off the debt before they die...

These people are not wealthy...  and, never will be wealthy, even though they have a lot of toys, fancy cars, and a big house.

DO YOU LIVE AND ARE YOU MOTIVATED BY GREED?

If the answer to that question is YES...   then, the odds are, you will NEVER BE WEALTHY because you will never be satisfied with what you have...  you will always want MORE AND MORE AND MORE...

There are people here in East TN that are the happiest people that I know...  and, want for nothing, even though they are earning less than $50,000 each year with no other sources of income.  Their homes are modest and they have just enough space...   not too much...   not too little...  and paid for...  their cars are 3-5 years old and paid for, and they make sure that preventive maintenance is performed on a regular basis to insure they will last longer than anticipated.

These people have campers and spend their weekends and vacation time in recreational parks usually around a lake where there are trails and fishing.  In the Fall, they hunt in approved areas for deer and if they are successful, the cut, clean, and cure it themselves, and have freezers to accommodate.  Some attend Church on a regular basis while others have their own way of dealing with their spiritual beliefs.

The eat out regularly at the local country restaurant that has been in someone's family for decades and the prices are the lowest around...   just enough to make a decent living.

Some of these people are well educated, military veterans, well experienced with years of technical training but prefer living in the rural areas as this is their preferred lifestyle.

• They don't miss not going on Cruises
• They don't miss eating at fancy restaurants
• They don't miss driving new cars
• They don't miss buying new clothes
• They don't miss not going to Broadway plays
• They don't miss traveling the Europe
• They don't miss traveling to Vegas
• They don't miss traveling to the Beaches

THESE PEOPLE ARE WEALTHY BEYOND COMPARE...