10 Reasons Why I’m Glad I’m Not Rich
Money is nice stuff and there are plenty of good reasons to have plenty of it. But there are also reasons why having barrels of money (as in “rich”) can sometimes be a big pain or downright trouble. Here are ten reasons I’m glad I’m not rolling in greenbacks:
- Nobody is pursuing me with arsenic tinged sweet talk and the goal of marrying me for my money.
- Friends and relatives don’t see me as a giant money tree and hit me up for “loans” left and right.
- Institutions and charities don’t see me as a royal bank and perpetually assault me with pleas begging for my “support.”
- No creeps are planning to kidnap me or a family member to score a rich ransom.
- I’m not bugged by an entourage of two-legged leeches (a.k.a. hanger-ons) shadowing my every move.
- Phonies don’t befriend me, motivated solely by what my money can do or buy for them.
- I never lose a wink of sleep worrying about rejection from elite clubs, uppity co-op boards or windbags who deign to schmooze only with big buck buddies.
- I won’t have to watch any possible bootstrap start-up venture of mine destroyed by poisonous infusions of big money.
- I’m not weighed down by the complex chore of managing millions — of deciding what to do with never ending piles of green stuff. Yes, there are money managers galore to handle all these pesky details, but which managers will be a lock on profit and safety and which are Bernie Madoffs in the making?
- I’m never annoyed by forgetting in which of my houses I’ve left my comfiest sweater, my smartest coat or some crucial documents. I mean what a pain. There I am in New York and that blasted dress that makes me look like a million bucks is hanging in my closet in Monaco thousand of miles away.
SUCH a drag. Yes, it’s nice to be free of all these rich people vexations.
How about you? Could you easily toss aside these reasons NOT to be rich?
More Stories about the Green Stuff:
You are so funny!
I do wish, given my situation of retiring early not by choice and having saved enough of earnings/investments to not make this a sad sack story that people would be more clear about what they mean by rich? I’m financially ok, but must be careful to remain financially independent. Our budget goes up and down with the markets. Yes I can and did throw myself into figuring out how to bring in $$ as a self-employed and in doing so learned of the complexities and consequences involved. I feel SUPER GUILTY every single minute because I have the financial means to stop and consider before plunging into the next economic endeavor.
Sep.18, 2011 | 10:05 pmI didn’t go into specifics about what’s considered rich these days because I was most interested in a response to all those jillions of sites telling everyone how to get rich. So many people seem so deadly serious about amassing as much money as possible as fast as possible and retiring as early as possible. Stopping and smelling the roses doesn’t seem to play any part in that gang’s vocabulary. A shame in my view.
I find it odd you feel guilty about jumping into new projects and economic endeavors when you have the financial means to play around some. So can’t imagine how guilty you’d feel if you DIDN’T have the means.
Sep.18, 2011 | 10:33 pmJust figure I feel guilty no matter what!!
Sep.19, 2011 | 12:22 amAfter thinking about it what I mean more specifically is that given what happened to me, I worry people don’t realize you might need to have the money someday, not necessarily for leisure, but to survive. I never planned on getting such a complicated injury or that it would take so long to heal, or that it would be so difficult to find a way back into the economy. Stuff happens, we have an extremely limited social safety net in the US, and you can’t necessarily immediately switch gears from a 30 yr specialized career to another one. You could really be stuck. I think of accumulating the means to live without income from a job as an insurance policy that could protect you from disaster or give you some choices about when and how you will generate income.
I feel guilty because I’ve got a super strong work ethic and just hate it that I’m not working like everyone else. I hate it because it feels like I’m being lazy and I feel guilty about having the means to make choices when so many people do not.
I hope this makes more sense.
Sep.19, 2011 | 6:55 pmWhat you say about our limited social safety net is both true and scary. When you’re younger and stuff happens it’s no big deal. The problems come when illness raises its unexpected head as I too have discovered. It’s then you fully realize you can’t control everything – that stuff coming up the road could be a HUGE problem. In my case the “could be” is what I’m endeavoring to work on. The past has shown that “could be” almost never happens. So I can’t let it mess up my present and future time.
As far as you’re not working – I don’t see that at all. You’re one of the hardest working people I know. Just thinking of all the research you’re done on all your different projects and areas of interest exhausts me. Money may not be coming in at the moment, but all your work may be bringing that green stuff closer.
And yes, some people are in such dire need they have to work at terrible (for them) jobs. As for feeling guilty at not being in that position, I instead feel grateful I’m not, fully knowing some monster big life curve could make it happen one day.
Sep.19, 2011 | 9:47 pmHi Pat, I’m supposed to be hemming some pants but couldn’t resist checking in, and there you are, writing with your usual wisdom!
You’re totally right. The probabilities, in any individual case, don’t point to disaster. You pay your premium and hope you’ll never need to collect. Mathematicians at insurance companies are right on it, making you not mind the premium.
The thing is, I unexpectedly did need to collect, and the policy was limited. The rest was up to me.
Sep.19, 2011 | 11:24 pmInteresting ideas here, but if we’re going to get anything done this week, I think I better give this book we seem to be writing a break…
Sep.20, 2011 | 8:49 amBeing rich is not owing anyone anything and having some money left over to cover an unexpected expense.
Sep.22, 2011 | 12:02 pmWelcome! I agree that not owing anyone anything is not only a rich feeling, but also a great way not to lose any sleep at night. Thanks for stopping by and your comment.
Sep.22, 2011 | 12:23 pmI loved your post. I’m working on a character who only thinks about money, but keeps a secret about why. Your ten reasons are helpful – they’re stimulating my thoughts! Synchronicity!
Sep.23, 2011 | 10:07 amLove your word “Synchronicity!” but can in no way pronounce it. You’ve got me curious about this money besotted character. Let me know when he/she/it emerges full blown.
Sep.23, 2011 | 10:19 am