What Does "Being Rich" Even Mean Anymore?

[Fortify]

I used to think being rich was simple: big salary, nice car, maybe some Bitcoin. But as I grow up, I am not sure anymore

In some countries, the numbers are enormous (such as Singapore, Switzerland), and yet everyday life is stressful: long working hours, high rent, and a lack of free time. Meanwhile, other countries such as Norway and Germany are working on making life easier to ordinary citizens: less work, more leisure time, healthier, more trust

I see more and more people (including me and my friends) wondering: Is all the money worth anything when you are tired, stressed, or anxious about the future? In others, youths are unable to secure decent employment and resort to crypto to stay alive, such as in Nigeria. In Guyana, new oil money is helping some, but only if it is managed well

So I ask you:
- Has your life changed with the "growth" of your country?
- Do you feel more secure, or less?
- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

There are definitely different grades to being rich, which also vary with life expectations. If you have a million euros invested and returning 50k a year as "salary", it's quite possible to live fairly comfortably in many European countries. However if you are a high flying executive that has built a career and created expensive tastes, then that kind of money will not stretch very far. The majority of people would be very lucky to hit that kind of wealth though and take a lifetime to put it together. For the average person having a paid off house will reduce the stress in their life and give them freedom to do a lot with their remaining income.

[EarnOnVictor]

So I ask you:
- Has your life changed with the "growth" of your country?

My country is not progressing but retarding due to numerous unpleasant factors, especially bad governance and corruption, so it has always been a struggle for the common man, and I feel for my country's people daily.

- Do you feel more secure, or less?

My brother, I can only say I feel secure because I created sources of income for myself amid the harsh economy. But I can guarantee you that the majority of my country people are not happy, so they are not secure despite the hardwork. This is so concerning.

- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

I want more money, because I am not lazy. Too much time can even push you to unethical habits and wrong associations. Let's get busy, but not overstressed.

[passwordnow]

- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

I'll be more truthful and I'll want more money. I can be on a goal and do something more meaningful with the money that I'll have. That will also allow me to help more people and give me more of the time that I've spent for doing such things in the past. It will help me correct all the mistakes that I've done financially and as well as regrets that I have. I haven't used my money in the past correctly and that's why if ever I want to have something more and these are the choices, I'll choose the more needed choice and that's in having more money.

[AmaGold70]

To answer your question about what being Rich means, I'd say that being Rich means surviving, contentment and the freedom to live life on my own terms. The rich always say that money can't buy you happiness and I've seen many rich men fall into depression even with all the riches in the world and that has also made me believe that being Rich isn't just about big salary or luxury lifestyles, being Rich means having inner peace because inner peace makes life rich and fulfilling.

So I ask you:
- Has your life changed with the "growth" of your country?
- Do you feel more secure, or less?
- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

My country's economy isn't in its best shape so my life hasn't changed positively in my country because there is no growth in the economy but I feel secure as an investor in crypto and I do my thing in my own space comfortably, and of course I would want to have more money to enhance myself more in the crypto space.

[₿itcoin]

In some countries, the numbers are enormous (such as Singapore, Switzerland), and yet everyday life is stressful: long working hours, high rent, and a lack of free time. Meanwhile, other countries such as Norway and Germany are working on making life easier to ordinary citizens: less work, more leisure time, healthier, more trust
So I ask you:
- Has your life changed with the "growth" of your country?
- Do you feel more secure, or less?
- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

afaik, countries like Germany and Norway consistently rank high in life-work balance. They have shorter work weeks, generous leave, universal healthcare and trust in institutions. I visited Germany, so I know their averages just around 33 hours/week. afaik they are fourth globally for life-work harmony. Meanwhile Norway has earned top marks in both happiness and trust. I just google it and got Citizen report life satisfaction around 7.3/10 on the OECD survey.

So, yes, more money makes a lot of money problems go away, but more time and social trust make people's lives better.

[SATWAT]

There are definitely different grades to being rich, which also vary with life expectations. If you have a million euros invested and returning 50k a year as "salary", it's quite possible to live fairly comfortably in many European countries. However if you are a high flying executive that has built a career and created expensive tastes, then that kind of money will not stretch very far. The majority of people would be very lucky to hit that kind of wealth though and take a lifetime to put it together. For the average person having a paid off house will reduce the stress in their life and give them freedom to do a lot with their remaining income.

Here I agreed with this theory different grades for being rich it's not applied in Europe It's also applied in many other countries as well but sadly recently things are getting worst in few countries due to climate change and few other things bringing increased problems.
As mentioned 50K is ok if I convert this amount in my country this I am surely going to have luxury life with many facilities and other things which can make me good but its just dream because inflation killing and life getting worst but peoples fighting hard and trying to be had some good.
Corruption free state is always thought about their citizens for their work and life but here It's nothing happening peoples living like animals, but high-profile peoples have no trust because they can go Europe and other countries for their own health problems.

[reagansimms]

Actually, being rich has a very broad meaning, perhaps some people think that wealth is identical to money, but true wealth is freedom from all things, including health. As long as you don't have debts with other people or parties, you are already in the wealthy class, so what you currently own, such as a motorbike, a simple house, a motorbike, and a small amount of Bitcoin assets, is your wealth.

Health is also wealth that cannot be valued by anything, what's the point of someone having a large amount of wealth if they spend their time just sleeping in the hospital. So having more time will make it easier for you to manage it, such as working, resting and exercising to maintain health so you can continue to enjoy life without feeling anxious.

[Butterfan]

Actually, being rich has a very broad meaning, perhaps some people think that wealth is identical to money, but true wealth is freedom from all things, including health. As long as you don't have debts with other people or parties, you are already in the wealthy class, so what you currently own, such as a motorbike, a simple house, a motorbike, and a small amount of Bitcoin assets, is your wealth.

Health is also wealth that cannot be valued by anything, what's the point of someone having a large amount of wealth if they spend their time just sleeping in the hospital. So having more time will make it easier for you to manage it, such as working, resting and exercising to maintain health so you can continue to enjoy life without feeling anxious.

Honestly. Not anyone with stacks of money is necessarily rich, but, Peace of mind, good health and not living with a debt/stress burden. Even though a person may really not have much and they are happy, healthy and have freedom, this is what is really, really rich. Others seek money and fail to enjoy life or take care of themselves, yet they have realised the truth when it is usually too late.

[jackpotmaster]

Actually, being rich has a very broad meaning, perhaps some people think that wealth is identical to money, but true wealth is freedom from all things, including health. As long as you don't have debts with other people or parties, you are already in the wealthy class, so what you currently own, such as a motorbike, a simple house, a motorbike, and a small amount of Bitcoin assets, is your wealth.

Health is also wealth that cannot be valued by anything, what's the point of someone having a large amount of wealth if they spend their time just sleeping in the hospital. So having more time will make it easier for you to manage it, such as working, resting and exercising to maintain health so you can continue to enjoy life without feeling anxious.

Let's see what Wikipedia says about the definition of wealth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth

Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions.

In popular usage, wealth can be described as an abundance of items of economic value, or the state of controlling or possessing such items, usually in the form of money, real estate and personal property.

Wealth is not identical to money, but money is a kind of wealth. Saying true wealth is freedom from all things including health doesn't make sense. You can't be free from health, unless you mean from health issues? Anyway that does not align with the definition of wealth which is financial. You may be confusing the word wealth with well-being, I see this with many people. So yes to conclude wealth is only about financial resources, not about family, not about health or trust or any other thing. Being rich means being financially rich, everyone who wrote something else here is wrong.

Well-being is what is ultimately good for a person. Also called "welfare" and "quality of life", it is a measure of how well life is going for someone. It is a central goal of many individual and societal endeavors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well-being

[Uruhara]

So I ask you:
- Has your life changed with the "growth" of your country?
- Do you feel more secure, or less?
- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

I don't even know if my country is growing for the better or if it is getting worse or if it is just standing still with no change at all. I have become completely numb to everything related to the progress of my own country. It's not that I don't love my homeland, but I have become so disappointed with everything related to the state of the nation. So, it has no impact on me at all. At least that’s how I feel.

As for feeling safe, well, I feel safe. Because in my country or in my area, everything feels quite safe. Even when I sleep, I’m not too worried about whether the door to my house is locked. (But that’s the situation in my hometown, and it’s different in other areas) because different areas here have different situations.   

If I had to choose between money, time, or trust in others, or perhaps comfort, it would be a difficult choice between time and more trust in others. Because both are very necessary. However, I think time is the most valuable thing that anyone could want. Even if we have a lot of money, if we don't have the time to enjoy it, I don't think it's of any use. So I think time is what I would choose.

[franky1]

"rich" used to be an abundance
which could mean abundance of flavour (rich flavour)
which would mean abundance of love (rich relationships)

but when it come to finances, people can be "rich" by having an abundance of luxury products/glamour life style .. yet being money poor
this is because they have leased luxury products and accumulated debt to purchase depreciating luxury goods

being rich is just the facade/ fake appearance of wealth

wealth is about having alot of value
which would mean having alot of valuable information  (wealth of knowledge)
wealthy people can have alot of stocks/shares/assets/money but appear normal by driving a non-luxury car

wealth is not the same as rich

if a genie told a friend to wish to be rich, id warn the friend its a trick, id rather the friend to wish to be wealthy

wealth is financial security and having valuable assets/knowledge to give you a good life
rich is financial insecurity and having liabilities, but displaying a facade of wellness to others

[lionheart78]

I used to think being rich was simple: big salary, nice car, maybe some Bitcoin. But as I grow up, I am not sure anymore

Well, it is common that if one has the freedom to spend money without worrying about the future, then they can be called rich or a wealthy person.  There might be different meaning of the word rich.  It can be financial, social, mental and so on.  Most people seek financial wealth to call themselves rich.

So I ask you:
- Has your life changed with the "growth" of your country?

No, even with the growth of a country, it has little effect on the individual financial growth.  The prices are still increasing, salaries and wages are yet increased so people even with the growth of a country fail to meet daily ends due to the limit in salary increase.

- Do you feel more secure, or less?

Nothing improves.

- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

Can't I choose three?  Anyway, more money means us to work harder, time is always there it is upto us how to manage them, about people, it is quite hard to trust randomly to people so I am going neutral about it.

[Samlucky O]

I used to think being rich was simple: big salary, nice car, maybe some Bitcoin. But as I grow up, I am not sure anymore

becoming rich is easy to say than done. we all hope to become rich but the question is who is ready to pay the price the rich does? i believe we all once hoped and expected it till date even as we have not yet become one. to be rich requires to first have the mindset of a rich person then putting it to work. but if we dont put it to work then dream will become wishes.

In some countries, the numbers are enormous (such as Singapore, Switzerland), and yet everyday life is stressful: long working hours, high rent, and a lack of free time. Meanwhile, other countries such as Norway and Germany are working on making life easier to ordinary citizens: less work, more leisure time, healthier, more trust

working in a country that is stress free in their modules operandi, does no make you rich, or makes life comfortable for you. as a matter of fact working for a company is even a way of slowing down your capacity in most cases. self employment is more important to me than working in some company that claims to do better for you while milking you quietly.

So I ask you:
- Has your life changed with the "growth" of your country?

i cant really tell if life has changed as i thought due to the current economic situation in my country, but i am doing better than before.

- Do you feel more secure, or less?

i feel secure even though there is hardship in the economy. but the fact is that i dont totally depend on the economy for everything.

- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

of course everyone needs more money and will need time as well but that of having more people is what i dont think its necessary, i prefer to have less friends with good impatation than more frends with less or no trust or impactation.

[bitgolden]

Maybe others would say they would prefer more time, but I'm just being realistic, these days everything costs money. It's true that having a lot of money means you have to sacrifice time with your children, but I'd rather be hated by my children for not having enough time with them, than not being able to provide them with a decent education and life. It's that simple.

This seems to be the common thing with many nations. Most nations are mismanaged, and people who are in charge (presidents, prime ministers, politicians) are not doing a good job, and the worst part is, they do not look like they are trying to do a good job.

Like just recently, Trump signed a bill that gave tax cuts to rich, and added 3.3 trillion to budget, while taking 15+ million peoples medicate, that is like saying he is actually trying to make the nation a worse place, and he is fine with it, and the other politicians voted yes for it. The fear I have, is that we are going to miss Trump, because worse and worse people will get in charge in the future until we can't take it anymore, in which case, I have no idea what we will do.

[Pablo-wood]

I will say being rich is having enough to invest and fall back to after making all expenses on basic needs and wants. To me wealth is a function that defines how accessible money is to solve any need either now or in the near future without running bankrupt or having so much debt incurred at the end of the day. Riches is a product of investment, so if I am investing I count my self rich, it might not manifest at the moment but as long as the project is tested to stand a long term goal I will obviously join the league of rich people.

[el kaka22]

At this point, if your salary, covers all your spending, and you have no debt; you are rich. I am not even kidding, life is becoming so expensive that, anyone who can afford to live without having any debt, would be considered rich in my book.

If we can handle all of these, then we are going to end up with a wealth because debt is so common that almost everyone has debt. I am not against good debt, but this is bad debt, we are failing to survive, my salary isn't remotely enough for me to survive anymore, I would need nearly double of what I need, to be able to live a good life, with what I have, I keep making debt every month, and I have no clue how I will get out of it. I am afraid, there isn't really any way, and the worst fear is, I may have to sell my car to pay it off, and just take the bus.

[rachael9385]

I used to think being rich was simple: big salary, nice car, maybe some Bitcoin. But as I grow up, I am not sure anymore

In some countries, the numbers are enormous (such as Singapore, Switzerland), and yet everyday life is stressful: long working hours, high rent, and a lack of free time. Meanwhile, other countries such as Norway and Germany are working on making life easier to ordinary citizens: less work, more leisure time, healthier, more trust

I see more and more people (including me and my friends) wondering: Is all the money worth anything when you are tired, stressed, or anxious about the future? In others, youths are unable to secure decent employment and resort to crypto to stay alive, such as in Nigeria. In Guyana, new oil money is helping some, but only if it is managed well

So I ask you:
- Has your life changed with the "growth" of your country?
- Do you feel more secure, or less?
- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

When you are talking about being rich living by your salary has nothing to do with it, people who are financially stable don't rely on what they get from their 8 to 5 job. Being rich is all about doing what you want and being your own boss without waiting for anyone to get paid. The growth of a country might not have anything to do with your personal growth, you need to build and invest in yourself to get that results you need

[Mame89]

So I ask you:
- Has your life changed with the "growth" of your country?

No. My country is rich in natural resources, but unfortunately, many officials are corrupt, so growth is minimal, and poverty and unemployment rates are actually increasing.

- Do you feel more secure, or less?

For now, I feel more secure because I have a small amount of assets in Bitcoin, as I believe investing is a sure step to achieving financial stability in the future.

- If you could choose, would you want more money, more time, or more trust in people?

Of course, I want more money. Although money doesn't bring happiness, in this day and age, everything costs money. With more money, we can invest. Investing more will give us financial freedom. When we achieve financial freedom, we also indirectly achieve time freedom; we no longer spend time working but instead spend time enjoying life.

[Finestream]

You don’t get rich just by having a lot of money, there’s more to it if you want to be rich in all aspects. Being rich for me is having a good life, financially, emotionally and physically stable and healthy. Not getting stress from bills, and even from having a stable income because you have multiple sources of income that will provide you 24/7.

Lastly, being rich is having a happy family. They say your family is your wealth, so if you have a happy and healthy family, you have a wealth that is incomparable.

[letteredhub]

For me, being rich means having freedom like being able to do what you want, enjoy time with your family and not stress about money.

...

I think I do agree with you in all entirety. Being rich is a subjective matter. What Mr X would achieve and be able to do at anytime to refer to as himself being rich might be different from what the next guy may take in as being rich.

Some persons just want to have that source of income that is able to afford every necessary needs of their life and that if family and also earning them freedom with their time and it suffices them but some persons would rather want to have half of  all the money in the world to afford luxury, and the highest of life's goodies before they could start seeing themselves as being rich.