Does Money Change You? | Personal Finance & Lifestyle | Yakezie Forums

Money changes you if you don't have a values/ethics base that your parents taught or that you learn and internalized. There are also back story and reasons for how someone act that you may not be aware of.

The adage about old money vs. new money is very valid.  There is a very good reason why old old money avoid semi-old money and new money. 

It's similar to how people think about business when they have different levels of companies.  How I think about business is radically different than someone who is a one person firm.  The problems/issues are different.  

If I chose to cut off a $10K donation, someone can blame me for being greedy vs. understanding that our licenses just went up 1000% & cost an extra $100K.  (Yep, that happened in January)

The single wo/man firm has much fewer things to consider so their attitudes will be different and can be attributed to money vs. circumstances.

Post edited 10:18 am – May 13, 2012 by FI Fighter

Yes, I believe money can change you, but it doesn't always have to be for the worse. The whole admiration / envy thing forces people to focus on the negatives: greed, corruption, ego, etc. But there are also those who come into money, and instead, use it to enhance the lives of everyone they come into contact with. 

I once worked for a boss who has since ascended into the position of technical director. He was the most giving, and thoughtful person I have ever come across. He used his position, power and wealth to focus on the needs of the less fortunate. He was a generous tipper, donated to charity, and would oftentimes treat his team out to a nice meal, and foot the bill himself. Most impressive was how he treated everyone with the utmost respect. There was no hidden agenda for self gain, as he once told me that he felt extremely blessed in life, so wanted to give back as best he could. So, instead, he was a model of inspiration and righteousness. There was no doubt he left a positive impression on everyone who came into contact with him. Unfortunately, this type of story isn't one to sell magazines, or attract viewers on tv. But it is reassuring, at least to me, that it exists, and can be found in the world.

Of course money changes you. As you move up Maslow's hierarchy of needs you stop worrying about having enough. I know several people who have gone from hungry poor to upper middle class and they deal with money very differently than those who have always had it.

Financial Samurai said:

That is probably a true observation.  Thanks for sharing.  In a similar vein, do people without money growing up tend to assume that money is always out of reach?

For the most part, yes. Some consiously, some unconciously. But by and large, it seems that people without money, while they may dream of being rich, figure things probably aren't going to change all that much.

FI Fighter said:

I'm wondering if anybody has gone the "screw making more money", let's go into academia route?

 

Actually, I hope to do sometime like this in the future – reach the point where I stop caring about making more money, leave my current job, and teach at a community college instead.

I always thought that'd be a nice transition into retirement.  But that's many, many years off here!

Financial Samurai said:

I'm wondering if anybody has gone the "screw making more money", let's go into academia route?

Academia was my first plan, in a way. I originally went to school to be a science teacher, but after classroom experience, I decided against teaching kids. Possibly in the future, I will try for teaching at the college level.