| What is true wealth? What should you expect | | | | |
| if you reach the end of the gold paved road | | | | You could live in a big house on the hill, |
| to financialfreedom? | | | | have two Mercedes in the garage and a million |
| | | | in the bank and not enjoy life as much as the |
| If you have a million dollars, will you be | | | | guy who works in the gas station and lives in |
| satisfied? What about 10 million? Is true | | | | a two room furnished apartment. |
| wealth a numbers game or do other factors | | | | |
| enter into the equation? | | | | True wealth is what one perceives it to be. |
| | | | And if it were not so, we wouldn't have |
| Ebenizer Scrooge of Dicken's The Christmas | | | | policemen, firemen and soldiers who risk |
| Carol was very wealthy for his time, but | | | | their lives protecting us rather than trying |
| before meeting the three ghosts of Christmas | | | | to work on Wall Street, making big bucks. |
| past, present and future, he lived a | | | | |
| miserable life, too cheap to even heat his | | | | We wouldn't have doctors who travel to third |
| own apartment. | | | | world countries, just to try to make some |
| | | | difference, rather than to stay at home with |
| Meanwhile his clerk, with his many children, | | | | a thriving practice and a comfortable life. |
| was portrayed as happy and loving - a great | | | | |
| father. | | | | We wouldn't have all the volunteers this |
| | | | country has, who are ready and willing to |
| Of course this is fiction, but is there any | | | | help the sick, infirm or destitute - or who |
| truth to the story? | | | | suddenly turn up at disaster scenes willing |
| | | | to do anything to help. |
| Many people will work incessantly trying to | | | | |
| accumulate more and more wealth, but a trite | | | | This country wouldn't have the millions of |
| joke is that their last words are never: "I | | | | people who donate billions of dollars |
| wished I spent more time at work." | | | | annually to the charities of their choice. |
| | | | |
| For some people the only answer to the | | | | So even thought we concentrate on financial |
| question; "What is true wealth?", is money | | | | matters, it's good to step back and realize |
| pure and simple -the more money the better. | | | | there is more to true wealth than money. |
| | | | |
| Others would be content to say that true | | | | I believe that having enough wealth to live a |
| wealth is having the peace of mind of being | | | | comfortable life makes lots of other things |
| free of debt. | | | | possible. |
| | | | |
| Another will say he is truly wealthy if he | | | | I also believe that being in debt is merely |
| can lead the lifestyle he chooses regardless | | | | transferring your wealth to your creditors. |
| of cost. | | | | While it may make them, or their shareholders |
| | | | rich, it really contributes little to your |
| Others might say true wealth is being healthy | | | | true wealth. |
| and surrounded by loving family and caring | | | | |
| friends. | | | | So my answer will be adopted from Mr. Spock's |
| | | | famous Vulcan greeting: "Live Debt Free and |
| There are probably as many answers to this | | | | Prosper. |
| question as they are people to answer it. | | | | |