Money Can't Buy Love, But...



Money can buy material goods. Lots of money can buy lots of material goods. Material things aside, we've all heard the sayings before, 'Money can't buy love'; 'Money can't buy happiness.' While I agree with these sentiments, there are a few non-material things that money can buy.

Confidence
It's not a coincidence that I started this list with the trait of confidence. I realize listing confidence as something money can buy is a bit controversial. There are a lot of people who will say money can't buy confidence because there are a lot of rich people with low self-esteem who only use money to compensate for their lack of confidence. However, when I speak of confidence I mainly mean the confidence to take risks. What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? If we all were born with silver spoons in our mouths, most of us would have at least attempted to follow our dreams and not followed the path of the straight and narrow because it was the safe thing to do, with minimal risk of failure.

Additionally, I know there are rich people with low self esteem, but, seriously, money does give some people confidence to the point of arrogance; two examples: Kanye West and Donald Trump. Who do they think they're fooling? The vast majority of their confidence/arrogance comes from the millions sitting in their bank accounts.

Options
Having options is a wonderful, liberating thing. Having options means never being stuck--stuck in a bad marriage, stuck in a city you hate, stuck in a job you hate. Money affords its owner the opportunity to choose from a variety of alternatives that could possibly make his life more enjoyable or fulfilling. And if the first option is not a success, money offers him the opportunity to make a different choice and experience a different outcome.

Security
Having enough money to fully fund emergency savings gives one the security of knowing that whatever crisis life throws at you--loss of job, expensive car repairs, unexpected tax bill--you have the financial means to weather the temporary storm. Having adequate emergency savings also means having the security of knowing that in the case of an unforeseen expense, you won't have to possibly swollow your pride and request loans from friends or family. Most people don't like the feeling of being a slave to their lender, especially when they have to see that lender across the dinner table for the annual Thanksgiving family gathering.

Peace of Mind


Money offers peace of mind in knowing that you don't have to live paycheck to paycheck and knowing you have the financial means to provide for life's necessecities, with a little to spare for fun and entertainment also. Money affords a clear mind and a calmer sense of being. Additionally, if the money you have was earned through hard work and sound financial planning, you can have peace of mind that you are passing down the same financial principles to your children.

I don't know about you, but I like these things that money can buy. Can you think of any other non-material things money can buy?

8 Comments:

  1. Everett (Mr. Simpleton) said...
    I read some studies recently that asked people of different incomes to rate the happiness of their lives on a scale (possibly from 1-10, but I forget) and it turns out that, after a point, money doesn't make on iota of difference.

    That "point" seems to be about $60,000 a year for a family in the United States. Sure, that's more than a lot of people make, but it's also less than a lot of people make - and those people still want more because they think it will make them happier.

    There is a reason they found that number. It is enough to pay all the bills and live comfortably, put some away in savings for a rainy day or retirement, help your kids through college and have some entertainment and experiences.

    But I think, if you are frugal, you could do ALL of that on less than $60,000 EASILY!

    Keep up the posts and I wish you well on your journey.
    Divine and Debt Free said...
    I agree 100% with the list.

    good post!
    Karin said...
    Peace of mind, financial security, and the confidence & option of having choices, not limited by finances, all sound especially good to me right now. I'm a prime example of why planning ahead is super important. We were moving along quite smoothly and living well, but my husband lost his job in January 2009 due to a plant closing and has been unable to find work for the past 20 months. We went through our savings quickly and have managed to rack up some credit card debt along the way. I am grateful that my job provides health insurance and that our home is paid off. I know when things get back to "normal" I will be even more appreciative and definitely more careful of how finances are managed. I am very inspired by your blog, Mogul.
    Young Mogul said...
    @Karin:
    I hope your husband's employment situation improves. 20 months is a long time to be out of work, but I would encourage him to explore options that he never would have before. Now he has nothing to lose. Has he ever dreamed of starting a simple business, that would require minimal start up cost?

    Now might be his time to explore his personal, 'What would I attempt if you knew I couldn't fail?'

    And this to shall past...this recession will end just like all of the previous recessions. Best of luck to you and your family.
    Karin said...
    Thank-you so much for the encouragement, Mogul! He actually has often thought about starting a service-related business, and we are currently involved in marketing healthy products for people, planet, and pets, but selling is much harder than anticipated. Peoples' habits of unconsciously purchasing everything at Walmart are difficult to break (especially in Michigan). We're not giving up, though, although it's tempting at times:) Thanks again!
    Willow said...
    I agree with you that money gives one peace of mind, confidence, as you wrote. Sounds like Dave Ramsey :) I would add that, up to a point, money can buy health--the ability to go to the dr, keep up on check ups, medications, purchase healthy foods.
    Annienygma said...
    This is so true! Money can't buy happiness, though sometimes it makes a useful tool!
    Anonymous said...
    You are so right on! Personally, having a job and money that I can spend on things like health insurance, give me peace of mind and a sense of security. Sure I spend way more than I want to on health insurance and very rarely use it, but it's a security blanket for me. Being a clumsy person with weird aliments makes having health insurance a necessity!

    And options! You are so right, having options is a wonderful, liberating thing. God gave us a world full of options, and He gives us the money to be able to take advantage of them. What an uplifting post!

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