Rich Vs Wealthy (The Most Zeros)

Rich Vs Wealthy (The Most Zeros)

One of my favorite topics, written about many times, is the difference between those that are rich and those that are wealthy.  I found myself making this point with one of my good friends the other day and I liked the sound of it, so figured I’d write a quick blog on it.

Me and my good friend were discussing success, money, family, wealth, etc.  We got into a real philosophical debate on those that are rich versus those that are wealthy.  My comment on the topic was as follows.  I said, “Being rich is about having the most zeros in the bank, being wealthy is about having the most zeros in your life.”

The Most Zeros

Let me attempt to explain my take on them a bit further.  Rich to me is all about the accumulation of wealth.  Now I’m not suggesting there is anything wrong with growing your assets, heck I might even just go into a career that revolves around it.  That said at the end of the day no one cares about how much you are worth or how much money you make/made. 

For instance, I was just in Florida visiting my lovely mother who snowbirds down there.  She lives in this great retirement community in the Boyton Beach area.  There are 3 golf courses, pickle ball, tennis, cards, clubhouse, etc.  It really is an awesome place, so much so my wife is dying to move to this retirement community already haha. 

That said, I of course got to meet plenty of my mom’s friends down there.  A really interesting thing happened as I did.  No one ever mentioned their career or their worth.  Instead, they all asked where I was from, and vice versa.  We would talk about their or my families.  No one even asked this “young guy” what he did for a living. 

You see they were all some level of success down there.  Some business owners, some executives, doctors, lawyers, accountants, and regular folk.  Even when I asked my mom, what did he/she do for a living, as it is a natural question for me, half the time my mom had no clue. 

Conversations With the Wealthy

The point was, no one cared about how Rich you were.  Instead, all the questions and conversations really revolved around the second part of my comment to my good friend.  The discussions were about zeros in their lives. 

They would rave about their kids or grandkids, discuss the next big vacation they are waiting for, or how they are watching their grandkids for two weeks when their children go away.  They would discuss life and how they have put the most zeros away and their next attempt to add even more to their lives.

I liken it to the famous quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.”  The Andrew Rosen version would go something like this, “Wealthy minds discuss experiences, family, and enjoying life.  Rich minds discuss material things and money.  Poor minds discuss other people’s material things and money.”

I’ll leave you with this thought for the day.  I’ve worked with a lot of people through the years of different socioeconomic means.  People of different backgrounds, races, religions, beliefs you name it I’ve come across it.  That said the one key distinguishing factor I’ve noticed is that the happiest people I know are simply the wealthiest (and not by dollars in the bank).

Hope you enjoyed this little thought.  Stay wealthy, healthy, and happy!

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