rich

What does it mean to you to be "rich"? I think it's really important to take a critical look at our goals. Of course I want to be rich. But what does "rich" look like?

For me, I define being rich as being able to afford anything I want, within reason (not, per se, a helicopter or a castle). And what I mean by being able to afford anything I want, I simply mean I want to have enough income coming in where it's not too much of a stretch to buy a luxury good, or Kitchenaids. If I am living off welfare, chances are pretty good that I probably won't be able to afford, say, a Gucci purse, for a long time. But if I'm making 60K a year, I could probably own that purse in a matter of a few months.

Being rich and able to afford whatever I want does not mean I want to be able to mindlessly spend. That's how celebrities go broke. It means I want to be able to afford to consciously spend on things I care about.

This, naturally, means I want enough money to not ever have to worry about paying for food and bills. And some smart investing. After that, the fun stuff can start. =]