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Old 01-14-2007, 01:28 AM   #32 (permalink)
Zero
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Join Date: Nov 2006
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Hmmm... I see that Steve is trying to make a point about "thinking big", but you have to take into account his perspective. He may have disposable income to burn. Some of us do not have this luxury.

Let's take the case of an average joe making 50K a year. What if that guy blows just $100 a week choosing the more expensive iPod, the more expensive gas, etc, etc. At the end of the year, you have spent $5200 trying to feel rich. But, that is after tax dollars. If you pay 40% in income tax, $5200 of after tax dollars costs you $8600 in gross income. The only thing you have done is turned a 50K a year salary into 41,400, and further separated yourself from a million dollars.

In this extreme example, you have spent 17.2% of your gross annual income to "feel" rich. Lunacy. (From my short time in the software industry, 17.2% is a conservative figure among many young professionals.)

I recommend *not* taking the advice in the article too literally. Although, some good advice is there (in spirit). I came to this realization a couple of months ago. The money I was burning to "feel" rich and fit in with other people with money serves me much better in investments & savings. I will have plenty of time to "feel" rich once I have boat loads of money in hand.
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