God know how many times I've wondered why some folks seem perennially grumpy / down / sad even when they're hanging out in the most exclusive resorts....
Indeed because being rich does not equal being happy and being poor does not always mean you are unhappy.
I do however think that having enough money to be able to live your dreams does make being happy easier...it is a great pity to see people that have worked their whole lives to get to that point and forgotten that happiness is the goal, not money.
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Re: What is your definition of Rich and Poor in Switzerland?
I have an OZ friend here in CH whose salary is around 250k CHF. He gets a 4 week paid vacation along with paid airline tickets that I assume are business class for him & his wife.
Unfortunately, he often talks to me about how expensive food is, drinks, and what have you...
So the answer is, being rich isn't merely having a fat bank account, but rather, loving your life and appreciating it even with what little you have...
Indeed because being rich does not equal being happy and being poor does not always mean you are unhappy.
This is very true. In fact, some studies imply that people's happiness is not affected in the long term by many things that you'd think might do so. Winning the lottery, losing a limb, people this happens to seem to be back where they were before long.
Since Everything is relative, no one sees himself rich
Nope, I know loads of people, including myself when I am not going through the hard times (lol), to be damn well off. I mean have generally lived in countries over the last 15 years of life that factor very highly in the world's lifestyle lists, have generally always been able to live pretty much the lifestyle that I want and have been able to save/invest here and there.
I considder myself to be increadibly lucky although it did take a couple of days of hard work as well.
As I have travelled, worked and taught in poor and very poor places, I am more often confused about why people don't do more to earn more.
Just had a couple of threads where rich and poor are being spoken about and I was wonding what you all think and appropriate definition of what a rich person is Switzerland is and what a poor person in Switzerland is?
I think one definition pretty much applies everywhere..
The poor spend time trying to save money. The rich spend money to save time.
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The poor spend time trying to save money. The rich spend money to save time.
Although that also nicely proves the point that money is necessarily a good measure. When I was working in London, friends who earned the same would iron their own shirts and clean their own houses as they thought it was saving but I refused stating that I saved more time by paying somebody else to do it.
I have an OZ friend here in CH whose salary is around 250k CHF. He gets a 4 week paid vacation along with paid airline tickets that I assume are business class for him & his wife.
Unfortunately, he often talks to me about how expensive food is, drinks, and what have you...
250k isn't nearly enough that a person can't complain about how expensive things are
Rich is earning enough so that you can spend some of your time doing what you want to do rather than what you need to do.
Poor is... not realising what you have.
I disagree: poor is realising what you have, and still managing to get through the month!
Definition of poor in Switzerland varies slightly between cantons due to the variations in medical and housing costs.
In Bern you start to receive social security when your income is below 2'000 per month for a single person, plus 600 for each child. You can easily live on that, but there are no holidays and no cars.
The beggars in the cities would be entitled to the 2'000 but of course that doesn't pay for the drugs.
For me to be rich would be to be able to take 3 weeks off work and go anywhere in the world for a holiday with all the family.
I disagree: poor is realising what you have, and still managing to get through the month!
..
In this case, would this person call themselves poor?
The mother a kid at the local school, buys milk from the farmer and makes her own yoghurt, because she says the stuff in the shops is too expensive. They rent a 2 bedroom flat with 3 kids, both parents are sickness beneficiaries. She doesn't call herself poor, she knows she is better off than "others she knows".
Other friends feel they are "living it rough" when the kids have a clothing item that hasn't been bought in the "right" shop. They consider themselves "struggling" in their 3 bathroom house, when they have to reduce the cleaners hours...
"getting through" .... hummm... That also has a wide scope of definition.
__________________ 11. Knowing deep down that you gave your dreams a fair chance. – Most of the time the only difference between a dream that came true and one that didn’t, is a person who wouldn’t give up and one who did.
Last edited by Rangatiranui; 02.02.2011 at 14:01.
Reason: getting too personal..
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..... friends who earned the same would iron their own shirts and clean their own houses as they thought it was saving but I refused stating that I saved more time by paying somebody else to do it.
That brings up another question: "How much is my time worth to me?"
I paid a man to change the lightbulb in the cars headlamp!
It cost me CHF20 for the light and 10 minutes of his and my time.
BUT, he had all the perfect tools and skill, and I didn't have to tie up the kids, get out the manual, and spend an hour doing it myself - which I would have done a few years ago, and paid CHF3, just for the bulb.
Trying to get back on topic, does that make someone "rich" or "poor"?
Re: What is your definition of Rich and Poor in Switzerland?
Recently I read about an interesting quickie wealth metric: 10% of your annual income multiplied by your age. If your net worth is at that level, you are "wealthy."
10% of your annual income multiplied by your age. If your net worth is at that level, you are "wealthy."
I would imagine that is pretty fair on the basis that you are looking for a good retirement investment. The figures stack up fairly well. For example in a hypotheical situation me:
160k anual income divided by 10 and multiplied by 38 (my age)
That means that by 38 I should have accumulated 608 000 in my "wealth" fund.
Damn, I should get a really high paying job, real soon!
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