{"id":30581,"date":"2020-03-12T08:02:29","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T15:02:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moneyppl.com\/?p=30581"},"modified":"2022-07-08T01:16:17","modified_gmt":"2022-07-08T08:16:17","slug":"20-ways-life-changes-after-becoming-wealthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.moneyppl.com\/20-ways-life-changes-after-becoming-wealthy\/30581\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways Life Changes After Becoming Wealthy"},"content":{"rendered":"
Many people daydream about becoming rich one day as if it is the greatest goal anyone could ever achieve. That is why so many people play the lottery and watch shows about the rich and famous. There’s the phrase, “money can’t buy happiness,” but money can solve most problems. <\/span>Money indeed makes life a lot better in many ways. However, there is also a dark side to having a lot of money that most people don’t talk about. <\/span><\/p>\n As another saying goes, “the grass is greener on the other side.” Most of us would choose to be rich over being poor even though more money comes with more problems. At the very least, you will have to change your lifestyle. We broke down 35 ways life changes for those who acquire new wealth below.<\/span><\/p>\n Some people find that when they finally reach their ultimate goal of achieving wealth and financial independence, they suddenly don’t know what to do next. After striving for a challenging goal for years or even decades, it’s natural that the next step can be difficult to figure out. Wealthy people, especially those who have worked hard for years to attain their success, report feeling lost and without a real purpose in life after achieving their financial goals. Does it make sense just to try to make more money, or is there another, better purpose in life to set your sights on?<\/span><\/p>\n For wealthy people who feel like they’ve lost direction, it’s important to remember why they wanted to become wealthy in the first place. Did they want the freedom to develop an artistic talent or start a new business? Did they want the means to establish a legacy project like a charitable organization? When feeling directionless, people of any wealth level would be served by reflecting on what they value most and what they would do if they could follow their heart’s desire. This reflection on core values can remind one of a purpose they’d forgotten or give insight into a new direction that can provide long-term happiness.<\/span><\/p>\n All of us probably have a stand-by old favorite pick-me-up, whether it’s buying a new video game or grabbing a favorite coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. Everyone needs a quick dopamine hit to improve their mood from time to time, and for many of us, we have a solution on mental speed-dial for when we need that instant cheer. Many wealthy people, especially those who come into financial success quickly or unexpectedly, find that their old favorite pick-me-ups no longer work once they have so much money that those objects or routines lose their significance. Would donuts and donuts still cheer you up if you had millions?<\/span><\/p>\n For some wealthy people, this numbness to old favorites can lead to a dangerous cycle of spending. Larger and more extravagant purchases are necessary each time to feel the same level of happiness, almost like a physiological addiction. There are many cautionary tales of wealthy people, especially those who got sudden windfalls, who spent it all chasing that initial high of being able to buy whatever they want to cheer themselves up or feel special. The wealthy who manage to keep their money must quickly learn to find manageable favorite things that can still cheer them up without destroying their bank account.<\/span><\/p>\n Many people expect to feel surrounded by friends and admirers after they become wealthy and are shocked to find that they feel more alone than ever when they become wealthy. Friends and family may disappear once they find out how much you’re worth, especially if they expected you to become a personal bank and find out that isn’t the case. People who have known you all your life may suddenly no longer identify with you or feel like they understand you if you suddenly jump up the wealth ladder. That can lead wealthy people to feel increasingly isolated from friends and loved ones.<\/span><\/p>\n Those who have come into sudden wealth or a lucky windfall may also find other wealthy people hard to access and engage with, as there is often a stigma against “new” money or money that is won or found and not appropriately earned, in their eyes. In a Beverly Hillbillies-esque culture, some wealthy people don’t want to associate with newly wealthy people. One may find oneself ostracized from the only people who understand what it’s like to be wealthy, which only increases feelings of isolation and loneliness. Finding true friends can be very difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the greatest benefits of becoming wealthy is the freedom to do all of the things you always told yourself you would do if and when you became wealthy. Is there a sport you ever wanted to try, an idea for an invention you’ve always had kicking around, or an artistic talent you’ve never had the time to cultivate fully? Rich people have the freedom to invest time in special, personal interests without the fear of financial failure that regular people have to contend with. That is why so many actors and artists are from wealthy families. They had the freedom to experiment thanks to their family safety net of wealth.<\/span><\/p>\n If you become wealthy, it’s vitally important to engage in self-improvement through cultivating those interests. Have you always wanted to learn how to paint with watercolors? After becoming wealthy, there is nothing to stop you from hiring a personal instructor and cultivating that talent to whatever level of success you desire. Did you always want to act? It becomes much easier to land a bit when you have the time and money to go to casting calls and get an expensive agent. Since financial failure isn’t an option for you, you can experiment with whatever you want.<\/span><\/p>\n The one thing money will never be able to buy unless you believe in Harry Potter’s time turners is more hours in the day. The richest among us are under the same 24 hour day constraint as the rest of us, and it often becomes vital for them to manage their time just as carefully, if not even more so, than most of us manage and track our finances. When money is no object, the list of things you’d like to do will likely become longer than the years you have in your life. Traveling, fine dining, unique experiences, you can do everything that time allows.<\/span><\/p>\n Many wealthy people schedule their days down to the literal <\/span>minutes<\/span><\/em> to ensure they aren’t wasting any of their precious and invaluable time. When they are still working, wealthy people’s time can be worth thousands of dollars an hour. Just imagine how much Jeff Bezos’ time is worth. In retirement or when passively earning income, time is still crucial to ensure they’re getting the most out of what their money can offer them in life, whether vacations, deluxe spa visits, or visiting fine dining spots. While it sounds like a significant problem to have and is, managing time can be very stressful as well.<\/span><\/p>\n While it may sound odd at first, it’s quite common for wealthy people to be simultaneously under- and overestimated by almost everyone they meet. On the end of underestimation, it’s widespread for people to hold a uniformly negative view of rich people and assume they were all born with silver spoons in their mouths. It’s a common belief, especially in the United States, that rich people are fundamentally greedy and obtained their wealth by harming those below them, which isn’t always the case. Wealthy people often find that everyone else underestimates the effort and intelligence to obtain financial success.<\/span><\/p>\n On the other hand, wealthy people also often find that people can overestimate how much their attributes like intelligence contributed to their wealth accumulation. While intelligence can certainly help one become wealthy, it is far from a requirement, and plenty of short-sighted people have become extremely wealthy through luck or privilege. Not every wealthy person is a Lex Luthor-level genius, and many people become wealthy through a simple combination of hard work and fortunate, well-timed financial decisions. While it can be flattering, it can also get exhausting to have everyone you meet ask for financial advice as though every wealthy person is an economics mogul.<\/span><\/p>\n If someone becomes wealthy outside of anything connected to family wealth, those family relationships can become incredibly complicated. Imagine if you became wealthy overnight, would you help your family? Are there members you wouldn’t help because they aren’t responsible or have mistreated you? These are the very types of issues wealthy people can run into when they gain their success. Family members will often come to newly wealthy people looking for loans, gifts, financial advice, and more, even if they didn’t have a good relationship before the windfall. Peaceful holiday meals may well become a thing of the past for the suddenly wealthy.<\/span><\/p>\n While many of us daydream about the ability to help our families financially such as buying a home for aging parents or paying off a sibling’s student loan debt, there are many valid reasons not to want to help family, including abuse and neglect. The pressure to care for family, regardless of how your family has cared for you, can be a source of a tremendous amount of pain for wealthy people, as the societal expectation is there to take care of family no matter what. Strained relationships within a family can become even tenser when you add jealousy and financial success to the equation. <\/span><\/p>\n Did you ever have a Christmas or birthday where you got everything you wanted, and the amount of excitement and stimulation from suddenly having everything you could conceive of wanting was a bit tiring? Did you end up getting bored from suddenly having everything you’d invested much energy in wishing for? Believe it or not, this type of feeling is quite common for the extremely wealthy. It is easy to get bored when everything you’ve ever wanted is suddenly available and even easily within reach. It can honestly begin to feel like it’s Christmas or your birthday every day.<\/span><\/p>\n Once the pressures of simply surviving in a capitalist world are removed, day-to-day life can also get a bit boring. You don’t have to go to a job, you don’t have to worry about if your home is clean, you don’t have to worry about where your next paycheck is coming from, so what does<\/span> your brain spend its energy on? It’s crucial for those who become wealthy enough that they don’t need to work to create new, non-financial goals to keep themselves occupied in healthy, fulfilling ways that aren’t just shopping or vacationing since even luxury becomes dull over time.<\/span><\/p>\n You’ve just sold your start-up company for millions, and suddenly, an old childhood bully and an uncle you’ve always disliked reach out to make amends. They want to start fresh with new relationships: are they honest, or did they hear about your newfound wealth? Issues like this crop up constantly for the suddenly wealthy, with family, friends, and even strangers crawling out of the woodwork looking to establish connections and create relationships. It can be challenging to know if their motivations are genuine or if they simply want to acquire a small portion of your newfound wealth.<\/span><\/p>\n Trust, especially in new people, can be complicated for wealthy people to build in the face of “gold-diggers,” people looking for loans or donations, and more. While many people would never dream of taking advantage of someone’s wealth, unfortunately, many people happily would put wealthy people in a difficult position when looking to make new friendships or romantic connections. Some wealthy people tend to isolate themselves or make new friends and romantic relationships within circles of other wealthy people to ensure they aren’t being taken advantage of merely for their money or the status it buys.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One unfortunate reality of having a large amount of money is that it is easy for one’s children to grow up without learning the real value of a dollar and what it’s like to live without luxury and privilege. There is a good reason the stereotype of spoiled, wealthy children exists, and that is that it is challenging to grow up “normally” when surrounded by an unusual amount of wealth. Most people have likely met or at least heard of the child of a wealthy person who simply didn’t understand how real-life worked, or how jobs functioned, or what everyday things cost.<\/span><\/p>\n It is certainly possible to raise empathetic, well-adjusted children in a position of wealth. However, that certainly does take extra work to make sure bullying and ego stay in check. Parents need to raise these children to appreciate how unique and rare their level of wealth is and the work that went into creating it. It’s imperative to raise children who understand how wealth distribution impacts society and how those who have less are at a distinct disadvantage in education, health, life expectancy, and more. Billionaires like Bill Gates have achieved this by leaving relatively small inheritances to their children.<\/span><\/p>\n Money can buy many things that give a sense of happiness, and not having to worry about money is vastly preferable to the stresses of day to day living that most of us face. However, the reality is that depression and all other mental illnesses are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain and can still be suffered by the wealthiest and luckiest among us. Daily stresses like paycheck issues, worrying about access to health care, and many more concerns certainly can worsen mental illness. However, gaining a sudden windfall or long-term financial work benefits cannot magically cure depression or make its symptoms go away.<\/span><\/p>\n There is a very real stigma against wealthy people who are still unhappy and have a mental illness, which is dangerous and unfair. Mental illness is a medical issue just like any other. Would you criticize a rich person for having diabetes or cancer? Of course not, but it’s often a gut reaction to resent a wealthy person who “dares” to be unhappy despite being surrounded by luxury. If you come into money and find you’re still low, it’s not your fault, and you deserve mental health care as much as anyone else, and you’re lucky enough to be able to afford it.<\/span><\/p>\n If someone has been wealthy for all or most of their life, it is entirely possible to become quite out of touch with the day to day reality of everyone else around you. While it’s a joke, a wealthy character in the television comedy <\/span>Arrested Development<\/span><\/em> once asked her son, “it’s one Banana, what could it cost…10 dollars?” This quip highlights the idea that wealthy people, once removed from having to shop and care for themselves, can quickly lose perspective of what our world and economy look like for the vast majority of us who aren’t very wealthy.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s no secret that rich people aren’t popular in society and, at times, have gotten the ax as in revolutionary France. Being completely out of touch could be dangerous when talking to regular people and instantly exposing someone as ultra-wealthy. It’s simply unconscionable to lose touch with how ordinary people live. That could lead to dehumanizing most of society as some sort of “other” beneath the wealthy person’s notice. It is a must for all wealthy people to stay in tune with regular people’s struggles to avoid becoming a bad caricature of wealth.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether to avoid the ire or society or the envy of family and friends, many wealthy people sadly have to learn to carefully keep many secrets, especially when they involve the true nature and extent of their wealth. While everyone would naturally want to tell everyone they could about their newfound success, it could lead to a lot of alienation, jealousy, and even anger. While it’s unfortunate, humans can have a crab in a bucket mentality about those close to them suddenly having far more financial success and status than them.<\/span><\/p>\n Because of this potential for envy and anger, many wealthy people learn to become extremely private and secretive about their wealth. They tend to post far less on social media, especially about anything that might highlight their wealth, like pictures of a new home or new car, or a luxury clothing purchase. Many wealthy people also often refuse to discuss their business dealings or financial gains with anyone outside of a few trusted professionals. That way, no one knows the true extent of their wealth lest it leads to envy or people asking for money, which can be exhausting and isolating.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s crucial to maintain simple, inexpensive sources of happiness, even for the richest among us. Whether it’s watching a sunrise with a good cup of coffee or spending time with family, everyone needs some non-monetary sources of happiness, even if they have more money than they know what to do with. Anyone can fall victim to the cycle of shopping for joy, but it’s perilous for people with enough money to buy almost anything their heart desires. If they end up buying everything and still feel empty, what then? Everyone needs to identify and practice those simple little sources of happiness.<\/span><\/p>\n Simple sources of happiness may look very different from our idea of them amongst the supremely rich, but you can bet that the happiest and most successful among them still have them. It may be a day of golf at a private club or a thousand-dollar meal at a favorite restaurant for them. At the same time, it’s something free or inexpensive for most of us. However, regardless of the cost, one’s mental health and wellbeing need to have relaxing, happy routines or items that we can turn to when we need cheering up or a way to celebrate something.<\/span><\/p>\n For many of us, achieving wealth or financial stability is likely one of our goals in life, if not the absolute most important one. If you suddenly meet that goal, and you become wealthy, what next? Humans thrive on goals, as they give us direction and purpose and something to guide our day to day activities. If wealth was your only or main goal and you suddenly achieve it, you can be left feeling adrift and without a purpose, which can be very unsettling and disheartening. No one wants to feel useless or like they’re wasting their time, so finding new goals to make is extremely important.<\/span><\/p>\n For many wealthy people, goals entirely outside of money and managing finances become increasingly important. Whether it’s establishing a legacy, cultivating a new skill or talent, learning further information, or volunteering time to cherished causes, new non-financial goals keep them on track and help them manage their time in a way that feels meaningful and fulfilling. The wealthy are especially at-risk for boredom and a sense of numbness once the fun of luxury wears off. Thus, identifying core values and matching goals is an important process for long-term success, health, and emotional wellbeing. That is especially true for the ultra-wealthy who don’t need to work.<\/span><\/p>\n In a movie called<\/span> <\/span>The Gambler<\/span><\/em><\/a>, there’s a<\/span> famous monologue<\/span><\/a> where John Goodman talks about having “F- you money.” That is a status in life where someone has $2.5 million, and the interest they earn pays for their living expenses for the rest of their life. In that situation, you’re so financially comfortable. You can practically say “no” to anything. Don’t like your boss? If you’re rich, you can quit your job. Don’t like where you live? You have money to move. Someone asks you to do them a favor? Say no and pay them $500 to leave you alone.<\/span><\/p>\n Becoming rich means that you can start to play by your own rules. There is no longer any obligation to say “yes.” However, you can live your life by saying “no” to things more often, even if you’re not rich. Just focus on being happy, helping others, and fulfilling your life’s purpose. Everything else that comes your way should be easy to say “no” to. Everyone, no matter rich or poor, deserves to say no to things that make them uncomfortable, and everyone has the right to set boundaries in friendships, romantic relationships, and work relationships (although outcomes will vary on that last one.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Unless you were born into an incredibly wealthy family, money doesn’t grow on trees. You have to work incredibly hard to make more. That is why so many rich people have so little free time. Most of them have full schedules. In her documentary <\/span>Miss Americana<\/span><\/em>, Taylor Swift shared that she has tours booked for the next two years of her life, and she only spends a few days at home relaxing before she has to go somewhere else. Sacrificing her free time is the only way she has grown to be as rich and famous as she is.<\/span><\/p>\n35. Losing Direction<\/span><\/h2>\n
34. Numbness To Old Favorites<\/span><\/h2>\n
33. Feeling Isolated<\/span><\/h2>\n
32. Freedom To Experiment<\/span><\/h2>\n
31. Tracking Time More Than Money<\/span><\/h2>\n
30. People Under and Overestimate You<\/span><\/h2>\n
29. Family Becomes Complicated<\/span><\/h2>\n
28. Boredom<\/span><\/h2>\n
27. Trust Is Tough<\/span><\/h2>\n
26. Spoiled Children<\/span><\/h2>\n
25. Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness<\/span><\/h2>\n
24. Dangers of Being Out of Touch<\/span><\/h2>\n
23. Keeping Secrets<\/span><\/h2>\n
22. Simple Sources Of Happiness<\/span><\/h2>\n
21. Goals<\/span><\/h2>\n
20. You Can Say “No” More Often<\/strong><\/h2>\n
19. Having Less Time<\/strong><\/h2>\n