How Much Money Is Enough?

How Much Money Is Enough - picture of hands pulling money out of wallet

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You probably heard that a recent Powerball jackpot reached an estimated $550 million dollars. Yes, a few people actually won over half a billion dollars in a lottery game. Pretty cray, right?

I hate to admit this, but yes, I did buy a ticket. In fact, I bought 5 of them. I got sucked in, dreaming that the money could potentially be mine and hey, if I did win, then that was a easy way to earn extra money!

The silly thing is, I rarely play unless the jackpot becomes ridonkulous. There’s not a particular number where I start playing, but the lottery catches my attention when I notice it’s over $150 million. Why does a $550 million jackpot prompt me to waste my money when the lowly $20 million jackpot does not? Good question since my odds of winning are exactly the same. Yet, I’m willing to spend $10 to win $550 million when I won’t even waste $2 for a measly $20 million. Seriously, how much money is enough?

Trading Time to Make Money

Peeps, it is time that we hear this loud and clear: Time is the most valuable commodity that we have…yet we are more than willing to trade it away! Are we insane?

In his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki examines this concept in great detail. Kiyosaki contends that our bosses pay us for our time in order to make money for themselves. However, most employees do not realize how valuable their time is. They value money more than time, so here are some tips on how to make $500 a month without eating up too much of your valuale time! Therefore, they give it away without much thought in order to make money for themselves.

For those of us who are employees, the more we work, the more money we make. So, the more time we commit to our jobs, the more we are compensated for that time. But shouldn’t we ask ourselves why we are working so hard in the first place? What are we working towards? Supporting our families? Sure. A comfortable retirement? Of course. Yet, we often get distracted and focus too much on the future. We forget to live in the now. We focus more on the sheer desire to make money, rather than on what that money can do for us, especially if we knew the best ways to save money more than throwing it away. If we were to stop and look around, we may realize that we already have the things that we are working so hard to get.

The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman and the Business Man

Many of you may already know the parable of the Mexican fisherman and the Harvard MBA. For those of you who don’t, here it is:

An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

“How long it took you to catch them?” The American asked.

“Only a little while.” The Mexican replied.

“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The American then asked.

“I have enough to support my family’s immediate needs.” The Mexican said.

“But,” The American then asked, “What do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”

“Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then, senor?”

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”

“Millions, senor? Then what?”

The American said slowly, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos…”

 

– Author Unknown

In our pursuit to increase our wealth, or even to become debt free, we sometimes lose sight of what really matters to us. We forget the reasons we work at all. What we really want may already be within our grasp…if we would only stop to remember what that is. How much is enough? Each of us must decide that on our own, trying to remember it isn’t just about the numbers. How much are you willing to give up to get to where you want to be? You might find that you already have all that you are working toward – and more.

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92 Comments

  1. I personally feel that my health and my time are the most valuable things that I have.
    As for how much is enough – It depends…. How big of a lifestyle do you want to lead? I could move to Vietnam right now and live the rest of my days without ever needing to work another day in my life, plus I would be able to afford servants!
    I don’t do this because I am an idiot who has delusions of grandeur.

    1. I totally agree that health and time are the most important assets. Nothing else really matters that much.

  2. I agree with Glen; my health and time are the most important things I have. Money is primarily a tool (for me at least) to have more options as to how I spend my time. When you are in debt and have little savings there aren’t a ton of options as to what you can do with your time – you are essentially “forced” to work. I hope to make enough money to leverage my time more effectively and have a safety net for myself and my family.

    1. Me too, and that is what we are all doing what we do! (blogging)

  3. Great post Greg! I could not agree more. Too often we do get caught up in the race for more, more, more and don’t stop to realize that are things which are more important. Time, my family and my health are most important to me and money is just a means to provide towards those.

    1. Yes. I still do want more and more though, just because I want to have amazing experiences on top of the essentials like a roof over my head

  4. As someone who took a non-trivial paycut between my last job and this one in exchange for working 40-50 hours/week instead of 80 or more, I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of how much I value my time and enjoyment. =)

    1. Working that many hours would totally suck. That wouldn’t be any kind of life.

  5. So very true. We do indeed miss the important things in life too many times.

  6. Perfect post Greg. I learned to value my time more when I started my own business. We all work hard, but most of the time we are not compensated for the extra time we put in.

    I love the parable. It hits the nail on the head.

    1. Me too. I always seeing it hanging on the wall when we eat lunch at Jimmy Johns!

  7. Ha! This is awsome! I’ve never heard it before — had no idea what was coming until the end. It really puts things into perspective, doens’t it? Man, it really does.

    1. Yes, I love that story. It certainly puts things in perspective!

    1. True… its okay to a certain extent as long as we all realize what our “enough” point is.

  8. I so relate to this, In my current situation when I go back to work I have chosen to go back to work 4 days/week to be home with my daughter the extra day, especially since when I do work I will be getting home quite close to her bedtime. I’m happy with my decision but giving up that extra day/week is pulling at me a little since we would be able to pay off debt so much faster (even with paying for childcare the extra day/week) BUT she’s only young once and I think I’d regret not spending time with her more than working and paying debt off faster. My time on Mondays (future day off) will be worth $10,000/hr and no job can afford that 😉

    1. It will certainly be some amazing time with your new daughter. You cannot put a price tag on that.

  9. We get caught up in the rat race…and forget to look back….sometimes we look back too late and our wives and kids are gone..

    I sometimes forget about time and stay up way too late working on blogging that I dont spend enough time with my wife…

    We need to take time to appreciate one another..

    1. Yep, pretty much. Blogging is way more time consuming that it seems like it should be. I can see that.

  10. Love the story, I stress about money because I want to have enough to be able to give my wife and future kids comforts and such, but at times forget about the time factor as well.

    Sometimes I need to think more about time together than money spent together.

    1. I think its about properly allocating our money and time…to get the most out of both!

  11. That’s a great parable…really puts things in perspective. I’ve started to think of the trade off between spending money eating out or buying take-out versus saving money and cooking dinner from scratch. On some days, I’d just rather just pick up take-out and spend an extra half hour playing with my kids after a busy day at work rather than in the kitchen chopping veggies while they play by themselves. The time in the evenings is so limited and precious, and bedtime comes so quickly. I’m working on more advanced planning and meal prep so that I can provide a healthy meal in less time and that there is more time to spend with them in the evenings…something that is definitely worth more than money!

    1. I know exactly what you mean!!!!!!!! It really is worth it to just grab some McDonalds on the way home sometimes, isn’t it? Sometimes it is worth it to spend a little money to buy a little extra time.

  12. That is exactly how I feel and why we’ve had big life changes recently. For the past several years, all I feel like I’ve done is work, to support a lifestyle we thought we needed but really didn’t enjoy in relation to the time invested to pay for it. By paying attention to our values and planning for what we want/need and don’t, I’ve found that there is usually a way to have the things you need and not spend so much time earning them, but you have to put away debt and the desire for things that don’t correlate to what you hope to achieve. That’s getting a bit deep, but I think the guest post Mandy did for me today sums it up perfectly. Funny about the lottery, my husband spent $5 a week religiously since I’ve known him on powerball. When we started our debt payoff quest, he started putting that money in a box in the closet each week and we pull it out for spring break and use it for whatever trip we have planned. No, we’ll never win the powerball, but I think it’s a much better use of funds.

    1. The chances of winning the lottery are pretty bleak. We are all definitely a lot better off not playing. My boss gave everyone a $1 scratch off at our Christmas party last week (among other more generous gifts) and out of 35 people only 2 people won a dollar!

  13. That is my FAVORITE parable about life – I first saw it on the wall at a Jimmy John’s restaurant… it’s great and I am reminded of it all the time… BTW: we didn’t win the Powerball either… My wife got a little crazy about “making sure we had a ticket”… Reggie Wayne was telling a story on the radio the other day how one time when the Powerball got really big, he bought $100 worth of tickets… he won $6… and hasn’t played since… Granted, he hit the NFL Lottery, through hard work and dedication, but nevertheless a valuable lesson…

    1. Yes, we see it at Jimmy Johns too! There are also some cool posters with Warren Buffett quotes and such. I love that place.

  14. Haha – great parable! Never heard that one before. I think it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that money is a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. After I started my own business, I quickly fell (and still sometimes fall) into the habit of working all the time, working on the weekend, neglecting to exercise and do the things I enjoy. Sometimes my wife has to remind me that, hey, I started my own business so I could have more freedom with my time, not less. And as my father likes to say: You never heard anyone on their deathbed say: “Damn, I wish I’d spent more time at the office.” 🙂

  15. I’d never heard that before…absolutely love the story. It is very true though, but the only thing I’d add is that I’d like to travel which would require additional funds to do so. Other than that, I’d say we have “enough” money as things currently stand. Sure, I’d like to get out of debt faster, but I’m not sure how much more I’d be willing to sacrifice to do that. Time is limited as it is and I’d much rather spend it with my wife, friends, and family.

    1. Me too!!! That is why the bar of “enough” is set a little higher for me. Traveling is expensive.

  16. A long time ago, I achieved financial freedom (38 y.o.) so I realize the power of money. I have not changed my lifestyle other than downsizing 15 years ago. I am still working, but I enjoy what I do (teaching). The most enjoyable times of my life had nothing to do with money. They were experiences with my family. We travel overseas every other year and enjoy life.

    1. That sounds like a great deal you have going on!

  17. How much is enough? Goodness, I don’t know! That’s an interesting question — when I was a kid, I would have said a million dollars, but I know now that I would keep working if I had that kind of money. Fascinating ponderings.

    1. I would keep working too. Unfortunately, it takes a lot more than that to retire at my age!

  18. Great, timely post! It’s so important to take a momentary break from time to time to take stock of where we are, where we want to be, and what we’re willing to do to get there. Sometimes when I’ve done this exercise, I’ve realized I’m already where I wanted to be with a given goal!

    1. That is kinda where we are too, I guess. I’m not sure there is a definite line.

  19. Great post! I really like that parable. It’s good to be reminded of what is really important at the end of the day: health and family.

  20. I never buy more than one ticket. Even if you buy 100 tickets your odds of winning are well over 1 in a million. As long as I get in the game when the jackpot is big, I figure I have just as much shot as anyone else.

    1. I rarely buy more than one ticket…if at all. I just remembered why😀

  21. Great story and what a great reminder to all of us. For me, it all comes back to living within your means. If you do that, you quickly realize you already have enough “stuff” to be happy. Heck you may even have enough to retire early, or have one parent stay home with the kids while they are in their formative years.

    1. Definitely. Honestly, we have more than enough “stuff” already. I just want to maintain what we have and grow our nest egg at this point.

  22. I love that quote, it is silly when one really contemplates it. I am happiest with a simpler life rich in experiences, and once that can be obtained without stressing over finances, then that is plentiful.

    1. The simpler our life becomes, the happier we are too 🙂

  23. Dennis Porter says:

    Hi Greg. Article very good and to the point. Time doesn’t grow on trees. There’s only a limited amount that you have. What you choose to do with your time is what’s important! Thanks for pointing that out….

    1. Thanks Dennis. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!

  24. Tackling Our Debt says:

    The mexican fisherman story really caught my attention. A few weeks ago Pauline posted a summarized version in one of her comments and it was the first time I had read it but it made so much sense.

  25. I love this parable. I realized early that time was so valuable I would not trade it for more money than necessary. I would rather have a basic lifestyle than work like crazy to buy more stuff.

    1. Me too Pauline! I hope to find the perfect balance one day!

  26. I love reading those kinds of stories. So true. I think that is why they say once you make a certain amount of money (like around 75k I think), no more money makes you happier. It reminds me of when I see reality shows featuring celebs. Let’s say they act for a living, which means they make a lot of money. But on the show they usually live in a big house with fancy shit, and are constantly busy doing books and clothing lines, and other things to make more money, and they always seem stressed out and busy. If it were me, I’d just to the acting and live in a cozy house and not be so stressed.

    1. I think that every time I watch the Real Housewives (which is very rarely now since we don’t have cable!) They all have fancy houses and a lot of material possessions. However, none of them really seem to be happy at all.

  27. I’d heard the Mexican fisherman story before and couldn’t agree more. Sometimes I wonder why I’m working so hard. If we moved to a city that’s more affordable we wouldn’t have to make as much money or work as hard to have the things we have. Bf is looking for a new job and if he finds something somewhere else (outside of NYC) we’re on the first plane there.

    1. I think that every time I hear about someone taking all of their savings and moving to live a relaxing life in some foreign country. Our money would go a lot further in carious places in the world! Its tempting…but I dont really want to move out of the country!

  28. Awesome parable, never heard of it. For us, it’s not even about “how much”, we’d be happy just being able to survive without worrying about money. THIS is what I’m working towards.

  29. When John D. Rockefeller was asked the question, “How much is enough?”, he responded by saying, “Just a little bit more.” Right or wrong, this probably is how most of us have thought at one point or another in our lives.

    1. Yes! I think you are right. It is always better to have “just a little more”….just in case. I wish we all knew where to draw the line.

  30. K.K. @ Living Debt Free Rocks! says:

    When I became self-employed this year the value of time really hit home for me. I could schedule my time and work as little or as much as I wanted. The greatest impact has been the improvement on time spent with my husband and family and that is irreplaceable. I’m also healthier because I work from home and free of workplace germs!

  31. Justin@TheFrugalPath says:

    That is an amazing parable. I’ve never heard it but it defiantly rings true. When saving for retirement you often need to wonder. What’s more important. Having free time now and saving less or having more free time later and saving more now for retirement.

    1. A little of all of it is the goal~! That is why we dont save quit as much as we could right now….we love to go on vacation and spend on things that we enjoy.

  32. I have never heard that parable before and loved it. It’s so true that we all value money differently. Some people do want to become rich and successful and work every waking hour to attain gold. Others are happy with life keeping it simple and enjoying the time they have here on this earth. It’s really a personal decision and what means more to one in their life. Not everyone wants to be The Mexican and not everyone wants to be The American somewhere in the middle is perfect for me. Great post mate! Shared it on FB.. I really want my fans to read this. Cheers

    1. I also want to be somewhere in the middle. It’s all about finding a balance that works for you!

  33. I’ve heard this story before, first time with the fisherman and Harvard grad. I’m sure there are many flavors of this, but the underlying message speaks loud and clear.

    This is exactly why I want to check out of the game early. I don’t see the real point in working longer so that I can accumulate more wealth, just so I can retire later to finally live a life I want to live right now! I’ll take less, just let me out sooner!

    1. Or accumulate a ton of wealth and die early…never being able to spend it and enjoy it. That is my worst fear.

  34. Awesome post Greg. Like many others have said, health is paramount, but money is a great vehicle for me to hopefully retire from work in the next few years.

    1. I want to retire early………………but I have a LONG way to go!

  35. I love that parable! I often use it when talking with people who are obsessed with achieving a goal while neglecting the things that are really important to them. It is a great reminder to not lose sight of what truly matters to us. Great post!

    1. So true. Im going to have to check out your youtube appearance!

  36. chris_moneyandi says:

    Hi Greg,

    A truly great & inspiring post 🙂 We sometimes get lost and forget that we don’t have to be ridiculously rich to be happy, right? 🙂

    Cheers,
    C

  37. Love this post!!.. My job can be very demanding at times, but I never forget that my family is the center of my life.. I make sure to make time every single day for every person in my family.

    1. Thanks Jefferson! I always try to keep that in perspective as well. Sometimes, I have to make sure to remind myself 🙂

  38. I agree with other commenters that my health and time with family mean more than money… that said, we certainly need the cash to enjoy that time!! Good post.. and by the way, talking of lotteries; someone in the UK let a $100m ticket go unclaimed… FOOL

  39. I would agree with Glen and yourself in saying that health and time are most important to me. I use my time to stay healthy and live a quality life. Some things do cost but to me they only add to my happiness and health. The line where that gets drawn is different for everyone though. I really can’t put down and exact number.

    1. I’m not sure there is an exact number that can be put down for anyone. I know I can’t give you an exact number. It is more of a philisophical question for me.

  40. Beautiful post! I have to admit, we bought two tickets, too. But really….$4? Not that much. It’s not going to send me to GA or anything. I’ll chalk it up to charity. My odds are the same either way, so at least some older people are benefiting from my conscious gambling.

    1. Ha! I’m going to steal the term conscious gambling, if that is OK with you!

  41. I don’t believe in deciding for someone else how much money is “enough” for them but if some people think that’s their right then those thoughts are their business.

    I think a person has too much money when the amount they have leads them to only think about themselves. The number will be different for everyone.

    1. Oh, I definitely don’t think you can tell somebody else that. Each person has to decide for himself how much he is willing to sacrifice to make more. As you said, every person’s answer will be different.

  42. Thanks for that parable. I had never heard of it before. I used to always max out my vacations at work. When I did end up taking a vacation, however, I really understood what I was missing out on. Time with family and friends was invaluable.

    1. We love vacation. I never realized how much I loved it until recently. Now, it is a necessity for us!

  43. I love the story. I agree, people lose perspective on the value of how they spend their time and instead just focus on the dollars since the number is easier to understand.

  44. This is a nice story. I am also trying to retire by 33, for which I need a net worth of €670.000.

  45. I agree, people lose perspective on the value of how they spend their time and instead just focus on the dollars since the number is easier to understand.

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