The majority of the population have to manage, in some form or another, the struggles of living with financial issues. The other part of the population who are very well off, seems to have no financial-related worries, but is this true? If they were ever to talk about their problems, they’re usually labeled as “first world problems.”
The rich and famous do suffer from legitimate problems like “normal” people. As the old saying goes, being rich doesn’t mean all your worries and problems will go away. Money doesn’t buy happiness after all, right? Below are the first world problems we don’t normally have to worry about:
1. Friends and relatives see you as a gold mine
We don’t get asked for “loans” too often from family members and friends. It’s a common belief that once you reach the top, people at the bottom want a hand up themselves. While it’s great to help people you’re close with, whether you are rich or not, it can all add up financially. The mantra that if you are lending money, don’t expect it back – holds true. If you are not prepared to part with the amount you lend out, don’t do it. Money sometimes spoils friendship and relationship.
2. Wondering if my spouse really love me for who I am
The stereotype of the “gold digger” or “trophy wife” has been around for quite some time. For anyone that met their loved ones before wealth, the worry is most likely not there. However, for those that found them after wealth, the worry of whether your significant other really loves you for you or your money will linger.
Classic case – Ex Playboy bunny, the gold digger who separated from Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner
3. Getting sued out of the blue
Net worth less than 1 mil? Not likely. How about 1 billion? People see you as a walking gold bullion which they want a piece of and would find all possible to the lamest reasons/excuses to bring you to court for any civil suits, even if it is something you probably did 10 years ago.
4. Will I have enough money for the future?
48% of millionaires admit that they worry about having enough money to live out their rest of their years comfortably. Obviously, this can fall into the realm of “first world problems,” but when you get used to a certain lifestyle that you’ve worked hard for, it’s normal to worry about losing it as you age. Sometimes, it is not so of “enough money” per se, but more of, would my family have enough for them to last after I am gone?
5. Asking yourself everyday if you are healthy enough
When you have enough wealth to last 3 generations, they next thing on your mind is probably about your health in order to preserve/protect that wealth as long as you can. . People tend to worry about gaining financial stability early on, but after they attain wealth, the next thing to work on is health. This makes perfect sense because after you get rich, you’d want to make sure you live long enough to enjoy all your wealth right?
6. Wondering if a person who approaches you innocently as a friend has other intentions
The more successful and wealthy you get, the more attention you attract. Because of that, you’ll find it harder and harder to separate the wheat from its chaff – filtering “real” friends who just want to know you for you. In the words of The Playboy King of Instagram Dan Bilzerian:
“… I do business with people I know and I kind of leave it at that. I don’t know, after you reach a certain point, everybody is trying to pitch you their idea… You just got to shut it all off so I don’t even pay attention to those people.”
7. Paranoid about being made a fool
After reaching a certain stage of your wealth accumulation journey , you’ll most likely want to seek for professional help to invest in portfolios for you and make sure your money is being optimized. This is especially true for business owners who are really good with their business/skills but may not be necessarily optimizing their money management – we don’t need to take tycoons as example but just take medical professionals which is a profession everyone can relate.
The question is – how do you know the people you hire are really making moves that are 100% to your benefit? It’s hard to keep know from the start but I’d say, to quote Ronald Reagen – “trust, but verify”.
8. “Am I really happy?”
Although conventional wisdom states that money isn’t the key to happiness, it does indeed solve a lot of problems. It will always be a critical resource in human’s life so is hard to resist for any normal human being. Many look to pursue it only to discover that their level of happiness hasn’t changed compared to when they didn’t have wealth. They say – “sure it doesn’t buy happiness per se, but everything else being the same, suffering with tonnes of cash is better than suffering with none”
Quoting an article from The Financial Samurai:
The real reason why money does buy happiness is because once you have money, you don’t worry about money anymore. All the stress that comes with a lack of money melts away. You’re not pissed at your friends for short-changing the pot during a group meal outing. You don’t care if you get a flat tire and have to spend $200 to replace. You’re just not worried anymore, and that feels fantastic!
Money also allows you to buy fantastic memories. Most would agree that your happiest moments are spent with friends and loved ones. If you have money to travel and be with those you care about, is that not happiness production?
9. Identity thefts
Once you are known to be rich and famous, people try to steal your identity to access your financial resources, with the evil intention of stealing them. Or even to shame you. Think the 2014’s Fappening. Also, heard of Social Engineering? According to Wikipedia:
…a non-technical method of intrusion hackers use that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking people into breaking normal security procedures. It is one of the greatest threats that organizations and individuals alike encounter today.
10. Spoiled children?
The chinese sayings – “Wealth doesn’t last 3 generation because the first generation works hard to create wealth, the second generation reaps the benefit and the third generation squander it” is applicable here.
Keeping your kids grounded when you are wealthy is no walk in the park. Parents need to instill the value of hard work and making it on their own while living the great life you’ve worked so hard to build for yourself.
It is always important to ensure that your children be in control of the money, rather than let the money be in control of them.
Here’s a stark comparisons of 2 types of parents – the ones that won’t leave a fortune to their children like Bill Gates and Jackie Chan, and the ones that let their children be spoiled
15 Tycoons who won’t leave their fortunes to their kids
China 2nd generation of super rich, shallow and spoiled brats
My gratitude for the time and effort you put into this excellent article!