Wealth - My take

Wealth: From the old English word "weal", which means "well-being" . The term was originally an adjective to describe the possession of such qualities.

"Wealth" has come to mean an abundance of items of economic value, or the state of controlling or possessing such items. An individual who is wealthy, affluent, or rich is someone who has accumulated substantial wealth relative to others in their society or reference group. In economics, wealth refers to the value of assets owned minus the value of liabilities owed at a point in time. Wealth can be categorized into three principal categories: personal property, including homes or automobiles; monetary savings, such as the accumulation of past income; and business assets, including, real estate, stocks, and bonds. In some forms, stocks and bonds for example, wealth becomes capital and ultimately a new source of income. All these intricacies make wealth an especially important part of social stratification. Wealth provides a type of safety net of protection against an unforeseen decline in one’s living standard in the event of job loss or other emergency.

With some editing, that is what I found when I googled Wealth.

My take on WEALTH: I knew I was wealthy when I realized that I no longer HAD to work for a living and that I never would again (at least that was my perception). That is different from feeling RICH...I felt rich long before that when I realized I had all the things in life that I wanted...My wife, my kids, my friends, my life style...and when the grand children came along...I knew I was rich beyond my wildest dreams.

Wealth is not all it's cracked up to be. Personally, I was most happy striving to achieve it...the journey was much more rewarding and life enriching that the realization of the goal.

If I had things to do all over again...I'd have focused more on getting RICH than getting Wealthy. As I write this I am thinking to myself...."this sounds corny" --- yup...but it is true!

nb