Money changes people. That can’t be argued. And there are many articles out there outlining the rich people problems that include a list of things like length of boat, which country to visit next, what charity cause to invest in, dealing with all the people hired to do regular things, etc.
But here I want to talk about the actual problems that come with being rich. Not the stuff that shows how money makes you greedy and pretentious, or how it lets you feel invincible and superior to others.
But the real worries that go together with having a lot of money and living the lifestyle of a rich person.
I’ve seen things and have my opinion. Here I want to share my thoughts on that and list the most common rich people problems.
I believe every story has two sides. And although I can never imagine what someone else’s life actually looks like and how the person feels without being in his shoes, I can try to sympathize.
8 Rich People Problems And What to Do About Them
1. Which of my friends are the real ones?
“Who would still be interested in me and give me a hand if I’m broke tomorrow?”
Imagine living with that thought. Well, all rich people have to.
You can never actually know who your true friends are, especially if you’ve always been rich. And even if you have some from your childhood who like you for who you are and have shared so many experiences with, they have still changed the way they see you now that you have more money than the average person.
The only thing you can do is hope that you have at least a few real ones, but still you can’t trust anyone and always have to keep in mind that they may only see you for the millionaire you are.
That’s the sad truth. But it’s better to be suspicious of them, instead of sharing your personal/family/business/financial secrets and problems.
2. Will I ever have a real relationship without having doubts whether he/she cares a bit too much about my money?
Probably not. Unless your potential partner doesn’t know how rich you are (which is a rare case as when it comes to money, most people do their research pretty well), or has more money than you.
But still, finding someone who is actually working hard to climb the ladder to success, wants to be independent and has a vision for his future is much better than those who are just looking for an easy life and are ready to get it one way or another.
3. What should I do so that people start treating me like one of them and just chat freely?
To deal with this one of the rich people problems, you’ll have to try different things.
There are millionaires who are so friendly, make jokes, have many side interests, don’t talk about money and business with everyone and know how to enjoy the little things in life.
So if you let go of the first 2 questions (as some rich people tend to overthink stuff like that and don’t let new people in their life because of that) you may just meet people who are being honest, can have fun with you and eventually become friends for life.
The example that comes to my mind right now is an entrepreneur I admire – Noah Kagan.
He’s the creator of AppSumo and has worked for Intel, Facebook and Mint before he took things to the next level.
But from the posts I’ve read, the interviews and podcasts I’ve listened to, the words he uses and the small details he shares about himself, I see him as the down-to-earth person he is who loves tacos, has average fears and talks about his money only when sharing how he made it so that others can do the same.
He’s written insightful articles on how to create a million-dollar business this weekend, how he quickly built 4 businesses and how to sell a high-priced digital product.
On his blog, he also shares his problems in life, which is something money has nothing to do with.
He’s trying to find ways to deal with depression like anyone else, wants to have a great day like all of us and has pretended to look busy at work when he didn’t feel like working, like many other people.
And without knowing him, I can genuinely say that I can have an interesting conversation with him about life, daily issues and everything else that makes people who they are, be it a millionaire or not.
Read also: 60+ Side Hustle Ideas to Make an Extra $1000 a Month
4. How to show my children that struggles are part of everyday life and everyone has to work hard to deserve their money?
Every parent wants his child to have everything, but at the same time to build character and learn to deal with the difficult things in life.
Probably the right answer is somewhere in the middle. But as we know from many other areas in life, we’re not really good with finding balance.
I know people who’ve given their children anything they asked for (and it’s no wonder that their desires exceeded those of the average kid). But I also know ones who gave them just enough pocket money to eat and do stuff, and made them get a regular job at the age of 16-19.
There’s also the rich families who just give their children the chance to work in the family business. But that often ends up with no work done but a lot of money received. This way the young aspiring entrepreneur can’t learn the value of money as they’ve never seen themselves without any, or have never tried to make some.
What’s the answer to this rich people problem then?
Well, the goal is to raise an ambitious child who wouldn’t depend on your money and will want to create something on its own. But the point is that it has to truly want that, to appreciate having rich parents and a childhood of abundance, but also to want to never fully depend on that.
Buying your kids a car the moment they turn 18 is definitely not the answer. Sending them to the most expensive colleges where they only communicate with other spoiled children of millionaires isn’t either.
Just never forget one thing: the rich parent is the role model in this case, whether he realizes it or not, and whether he spends every night with his family or goes on business trips, has meetings and thinks about work most of the time.
The child sees your attitude towards life, and even if you make it work for what it earns, it still won’t become a decent person if it sees you spend money on expensive and unnecessary belongings, be friends only with other rich people, be greedy when it comes to making a deal, etc.
Related: What Can Children Teach Us About Entrepreneurship
5. How to find more time for my family when all I do is deal with money?
Another rich people problem is that they can’t really stop making money once they’ve started.
The average person will laugh at that, “How can more money be a problem?”
But truth is that if a business starts growing, it may not stop for a long time. At some point new investments need to be made, partnerships to be formed, new projects to be started, and new fields to be taken over.
And more money causes more issues. There are more taxes, thinking of ways to keep it safe, dealing with documentations, accountants and institutions, and many other things the average person can’t even imagine.
A rich person often finds himself dealing with (or thinking about) money all the time. That leaves no free time for the hobbies he once wanted to have, the places he wanted to visit and new things to try. And, eventually, no time for his family.
But there’s always a solution – simple time management and prioritization.
I’ve read about millionaires who have dinner with their family no matter what, or who go away for the weekend, work at home half a day, or else.
The example I immediately thought of is Pat Flynn. An online entrepreneur, blogger, author and host of a popular podcast. I’m a big fan of him and have learned a lot from the Smart Passive Income blog and podcast.
But what makes Pat different from the other online millionaire entrepreneurs is that he started his Internet businesses with the sole purpose of making passive income in order to spend a lot of time at home and be with his family.
That’s his priority. He’s changed his daily schedule a few times from what I’ve been reading through the years, but his kids and wife were always the most important thing on a daily basis.
You can understand that from the first pictures you see the moment you open the homepage or the about page of the blog.
He mentions his family all the time throughout the content. And does it in the most genuine way.
He has even structured his work day around the time his son goes to school, planned family trips having in mind his summer holiday, changed his whole daily schedule when his wife was pregnant, etc.
He’s a family-oriented man and that’s what comes before anything else. Respect, Pat!
Read also: Millionaire Mindset: How to Think and Live Like a Millionaire
6. Why does everyone think that life is fairer to me than it is to them and assume I have everything and don’t have the right to complain?
The first reason is that most people who don’t have money tend to come up with excuses as to why life is not fair to them. They prefer to blame others, of course. To say that millionaires don’t deserve what they have and have an easy life, while they struggle to make both ends meet.
In a nutshell, they’re full of jealousy and would give anything to put themselves on the rich people’s place, but at the same time aren’t ready to do the work, to dedicate the time and energy and to wait for results.
That’s why poor people almost always remain poor, and rich people become richer.
Truth is that average people have a wrong perception of money – they either fear it and consider it a bad thing that changes people, believe they will never have it, or are thinking of easy ways to get it.
But it doesn’t work like that.
You have to actually accept the fact that anyone can become a millionaire (especially these days with all the opportunities the Internet offers) and thus let yourself give it a try.
It’s a matter of offering value, being strategic, following other people’s examples and learning from their mistakes and having a strong mindset that will keep you motivated and consistent for years without seeing results, until one day your life turns around.
The world is full of examples of people who became rich by selling on Amazon, making niche websites, combining things that already existed but offering them in a more practical way.
If you find a way to save people time, show them how to do something they struggle with, or answer another problem of theirs as honestly as you can, you’re offering value to the world and that is something people are always willing to give money for.
Here are some thoughts Noah mentions throughout different posts on his blog that are actually valuable life lessons:
“For some reason, people love to make excuses about why they haven’t created their dream business or even gotten started. This is the “wantrepreneur” epidemic, where people prevent themselves from ever actually doing the side-project they always talk about over beers. The truth of the matter is that you don’t have to spend a lot of time building the foundation for a successful business. In most cases, it shouldn’t take you more than a couple days.”
“Each human on Earth has super powers. I’ve realized mine are execution, sales, marketing, eating tacos and throwing in occasional jokes.”
“A true measure of an entrepreneur / successful-person is how they deal with adversity.”
“I have always thought I am not that smart. You knew that;) Anyways, the only difference between me and some people is effort. I did it. Wow, this post feels cocky but it shouldn’t come off that way. I want you to go do it. A marathon, new job, new restaurant, relationship, experience, anything; the difference between talking and doing is huge.”
“A great tip for anyone to use (in school or not) is to start off doing stuff for FREE to build your expertise, client base (for repeat business), and testimonials (for new business).”
“The first step in leaving a day job is reminding yourself that ‘day jobs’ will always be there. If you need to go back, you can, but treat this as a safety net in case of an emergency, not a convenient excuse to give up if your idea doesn’t take off right away. Trust me: if you have fun doing what you’re doing, the money will come.”
“A lot of young entrepreneurs have the idea that they’ll need to pour thousands of dollars into a startup. That’s an awful excuse not to start a business. It’s possible to start a business for $50–that’s how my company AppSumo was founded.”
Read also: How Michelle from Making Sense of Cents Went from $38K in Debt to Building a Million-Dollar Blog
7. When will I get enough sleep?
Here’s another one of the most common rich people problems – too much work, too little sleep.
Many millionaires haven’t slept well in years. Others have taken control of their daily schedule by prioritizing and reclaiming their time.
Investing time in a good rest is crucial for your business, and you need to realize that sooner.
You can’t really make adequate decisions if you’re sleep-deprived. And there’s no supplement or secret that can replace a good sleep. Here are some tips on how to improve your sleep.
8. People charge me unfair prices just because I’m supposed to spend a lot of money.
That happens, yes.
Maybe this one of the rich people problems is a result of average people’s way of thinking about the rich ones and how they have more money than they deserve, or maybe not.
But until you take back control of your right to pay normal prices, you’ll keep being charged more.
Most rich people just pay what they’re asked for. And that’s why employees will always try with the higher price first.
But truth is that you have more money which means that you’ve worked harder than them. So why be punished for that?
When eating in an expensive restaurant, for instance, tip the waiter with the usual percent, although society expects you to leave more money.
In this post, Noah says that you never know what you can get unless you ask for it. Check it out to see how he saved 2000 dollars with just one question.
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I hope this article changed your opinion about wealthy individuals and the rich people problems they struggle with.
Here are the things I want people to know:
- money doesn’t mean happiness;
- you can do something big with your life if you take action immediately;
- rich people can be friendly, reachable and down-to-earth;
- if you decide, you can prevent money from changing who you are;
- life isn’t fair to rich people;
- they have problems too and in that we’re all equal;
- you need to change your understanding about money;
- you deserve and have all it takes to become a millionaire;
- Noah Kagan is cool.
What do you think? And what are some other rich people problems you are familiar with?