Money gives you options, it does not guarantee happiness. JL Collins shares a simple story about two childhood friends who take very different paths. One becomes powerful by serving the king. The other lives simply as a monk. When they meet again, each believes the other could live an easier life by changing. The lesson is not about choosing poverty or wealth. It's about freedom. If you need very little, you answer to no one. Collins explains that money can expand choices, but it also magnifies who you already are. Many people chase wealth thinking it will bring peace, only to realise the climb never really ends. Would you rather have more money or fewer needs? #podcast #money #business #invest #stocks

Money allows you a lot brighter range of choices in life. But it doesn't necessarily make you happy. So the parable is, there are these two boys who grew up together. They're childhood friends. As frequently happens, they go their different directions in life as they become adults. And one becomes a very successful, powerful minister of the king. And the other becomes a humble monk and tattered robes with a begging bowl and what have you. And years later, they run into each other on the road. And they're getting re-acquainted. And as they are, the minister of the king takes pity on on his poverty-stricken friend and his tattered robes. And he says, you know, if you could learn to cater to the king, you wouldn't have to live on rice and beans. To which the monk replies, if you could learn to live on rice and beans, you wouldn't have to cater to the king. For me, I've always been a little bit more towards the monk side. I'm not a very materialistic person and I'm comfortable and able to get along on very little. And I think there's something beautiful but needing less. I think it's safe to say that the richest people I know are amongst the least happy people I know. I think whatever's taken in there is still haunting them while they're there. So it could be the chip on the shoulder, the insecurity. Whatever happened to them that made them so driven and obsessed with validation and climbing is still haunting them now. But I do also, I do know people, like I say, that are very, very rich and that live remarkably content. I think part of it is their relationship with the staff. It's the journey that's really satisfying. The destination tends to be less so. And I think that's one of the problems with being very materialistic. Because if your definition of happiness is if I only owned this watch, then I would be happy. Well, I mean, maybe, but probably not. You're probably going to have that watching. And look at it and say, that's really nice. Wow, that's good. And then, well, what's next? But if you enjoy the journey or if you reset your expectations and say, you know, I'm going to have this nice house or this nice watch, but I don't expect it to make me happy. And somebody once said, much riser than me, you know, money doesn't change who you are. It can magnify who you are. So if you're an unhappy person and you have lots of money, you will probably still be an unhappy person. There's other things besides money that makes you happy. Money gives you options.