Have you ever wanted financial success...well, you're in the right place!

Okay...I lied. Basically, I'm writing an argumentative essay for Tuesday (yes I'm just starting now, you judgemental people! ).

The topic I've chosen is: "Should wealth be desired?" < Edited.

I'm interested to get some opinions from real people, not stupid articles written by journalists - those scumbags
So I figured I'd leech some thoughts from you guys. Do you believe financial success is something to be desired? If so/not, why? Thanks in advance.

The question should be more 'What is your idea of financial success?'

Financial success is a subjective term. To me, and probably a lot of others here as well, financial success means a roof over your head, food, and the means to live with a modicum of comfort when you get off of work. Given that we all have our own idea of what financial success is, one could argue that we all desire it, or for those who've reached a level they're secure in, have attained said desire.

Well there's this girl I wanna marry and she's from a pretty well off family, I want her to be able to maintain her lifestyle at least, if not improve it.

So yeah. I'm from a relatively better off family too, but I wouldn't mind living it in the rough. (though of course, I'd love to be rich. Not incredibly rich, just well to do. $250k a year is all I could ever want. If I end up with more, great, but it's not necessary.

I'm in med school, and want to be a dentist. My uncle has a clinic in LA and he makes a crapload a year. I'm talking near a million. So I'll work there for starters, and maybe even take over.

It depends on how you define financial success. Going on a limb and guessing what you mean, I would say - absolutely not.

Currency is just a modern form of enslavement and control, and manipulating markets and currency is a way to control people and tax them without even knowing it. I would say people need money to eat, stay clean, etc, but to enjoy life, you certainly don't need a large amount of it at all. The American attribute of striving for more and more money, and the corporatism therein leads to very bad places, ideas, and actions, including but not limited to the persecution of the freedoms of other individuals. So, you have a choice with the way you control your currency as to who is doing the enslavement or gentle directing in a direction you'd like (depending on the way it's done) - it's either being done by governments, corporations, both, or governments completely at the whim of corporations. The last is what the US has become.

Very few people want to be poor.

You have to define financial success. Is it enough to pay your bills without stress? Enough for comforts like expensive furniture and a house too big to know what to do with? Enough for a private jet or controlling stock in a large company? Does the method used to achieve the success matter? Is it "financial success" to be born into a wealthy family and inherit a CEO position? Or do you need to work up from scratch?

Back in the mid '90s I left a job with crap pay for a job that paid three times as much. I really regret it now.

The job with crap pay had a great sense of camaraderie, wonderful people, I could work from home, the projects were interesting; the job I went to was directionless, high stress, involved three hours of commuting a day and was in an environment where the people in general were not very pleasant. In hindsight I would've passed on the decision. It also tempted me to move to a bigger house where the same sort of thing repeated itself. Not good.

Good point, perhaps I should change the topic to something like "Should wealth be desired?". I'll edit that into the main post

I'd much rather be happy than have a load of money. However I won't complain if I win the lottery. I think I would be happy in a low paying job if I got along with the people I worked with and had fun working there. Considering for most of the time I don't have cash to spend I suppose I don't really bother too much about wealth.

Humphrey Bogart makes the moral case for capitalism here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWVMCi0-Bvs

Ayn Rand (Ryan from Bioshock) makes the selfish case for captialism, might provide some material: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/11/09/091109fa_fact_mallon?currentPage=all

If you aren't Ayn Rand, you pretty much have to admit that at some point the pursuit of personal wealth becomes immoral. Where you draw the line depends on how you think society should be organized.

I am more interested in money as a means of being safe than for pleasure. I am happy living a simple life in a small apartment in a beautiful city with a good government.

To crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and to hear the lamentation of their women - and make enough money to live very comfortable. Then I will be successful in every aspect of life, not just the financial aspect!

I think I quite enjoy not being a sociopath.

Ah, thank you for the links I've been looking for more material on the topic or anything related.

One way to frame it would be like this. On the one hand you have suppression of private property causing famines in Russia and China.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulak

On the other hand you have the robber baron period and Ayn Rand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robber_baron_(industrialist)

So you could discuss both and then come down on the Humphrey Bogart "virtuous capitalism" position.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_dream

To an extent. I have no desire for big houses or fancy cars, so being wealthy isn't as important as doing what makes me happy.

Or at least that's my plan, since I haven't even gotten there yet.

Financial wealth - no
Wealth of knowledge -yes
Wealth of the heart - yes
Wealth of the soul - yes

Should large amounts of wealth be desired? No, I don't think it should necessarily be. Not to be judgmental against those who do, that is their prerogative.

What I do think should be desired is a standard of living you are comfortable and happy with. If that standard of living is a large house, several expensive cars, and a summer home in the tropics, then by all means go for it. But at some point if your career plans don't pan out that way, then you may need to rethink your priorities.

Now while I myself may enjoy something along the lines of that expensive standard of living, I certainly don't need any of that to be happy. I come from a relatively modest income family who is able to afford a few luxuries with the help of some sound financial management. Frankly, that's all I could hope for and all I really want in terms of a living standard and is what I'm currently striving for (heading towards becoming a teacher).

Likewise someone could be perfectly happy with a standard of living below that is in the minimum wage range. While I would not be satisfied with that, I know people who are at least content with it.

Not entirely sure about the benefits of really big houses, but I would like a Morgan Roadster.

Great wealth isn't really my greatest life-goal, but I would want enought to live comfortably. If I get a family, I want to be able to provide well for it, but at the same time have time to spend with it.
What's most important is a job I enjoy and having time to spend as I enjoy it. After all, I'm a gamer.

I just want to be content.

Enough to not be in financial trouble is enough financial success for me.

You mean not everybody wants spinning rims on a solid gold jet ski?

Preposterous.

I think the important thing is that I am financially better off than most of the morons I went to high school and college with.

The idea that somebody who was a troublemaker, a heavy drinker/party animal, etc. could end up being more successful than me leaves me with bitterness and disgust that knows no bounds.

People can change over time. Why would you even care enough to compare yourself to them?