It seemed like an interesting question to be asked as I walked into a nice restaurant in Kansas City a few weeks back. You see, I was about 20 minutes early to a lunch appointment with a client and the hostess welcomed me warmly and asked, "Are you rich?" Since I had never been to this place before, I looked to my right and there was a mahogany lined room with wine bottles and white tablecloths, to the left a nice but simple bar and grill area,. Would how I answered, "Are you rich?" determine where I was going to be seated today? A million thoughts went through my mind... Can she really ask this? How do I answer? Should I say something funny? Have I done well enough to say I am rich? I have been saving for longer than most of my friends, however, I am in Kansas City and is "rich" different in Kansas City than what is considered "rich" in Salina?
Do you define wealth as a measurement of many things
Assets- Is it how much you have in total net worth? Does it include your primary residence? Is there a number? Is it $1million? Is it relative to your spending, your income, your age or your friends? Is it only your liquid assets?
Time- Is wealth measured by your ability to have time? It is one of the few things we cant buy more of but we can buy help to give us more of it? Can you pay for someone to mow, clean, cook etc?
Family-We are happier with close relationships and can wealth be defined by the number of relationships we have with others?
YOUR Definition of wealth is a reason we are Be Wealth... We want you to "be" wealth, however you might define it. If it is trying to amass a certain amount of money we want to help you get there. If it means using your money to have more time with your family that is great. We know, when rich is measured by a number it is a moving target that keeps moving away from us, when wealth is measured by time and relationships, it is a moving target that moves closer to us as we get more of it.
Curious on how I answered the question to "Are you rich?" With a bit of a confused look, I answered "No?" She promptly replied, "Oh, good, We have a couple waiting for someone named Rich and I thought maybe you were with them." What is ironic, is that even as i left, they were still sitting alone without Rich ever arriving. Maybe it was a sign that when we think of "rich" as a financial number as I was worried about her asking, it might never show up.