Dr. North and Dr. South – A Case Study on Wealth

Dr. North and Dr. South – A Case Study on Wealth

As many observers have noted, Americans tend to confuse income with wealth. If you have a high income, that makes you wealthy, right?

Let’s ask this another way: if you earn $500,000 a year, you’re rich, right?

Not necessarily, no. Even with such a high salary, if you spend $500,000 or more per year, you’re not rich. You’re broke.

Enter the story of Dr. North and Dr. South.

Bittersweet Symphony

 
On the way home from work yesterday, The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” blasted out over my car speakers. I forgot I had added it to my playlist.

In case you’re not familiar, the song has a very melancholy feel. It’s quite catchy, but the lyrics and vocal delivery are both melancholy…wistful…basically, it’s like it was written and sung by somebody who’s weary with the drudgery of everyday life.

The first line begins, “Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony, this life / Trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to money then you die.”

Like I said, melancholy.

But relevant, given that this is a personal finance blog.

The 5 Best Money Books

The 5 Money Books You MUST Read!

There are self-help books (and podcasts and so forth) on every conceivable topic! So, as you might expect, there are plenty about money as well.

But how can you sift through the garbage to find the gems? Well, I can't claim to have read everything, but I can share the most helpful books that I've found. So, I've compiled a brief list of my favorites, including a couple that may surprise you!