Why are rich people motivated by even more money?

jaybee

jaybee

jaybee

Soldato
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I'll use two simple examples here:

1: Premier league footballers (or any highly successful and hence rich sportsperson).
Kevin De Bruyne has recently been in the papers talking about possibly going to play football in Saudi Arabia. Whilst he spoke of it being driven by being a different country and adventure, he still spoke of the opportunity allowing him to be "able to earn an incredible amount of money". His current net worth according to google suggest over £50 million.

2: The Wolf of Wall Street, or, any highly successful investment banker/trader.
Some make millions. They could stop after a while... yet they keep going.

I'm trying to picture a life where I already have millions, yet I have a desire (addiction?) to obtain more money to improve my life. What in life is limited by having only a few million, in comparison to say having 10 million? 20? 50? 100? Are the differences between them that significant?

Do you know anyone that after they got to a few million said yep, that's enough, and then just enjoyed life? Did they get bored? Is that the issue?
 
I think a lot of them only have the millions in the first place because of that obsessive desire to keep earning more and there's no real point where you can 'complete' earning money, so why would that desire ever go away?
 
It's not just about the money for many, it can also be about achieving goals among other things.
It's not too dissimilar to those who say they will never retire, even if they don't need the money. Why would they continue? For some it can be a negative, like lack of imagination regarding what else they can do with their life. Other's, simply need the various challenges working will continue to provide.
Some are wired up to want to retire ASAP and sit on a beach for the rest of their life. Other's simply could never do that and need to be working on further goals
 
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I can see the banker example. If you love the job then you continue to do it regardless of being able to give it up (although i do get that most bankers work themselves into the ground)

The KdB one is weird. He could continue to play at the top level and earn more than enough money, so no real need for him to need to be thinking about a final payday.
 
DarrenM343 said:
It's not just about the money for many, it can also be about achieving goals among other things.
It's not too dissimilar to those who say they will never retire, even if they don't need the money. Why would they continue? For some it can be a negative, like lack of imagination regarding what else they can do with their life. Other's, simply need the various challenges working will continue to provide.
Some are wired up to want to retire ASAP and sit on a beach for the rest of their life. Other's simply could never do that and need to be working on further goals
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^ exactly. A lot of folk love what they do, want to do it more, want to do it harder, better, faster, bigger. That generally comes with more money.
 
Martynt74 said:
I can see the banker example. If you love the job then you continue to do it regardless of being able to give it up (although i do get that most bankers work themselves into the ground)

The KdB one is weird. He could continue to play at the top level and earn more than enough money, so no real need for him to need to be thinking about a final payday.
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You don't see many bankers going beyond their 50s though.
 
Its not about the money, I have an acquaintance who sold his business for north of £10m. He’s been chilling and holidaying for 2 years (mostly at his wife's request) but the man is bored beyond belief. He’s constantly talking to old associates, looking for opportunities, any excuse for a coffee to see how business is going. Its a love of the hustle and doing what he's good at.

When you get a promotion at work, you’ve achieved that goal and automatically start looking at the next one, its the same thing. They just happen to be good at doing deals and making money.
 
It's bizarre. I know someone who is retired, owns multiple houses that he rents out and brags that he is worth millions with loads of money stashed away in his pension funds. He does talk about selling off the properties because they are too much hassle and just enjoying his retirement. However, the reality is that he continues to be obsessed with making money and has caused splits in his own family due to his attitude and things he has done/tried to do. Literally everything is about money to him and when he spots an opportunity to make more he becomes enraged if other people don't agree with him. At times his money driven behaviour seems bordering on sociopathic.
 
I would say for number 1 or any proffesional athleate, earning while you can is a big one, they have a limited number of prime years and a long time to try to pay for their lifestyle once age kicks in
 
stuie said:
I would say for number 1 or any proffesional athleate, earning while you can is a big one, they have a limited number of prime years and a long time to try to pay for their lifestyle once age kicks in
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I guess it's a good point and whilst KdB has probably earned many multiples more than anyone on here will ever earn. If he's got a lifestyle where you're rinsing a few million a year, anything he's accumulated to date will be gone without lifestyle changes.

Why so many ex sportsmen end up bankrupt.
 
Martynt74 said:
I can see the banker example. If you love the job then you continue to do it regardless of being able to give it up (although i do get that most bankers work themselves into the ground)
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Banking is not real work, it is just extracting wealth from other people who do real work. It is a parasitic occupation. Therefore, it's impossible for a banker to "work" themselves into the ground, but if more could do it from greed exhaustion, that would be great.
 
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radderfire said:
Banking is not real work, it is just extracting wealth from other people who do real work. It is a parasitic occupation. Therefore, it's impossible for a banker to "work" themselves into the ground, but if more could do it from greed exhaustion, that would be great.
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You are confused what "work" is. Almost any administerial job would fall into the same bucket - they are parasitic cost items to what actually generates the value.
 
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