Rich: Define What Rich Means to You

Rich has a few definitions. The main one that people associate with the term is having a lot of disposable money to spend on whatever you want to buy.

Rich can also be used to describe someone who has found a spouse, or friend, whom they love. It can be used to describe the bonds of family. Having kids, having grandchildren. Or no kids.

It can be used to describe certain foods that must be consumed in lesser quantities because the overload on your body causes illness.

A penny saved is a penny earned. Who said this? Upon Googling this phrase, I confirmed that it was indeed a quote from the famous Benjamin Franklin.

Many people argue the fact that you cannot claim a penny as earnings, but - I disagree. A penny is a penny.

Granted a penny isn't a lot of money if you have a lot of money, but it is a lot of money if you have no money. There are those who claim that if you had a quart jar of pennies from the depression era, circa 1929 - 1943, you would probably get more money by cashing in the pennies at a recycler, since the copper is worth more than the penny is, by weight.

The pennies after 1943 are not all copper, they are mixed with other metals. The zinc penny was minted during the war so the military would have metal for making bullets. So, for a few years, there were white pennies, or a variation of a bright, shiny metal.

If the company that you work for offers a stock purchase plan at a discount, and you are a hard worker and plan to help make your company successful, it is wise to invest some of your earnings every pay period into stocks for your own portfolio. As your bi-weekly investment grows, eventually you will look at your total earnings and realize that you have paid yourself and that your payment to yourself continues to accrue without much help from yourself.

Fidelity is my personal choice for keeping my stocks and employee savings plan intact and growing. Yes. It has fluctuation on a daily basis, but - in the long run, those pennies really add up. Plus, they gain interest on themselves. Fidelity is good at their job of investing. I fully recommend them!

The goal at retirement is usually to quit your job and stay at home, plus mixing in the additional activities associated with retirement.

Some people choose to travel. Some people choose to pursue some endeavor, whether it is a late college education, or a new hobby - perhaps auto restoration or golfing or fishing, or any number of interests that a person may enjoy/

The key is that you put aside money for yourself to enjoy when you reach that magic moment.

Many people find that when they reach retirement age, their health hasn't kept up with their impending endeavors. Some find that they are out of shape, overweight, underweight, stricken by diabetes, heart disease, blindness, hearing loss and those golden years are not all they have been portrayed to be.

Sometimes, a person retires and soon after, they are found dead in their tracks. A victim of either boredom or depression or of any of the diseases that followed them into their later years.

You are rich if you are satisfied with your current condition. You are rich if you are able to do the things you want to do. You are rich if you have disposable income. You are rich if you have taken the time to prepare for your moment of golden.

You are rich if you can take your life and just like it. If you can bend over and smell a pretty flower and marvel in its fragrance. You are rich if you have children that have grown up and included you in their lives as adults. You are rich if they decide to create their own family. You are rich if they do not.

You are rich if you decide you are rich.

The flower represents repurposing something. I cut black walnuts and glued the slices together to make a flower.

I enjoy making crafts. This is something that makes me feel good. It's an accomplishment. I created it. It is a personal endeavor.

Am I rich? Perhaps I am to myself, but not to someone else. It's almost like having a penny if you don't have any other money. It's a lot if you don't have more, but not a lot if you have many.