If given the option, would you prefer to be granted or to earn monetary wealth?

Just to head off everybody who's going to say that they don't want to get money for nothing, making a million dollars usually means that it'll be at the expense of your family because you'll have to put in a lot of time, and possibly your ethics.

What would I have to DO to earn it??? A lifetime of suffering, no....

before every other righteous h.com member weighs in, granted

Most people on here will earn a million dollars over their lifetime. How long are you talking to earn it? Also, something to keep in mind is that if you are capable of making the first million you should be capable of making millions after that-way more likely than being handed another million.

Yeah, $50,000/year for 20 years. But after taxes and expenses, they'll only save 10% of that.

It's much harder to earn enough in order to save a million, which is probably what Silence had in mind.

Having a million dollars can mean lots of things but it the answer (for me anyway) really depends on how long it takes to make it. If he meant a lifetime and not necessarily having it all at one time then I'd rather have it. If he meant you manage to save that much up after expenses after a lifetime of work thats pretty darn good and I'd like to earn that (if you get a million dollars when you're young chances are you will spend it so you'll have to continue working anyway) but if I make it in a few years I'd much rather earn it than be given it because I can keep making more.

But lottery winners often end up miserable and in worse financial shape than before their windfall.

winning the lottery doesn't make you smart

And most smart people don't play the lottery.....

Ditto. To not have the financial stresses would be amazing...while it's "nice" to "work" for your money, it's also equally nice not to have a pit in your stomach the next day because you don't know how you'll pay rent or because you have incredible pressure at work.

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I'd rather have it all at once. I've always wanted to start a giving foundation and name it after my grandparents.

I took the author's advice and read the book at Barnes and Nobles. Saved money that way.


The Millionaire Next Door (Paperback)
by Thomas J. Stanley (Author),

From Library Journal
"In The Millionaire Next Door, read by Cotter Smith, Stanley (Marketing to the Affluent) and Danko (marketing, SUNY at Albany) summarize findings from their research into the key characteristics that explain how the elite club of millionaires have become "wealthy." Focusing on those with a net worth of at least $1 million, their surprising results reveal fundamental qualities of this group that are diametrically opposed to today's earn-and-consume culture, including living below their means, allocating funds efficiently in ways that build wealth, ignoring conspicuous consumption, being proficient in targeting marketing opportunities, and choosing the "right" occupation. It's evident that anyone can accumulate wealth, if they are disciplined enough, determined to persevere, and have the merest of luck. ........"