Millionaire Librarian

Seneca was the richest person in the Roman Empire when he wrote this quote. Salaries fit into a bell curve with tails extending into the stratosphere on the positive side. The majority of americans can expect to fit firmly in the middle. You may receive promotions but you can be waiting decades in some sectors if you are unwilling to uproot and move which may mean less expendable income in higher cost of living areas.

I think for most people there is a limit for how much income they can expect. There are also much more important parts of your life than income like spending time with your family. We tend to try to trick ourselves that the 60 hour sacrificial work weeks are for our family, when they would much prefer you spend more time with them and live more simply.

This brings me to my next point. It is much easier to live simpler than to depend on the next pay increase. In my experience there is 1 or 2 potential positions you could fit into locally with your experience and noone really knows when those positions will be open. At some point, if I wanted more later then I had to live simpler now. I also had to invest the difference. The majority of americans are borrowing heavily from their future to live larger now by going into debt.

A historical perspective help us appreciate our modern day conveniences and luxuries. Kings and queens a century ago couldn’t imagine the technology and health care available to almost everyone today. Stoic Ryan Holiday says, the difference between what we earn and save is often due to ego. If we cared little about what others think then we would get what we really need which is financial stability and independence.