Why do I feel guilty for having money?

Bit of a self-indulgent question isn’t it?

or maybe not…i often feel pangs of guilt for posessing such an enormous penis

first world problems are the best. count your blessings as not all things last forever.

I’ll take some of that guilt off your hands.

I gotta go with PupnTaco on this one, spread the wealth, we’ll all be in the same boat, and your guilt will be assuaged. Problem solved.

I suggest stepping away from what you think how other’s see you. The fact you are conscious of this speaks well of you, but I suggest stepping back from your perception of other people’s perception of you.

You SHOULD feel guilty! Send ME the money!!!

The only money you can be proud of making is money that you earn yourself. The people that I know that inherited money fall into two classes: wouldn’t know they had it, unless you ask a lot of questions and put the pieces together and tacky nouveau riche. The first group wears 10 year old clothes, drives old Hondas or small domestic cars. Granted, the 10 year old clothes are all Brooks Brothers, but if you shop Goodwill with a good eye, you could put together the same look. It isn’t until you really know them for awhile that you find out they went to prep school, or that there’s a building at Princeton named for their uncle, or that they inherited $20 mil worth of rental property when their grandfather died. They tend to live in modest houses, filled with lovely antique furniture. The second group buys their kids brand new SUV or BMW as a graduation present, and the family looks like “Growing Up Gotti.” The kids talk about money, what they’re going to buy, what they got for Christmas, where they’re going or went for vacations that others never would have a chance to take.

It’s fine talking about stock deals, investments, etc. but only with people who are in the same boat. Talking about how hard it is to find an investment advisor or your family’s month vacation in Florida with someone whose parents just lost their jobs, or who’s working two jobs to make rent and pay for school, kinda makes you someone that ordinary people don’t really want to hang out with. In this way, having money is a curse. I went to our area’s public school that all the trust fund babies with liberal-minded parents sent their kids to in order to normalize them. Many kids I went to school with had a credit card at age 18 with a $10,000 credit limit. It really didn’t make any of them happy.

If you’ve made smart financial choices in your life, I don’t see how guilt needs to be associated with that at all. In fact, you should be proud that you have used very good judgement especially in a time and place that is currently beset by economic hardship on several levels.

The perception you get from others about your finances isn’t as important as how you see yourself and your own appreciation for the hard work you’ve done to be financially secure like you are now.

There’s bound to be some people who will be resentful or even jealous that they are not as financially well off as you are but their sentiments shouldn’t be a catalyst in how you end up judging or feeling about yourself.

Mtl_Zack:

Think that you are blessed to have the advantages you do.

Think that you are a good person and a deserving person whether you have this money or not.

Look at how you think about others. Do you measure them as people or regard them as different based on how much money you perceive they have? I doubt it. Guess what. People are not thinking about you and your money nearly as much as you think they are.

Resolve to spend part of your time and some of your money making a positive difference in the world.

Finally, I did not know before this question that you had money. Knowing does not in any way change the way I think of you: a bright, caring young guy.

And the answer to the guilt question, is money is a responsibility. Respect the fact that you have it, and use it wisely. But don’t fall in love with it, because if any of it came from investments with David Madoff, it may not be with you for long.

Zack-Trust me when you are on your own next year, you’ll be surprised that you are not as well off as you thought—especially if the folks aren’t contributing to your finances.

you are a lucky fucker, there are people with nothing, they are the ones who should be asking the questions, you shpuldn’t feel guilty, you should feel lucky! Use your wealth to make others smile!