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お金持ちになる方法
平凡な暮らしをしているごく普通の人が億万長者になっていく実態を本にした "The Millionaire Next Door"。世界的なベストセラーになっているこの本を読んだ筆者が、お金持ちになるためのルールを読者に伝授する—
How To Be Rich
By CHRISTINE CUNANAN-NOMURA
An international best seller called "The Millionaire Next Door" is currently changing the way many people think about wealth and rich people.
The book reveals how many ordinary people become millionaires by diligently saving their earnings over a long time, rather than by simply earning a lot of money. It also claims that many people with high incomes are not rich, even if they are living well today, because they spend everything they have.
First let me say that having money is neither good nor bad in itself, although I agree with those who say that having money helps you do a lot of things in life. If you have money in the bank, you can stop working and go back to school, quit a job you don't like, take a vacation, eat and shop where you want and be independent of other people.
Second, a high income doesn't automatically make someone wealthy. A lot of highly paid people feel poor and are unhappy because their income never seems to be enough. At the same time, many ordinary working people feel rich because they are happy with their lives, enjoy their work and have many friends. Obviously, feeling wealthy is relative and has nothing to do with the amount of money you have in the bank.
Still, everyone needs money to survive — particularly in Japan, where the cost of living is among the highest in the world and the sluggish Japanese economy has brought hard times for companies and individuals. Today many people are worried for their future. They fear that they may not be able to maintain their lifestyle if they are fired from their job or if they have to take a cut in pay.
"I wouldn't have to worry if only I were born rich or if I had a well-paying job," many people sigh. "I'm not as lucky as other people."
Yet according to "The Millionaire Next Door," it's not how much you earn that matters, but how much you save. Many ordinary working people have become millionaires in a very straightforward way: by carefully watching their spending over the years and making sure they save as much as they possibly can. They sacrifice and opt for a less glamorous lifestyle in order to invest their earnings for the future
In contrast, high-income earners feel they have to maintain a certain luxury lifestyle. They end up spending heavily on fancy restaurants, expensive clothes and other material things.
After 20 years, many ordinary people have much more money in the bank than some top professionals who actually earned 10 or 20 times more, but spent it all.
"Living below your means" is an expression for choosing a lifestyle much simpler than what you can really afford. You are not trying to show off what you have, you aren't competing with other people to buy the latest fashion or electronic gadget, and you don't need a designer dress or a fancy car to prove to people that you are successful.
I think this is the most sensible philosophy anyone can ever practice — particularly during hard economic times. If we look around us, there are really so many things we can do without.
Which road are you taking: sensible saving for the future or conspicuous consumption for today?
An international best seller called "The Millionaire Next Door" is currently changing the way many people think about wealth and rich people.
The book reveals how many ordinary people become millionaires by diligently saving their earnings over a long time, rather than by simply earning a lot of money. It also claims that many people with high incomes are not rich, even if they are living well today, because they spend everything they have.
First let me say that having money is neither good nor bad in itself, although I agree with those who say that having money helps you do a lot of things in life. If you have money in the bank, you can stop working and go back to school, quit a job you don't like, take a vacation, eat and shop where you want and be independent of other people.
Second, a high income doesn't automatically make someone wealthy. A lot of highly paid people feel poor and are unhappy because their income never seems to be enough. At the same time, many ordinary working people feel rich because they are happy with their lives, enjoy their work and have many friends. Obviously, feeling wealthy is relative and has nothing to do with the amount of money you have in the bank.
Still, everyone needs money to survive — particularly in Japan, where the cost of living is among the highest in the world and the sluggish Japanese economy has brought hard times for companies and individuals. Today many people are worried for their future. They fear that they may not be able to maintain their lifestyle if they are fired from their job or if they have to take a cut in pay.
"I wouldn't have to worry if only I were born rich or if I had a well-paying job," many people sigh. "I'm not as lucky as other people."
Yet according to "The Millionaire Next Door," it's not how much you earn that matters, but how much you save. Many ordinary working people have become millionaires in a very straightforward way: by carefully watching their spending over the years and making sure they save as much as they possibly can. They sacrifice and opt for a less glamorous lifestyle in order to invest their earnings for the future
In contrast, high-income earners feel they have to maintain a certain luxury lifestyle. They end up spending heavily on fancy restaurants, expensive clothes and other material things.
After 20 years, many ordinary people have much more money in the bank than some top professionals who actually earned 10 or 20 times more, but spent it all.
"Living below your means" is an expression for choosing a lifestyle much simpler than what you can really afford. You are not trying to show off what you have, you aren't competing with other people to buy the latest fashion or electronic gadget, and you don't need a designer dress or a fancy car to prove to people that you are successful.
I think this is the most sensible philosophy anyone can ever practice — particularly during hard economic times. If we look around us, there are really so many things we can do without.
Which road are you taking: sensible saving for the future or conspicuous consumption for today?
Shukan ST: May 22, 1998
(C) All rights reserved
- "The Millionaire Next Door"
- 『となりの億万長者』
- wealth
- 富
- reveals
- 明らかにする
- by diligently saving their earnings
- 収入をこつこつ貯金することによって
- people with high incomes
- 高収入のある人。
- in itself
- それ自体は
- be independent of other people
- 他人の世話にならない
- quit
- 辞める
- highly paid people
- 高給を稼いでいる人
- is relative
- 相対的なものである
- has nothing to do with 〜
- 〜 とは全く関係ない
- cost of living
- 生活費
- sluggish
- 沈滞している
- has brought hard times for 〜
- 〜 を苦しめている
- individuals
- 個人
- maintain
- 維持する
- are fired from their job
- 解雇される
- have to take a cut in pay
- 賃金カットを余儀なくされる
- sigh
- ため息をつく
- it's not 〜 that matters, but 〜
- 問題は 〜 ではなく 〜 である
- in a very straightforward way
- 非常にまともなやり方で
- sacrifice
- がまんする
- opt for 〜
- 〜 を選ぶ
- less glamorous
- それほど派手でない
- invest
- 投資する
- In contrast
- 対照的に
- end up 〜 ing
- 結局 〜 してしまう
- spending heavily on 〜
- 〜 に大金を使う
- fancy
- 高級な
- material things
- 物質的なもの
- "Living below your means"
- 「身分相応より下の生活をする」
- what you can really afford
- いとなむ余裕が十分ある
- show off
- ひけらかす
- the latest
- 最新の
- electronic gadget
- 電子機器
- sensible philosophy
- 理にかなった人生観
- practice
- 実践する
- conspicuous consumption
- 誇示的消費(富や地位を誇示するための消費)