[asdff]

I feel like the people who say money won't make you happy need to have their eyes checked. Sure, piles of money don't do anything, but money among many things gives you opportunity to have experiences with other people, and a buffer from stressful situations, and imo that is the crux of happiness.

Now you can take that flight to see your family members regularly. You can now have a house large enough where if you have guests over they no longer have to sleep on the floor. You no longer are held hostage with the fear that you will be bankrupted by your aging parent's health issues. You can afford to bury your loved ones. You no longer have to make compromises with your children's lives that you wish you didn't have to make. Your basic needs will always be met. You are de facto exempt from physical labor since you can afford to pay others to maintain your life like a prince.

Sure, money in itself doesn't buy happiness. But it buys you a lot of opportunities to be very very happy, and serves as personal insurance towards things that might put the average person into a tent on the sidewalk.

[tonyedgecombe]

I think when people say that they are assuming you have reached a level where you can meet your basic needs. We are talking about programming jobs here, not cashiers in the local supermarket.