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by diminoten 4061 days ago
Legacy. Empire. Providing for your children's children. Giving your loved ones the kind of life they've never even considered possible. Seeing the smile on your mother's face when you get to tell her she can stop working, that you've taken care of her and your father, and your brothers and sisters.

The 1% are living in a way that will last longer than they will, on a scale that the rest of us won't achieve in our lifetimes. That's okay, certainly, but to pretend like there's no reason to work towards the 1% is silly.
2 comments
cfmcdonald 4061 days ago
Maybe you are thinking of the 0.01%. The 1% income threshold in the U.S. is about $380K. That's wealthy but it's not empire-building. Most senior software engineers are probably in the top 5% of income earners in the U.S. already, they could easily be in the top 1% with a high earning spouse.
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diminoten 4061 days ago
> The 1% income threshold in the U.S. is about $380K.

It's $521,411 per household[0] (the household bit is probably where we're getting confused).

$500k, $400k, either way, the goal is as I've stated; once you've taken care of yourself, you start wanting to take care of others. There is always motivation to make more, until everyone is provided for, and even when you've provided for everyone you care about, providing for the general wellbeing of humanity becomes a priority (Gates, Buffet, et al).

    [0] -- http://www.usfunds.com/investor-library/frank-talk/what-does-it-take-to-be-in-the-top-1-percent-not-as-much-as-you-think/#.VUqZYtpViko
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slavik81 4061 days ago
> Legacy. Empire.

  'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
  Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
  Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
  Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
  The lone and level sands stretch far away.
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