You think you want nice stuff, but what you really want is respect and attention from those you love, writes Morgan Housel in an exclusive extract from his new book, The Art of Spending Money.
There are cases when people’s desire to show off fancy stuff is because it’s their last remaining or even only way to gain respect and admiration.
If you’re confused about what a better life would look like, “one with more money” is an easy assumption.
It’s such a simple idea that influences so many people. “Living a good life” is one of the most complicated topics that philosophers have debated for thousands of years. And “more money” is such an easy and quantifiable thing to chase. But the desire for more money and the things it can buy often obscures what you actually want: respect and admiration from other people.
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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/wealth/personal-finance/how-my-ferrari-fantasy-was-replaced-by-wanting-to-be-a-good-dad-20251119-p5ngtu
