And yet disability is at a whopping $914/month federally and you can't have more than $2k in your bank or they take away your food stamps and healthcare... a number that hasn't changed since 1974 and would be $13k if adjusted for inflation. I didn't choose to be disabled. I paid my taxes when I could work, to prevent suffering; but I'm now living with a family member and selling nudes to afford the rent, bills, vehicle costs, insurance costs, prescriptions that aren't covered, service dog expenses, etc.

Money doesn't buy happiness. However, it can often buy time or a reduction in stress, which can help one find happiness.
I make a good salary and one of the things that buys my family is the ability to just do what we want to do, within reason. While we still watch our grocery bill (and goddam inflation in food prices sucks), we don't actually stress over it. We buy a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and splurge on some name brands here and there (Kerry Gold butter is awesome). This means that we don't stress over "what's for dinner", other than planing out meals for the week. Because, that's smart and leads to less waste and better eating. We can also say, "fuck it, we're ordering out" and dropping $50-$100 for the family to eat isn't going to cause money issues. When we get to the "end of a paycheck" our main stress comes from only putting a few hundred in savings. And we actually have savings. So, I am not worried that the car is going to crap out and we're suddenly taking on tons of debt at usurious interest rates.

Has money "bought" us happiness? No, but life is a hell of a lot better now than it was when we were raiding the change jar to buy something to eat for dinner. Being poor brings a lot of stress with it, and that can make you unhappy.

It can’t buy you happiness. But it can buy stuff that makes you happy.

Like, not having to worry about the choice between rent and fiod, or car loan and electrical bill. (Not to mention all the other stuff that’s pretty fun, too.)

In general, money doesn't buy happiness, but not being strapped for cash does. If you have a good budget, you can be low-stress and happy with a wide array of incomes. If you have a bad budget, even if you make a shitload of money, you will be stressed and much less happy.

It can't buy happiness but it can buy an environment that allows happiness to flourish

“Having money isn’t everything. Not having it is.”

To sum up what a lot of other folks are saying:

Money doesn't buy happiness; money mitigates misery.

If money was no longer a concern, I certainly would be far less stressed and could actually have time to search for real happiness. But what I need to be happy isn't something money could buy.

lol an 1800 sf shitbox that needs updates is 1.2m where i live.

Median household income in the U.S. stands at about $74,000 annually, but respondents told Empower that they’d need to earn roughly $284,000 each year to achieve happiness.

$74k is a good wage for one person (and an okay wage for a couple) who lives in an area with a decent rental market, minimal college loans, a paid-off car, and good employer-supplied healthcare. It's when you start factoring in the actual costs of housing, cars, college, and healthcare - or adding in the cost of kids - that things become unmanageable.

$1.2 MM seems crazy to me. With one sudden influx of $200k I could pay off literally every debt I owe, and would have significantly more money than I'd spend just living normally.

With $1.2MM I'd never have to work again, I guess maybe that's what people are aiming for?

Many people are wealthier than they were a few years ago, thanks to the rise in real estate and stock market values, yet the median net worth of U.S. households stood at $192,900 in 2022, according to the Federal Reserve.

Isn't this contradictory?

Gonna leave this here for the 6/10 who are confused as to what brings you happiness. Pipe away bot.

https://youtu.be/vSQjk9jKarg?si=-av8hzAoixOc6QtY

I don’t wanna be rich. I just wanna get by without struggling for once.

Give me a lot of money and I'll promise you I'll be happy as fuck.

Something seems wrong with the result.

To paraphrase "people that earn some money, think they need to earn 4 times as much to be happy. They have never earned that much and never will. Also, they want to save an amount that at 8% return will pay them about what they currently get paid."

Maybe the survey takers don't know themselves and think more than they make now will solve things? Also, averages are likely misleading in this case.

Seems about right. I hope to retire with 2.5M in the bank. It'll give a pretty significant income unless I live into my late 90s.

Money can't buy happiness but at least can buy financial education and with it you don't will need money to be happy 🤣🤣..