AIBU to think being wealthy is vastly overrated?

[ForLoudBrickMember]

I know this will sound really out of touch and I apologies in advance if I offend anyone, but I’ve been reflecting on my life recently and I truly think it is the most overrated thing on the planet. I’m 35, total pre tax income of about £2 million with half coming from working as a partner oncologist in the states and half coming from active investing. DH makes slightly more, total household income of about £5 mil. Now I’ve done it I can say the following;

1. It feels totally normal.
2. It is incredibly isolating
3. The pressure/difficulty is intense. Ours are still far too young for this and trying to avoid it but it’s very common the DC face intense pressure/stress.
4. So so much sacrifice. I left everything behind in the UK, put off DC until late, missed out on so much etc.
5. Being average isn’t much worse. People earning the average wage can still afford a comfortable house, decent car, food, occasional holiday etc. Mum was completely broke as a child and even that would’ve been fine if she didn’t make brain dead decisions constantly.

Yet the average person seems to believe it’s endless bliss, no stress and every rich person is a genius who never tires and never feels sad. AIBU?

OK so you made a million once. You don't have a million annual income from your investments?

Either way well done! But the two things are very, very different. A million a year in secured passive income based on a small initial seed investment would be Midas-touch level investing. Like, the big short style once in a generation genius investment strategy.

t what I suppose Ive seen is that unless it's been handed to you, that level of wealth isn't attractive if you're having to work on you wedding day/sacrificing seeing your kids grow up. What's the point if you're not enjoying it more often than not?

Again, do you think poor people aren't missing out on time with their children? Or having to work on important family occasions? And I mean having to, not choosing to.

They could retire tomorrow - they have more than enough in my eyes, but they won't - it's like it locks you in to this lifestyle?

That's probably true. As I said above, it's the 'hedonic treadmill'. You very quickly become accustomed to a certain lifestyle so that what used to be perfectly adequate now looks like slumming it.

But again, rich people have choices poor people don't. A poor person simply can't give up work. A rich person can, and suffer no real consequences. Very different.

Because she’s making it up.

my friend took 4 years to convert.

24 in the UK and not even finished training £1m earner after conversion course in the US. Nope. Oh and 2 kids

What about your £1m a year from investments. Hmm, let me think.

She says £1m a year annual income. That implies the capital stays put. I'm assuming dividend as a proxy but it could of course be many other things. Any of which would require a substantial amount of seed.

Still doesn't add up. You aren't making a million a year growth on investments on the basis of student loans and flogging shite online.

I mean, obviously the whole story is load of goady shite, but still. Try a bit harder to make it plausable.

Thank god I will never have to go through such ordeal

Yes but even people (who are not making it up) mix up the vocabulary.

Come and live with me for a bit @ForLoudBrickMember Then see.
You can be happy with no money but also be crying over your lost life due to ill health.

"I know this will sound really out of touch (yet you continued past this point) and I apologies in advance if I offend anyone, but I’ve been reflecting on my life recently and I truly need your pity for that fact I am considerably richer than you - through honest hard work, you get what you pay for and you earn what you're worth!"

I know this will sound sarcastic..., but, "to be brutally honest", it sounds like someone asked an LLM "I'm very bored, what are some of the goad-iest topics to troll mumsnet with in an accelerated Costs Of Living 2026?"

Or it's genuine, which is even worse, because an LLM definitely can't help you there.

Why on earth do you live in an ‘undesirable area’ if you’re that wealthy? Make it make sense.

Yes you do sound out of touch .
In view of the extreme worries and financial difficulties many people are experiencing i think you should have some respect for them and get your post removed .
If you are real then shame on you , i would much rather be me if wealth turns you into the thoughtless bragger that you are.
If you are real then even though i understand how you are describing your way of life i simply cannot feel sorry for you .
The concerns that your wealth causes you are something perhaps better discussed with others in the same boat.

So you don't think being wealthy is so overrated after all?

This is what ChatGPT thinks

Yes — the broad timeline is plausible, but there are a few parts that would likely make people skeptical, especially if this is being posted publicly.
The biggest question is the £1m by 25 claim. It's possible, but starting from minimum-wage work, student loans, clinical trials and reselling would require an extraordinarily high investment return and/or unusually aggressive saving. Saying “obviously a super rare outcome” helps, but people will still reasonably ask how the maths works.
The medical timeline is much more straightforward:

• Medical school finished slightly early → plausible depending on the programme.
• USMLEs + US clinical experience during a break → plausible.
• Applying during Foundation → plausible.
• Leaving Foundation after securing a US position → possible, though the exact visa/training arrangements matter.
• Starting US training at 26 on J-1 → entirely plausible.
• Internal Medicine residency 26–29 → standard 3 years.
• Fellowship 29–32 → plausible for a 3-year fellowship.
• DC at 32 and 34 → plausible if you mean diplomate/certification milestones, though “DC” isn't immediately obvious to everyone.
• Partner at 34 → possible, depending heavily on the specialty/practice.
• Applying for a green card now → plausible.

One thing I'd be careful about is “made partner age 34”. In US medicine, partnership structures vary enormously, and people may interpret it as becoming an equity partner in a private practice. If that's what you mean, fine; if it's something else, spell it out. Also, “clinical trials” as an income source may attract suspicion because people may interpret that as being paid large sums simply for participating in trials. If it genuinely contributed meaningful money, it's not implausible, but I'd expect people to question the amounts. So my overall assessment: the individual components are plausible; the £1m-at-25 component is the extraordinary part, not the medical career timeline. The story would become much more convincing if you gave approximate figures for how the initial capital was accumulated and what happened to it afterward, rather than simply listing the sources of money.

Well I can observe that being wealthy doesn’t make you totally happy or have a perfect life - I can see that by looking at wealthy people, who still have upset and problems and difficulties. The thing is, when you’re not wealthy there are lots of really scary horrible problems that could have been solved with money. The obvious biggest issue being the fear or threat or reality of homelessness. What a huge relief it would be to pay off the mortgage and know that you are definitively housed; and what a huge relief it would be to me if I could make sure my family members and loved ones were too. Then there’s things like needing dental treatment; wanting children to experience holidays during their childhood; not wanting to be terrified of the car MOT each year… I can see though that expectations must adjust with wealth (e.g. I didn’t know anything about MOTs until my 30s because before that I didn’t have a car and I would get the bus)

And yet life is shit. Quit it all, have lots of babies and live off your £1m per year income without lifting a finger.

Come back in 10 years time and tell us how easy it is to make do on £1m a year.

You are highly intelligent. Highly successful but you sound less fullfilled in life than someone working minimum wage living in social housing. Whats the point?

It is admittedly pretty confusing. If you’re making 1MM annually in investment income at age 25, why would you uproot your life and move to the US? To make even more money? Not to mention, the dual taxation situation is a total nightmare that I’m not sure anybody who is already very wealthy would willingly choose

OP, you don’t sound happy, but I don’t think money is your problem. I would get yourself a good therapist and try to work out how to feel better.

I can't be the only one reading this and thinking it's a piss take surely?!

No you're not. Many posters just ignore this stuff.

Condition of the j1 visa look up “j1 exemption doctor USA”. Also I like living here, it’s not undesirable to me but Americans in general.

I haven't read the thread. Did anyone go straight in in and tell OP to go and fuck herself?

I'd like to think so

Don’t know honestly.

Hmm. I think there is a certain type of rich that's not worth it. Like your kind of job, partner at a law firm, consultant at McKinsey etc. Too much stress and that van bring I'll health and unhappiness.

But, in my experience, a certain amount of wealth is a very good thing. I don't even earn 1/10 what you do, not by a long way. But I do now earn *3 more than when my exH left me with three disabled kids to look after. And the extra money is definitely worth it, even if it means longer hours and more responsibility for me.

What did you invest in at age 18 for that to grow to 1m in 7 years?

But it feels like you have choices open to you?

You say you want to work and have a purpose but find the money too much?? Can’t you set up a charitable fund/bursary to help underprivileged or lower income people afford to train in a health profession? Give some to charity?

I’m not clear if you have a child/family? Why wouldn’t you reduce your working hours to spend more time together?? Travel more and have amazing experiences.

I’m friends with some pretty wealthy people so I think to form meaningful bonds you have to put the time in and be open to new friendships. I don’t just think it is your wealth alone that is making things difficult.

You sound dissatisfied with your life but you have all the means to make your life fulfilling. It’s up to you what you do with that privilege.

Same! You need a lot to invest in order to make large amounts.