Wealth Versus Income: The Psychological and Behavioral Differences

I recently had a conversation with my teenage daughter where we had reason to consider the financial situation of an elderly couple that are family friends. My daughter became aware that this family had an (undisclosed) amount of money to live on for the rest of their lives, and that was it. She made an off-hand remark that “they have that amount of money to live on, and that’s it? That would stink.” This …
In the field of industrial-organizational psychology, we assume that organizations operate within complex environments and can shift and change depending on those environmental forces and by the individuals that work within those companies. In light of this foundational premise, it only makes sense to explore how a change in the way individuals view work, income, and retirement might impact the organizations with which they are involved. A New Approach to Careers? The growing financial …
“Not having enough money for retirement” was the most common financial concern for Americans according to a report from Gallup. Approximately 60% of Americans were very/moderately worried about money for retirement, followed by “not being able to pay for medical costs of a serious illness/accident” (55% very/moderately worried), and then by “not being able to maintain the standard of living you enjoy” (46% very/moderately worried). Approximately 50% of Americans are “very” or “moderately” worried about three …
Take two children from seemingly similar advantaged, affluent backgrounds – perhaps parents with similarly prestigious jobs, the same type of family structure, high SAT scores, same GPAs, even the same interests and career plans. Why, in the future, would one end up with a significantly higher income than the other? It may be self-concept, or more specifically, core self-evaluations (CSEs): a set of psychological characteristics that include a belief in one’s worth and one’s …
The focus of Data Points’ research is typically on how one’s behaviors and experiences lead to wealth building potential. Effective wealth accumulators exhibit high levels of competencies shown to predict net worth, including the competency of frugality. Less money spent equals more money saved—thus a greater “profit” or “bottom-line” result at the end of each month, year, etc. But our research supports the conclusion that high-wealth-potential individuals also focus intently on investing the money that …

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