郑红进

海词积累

1. optimal adj. 最适宜的;最理想的;最好的

2. extravagant adj. 奢侈的;铺张浪费的

3. equivalent adj. 相等的;相同的

How much does a person need to feel rich？ A recent survey from Charles Schwab revealed that a net worth of $2.27 million would be enough. But can you really put a number on it？

“I know people who make $250，000 to $500，000 and feel poor， and other people who make $70，000 and feel rich，” says Tara Unverzagt， a financial planner. She points to research showing an income of about $70，000 is optimal for emotional well-being. “But for most people， when they get to $2.27 million， if their friends have more， they won't feel ‘rich’，” she says.

Matt Doran is a wealth manager in St. Louis with a personal net worth of over $5 million. He's not fixed on a number， though， and has no intentions of slowing down.

For Doran， the drive to continue earning money and growing his assets builds security for his family and allows him to support the things that give his life meaning-the people， places and causes that he loves. “And $2.27 million doesn't get me there，” he says， “not even close.”

“Our spending is really about lifestyle. While not overly extravagant in our opinion， we do drive nice cars， travel frequently and help others regularly，” he says. “We， like many others， find ourselves spending on experiences more than things because they enrich our lives and relationships.”

In his view， the purpose of building wealth is to generate more income. And the more income you make， the more options， flexibility and opportunities you have. “When someone has financial resources in a large amount， he can have choices he didn't have before，” he says.

Russ Ford considers himself wealthy， but it has taken him a while to say it without feeling guilty. He was 21 years old when he inherited $2 million from his grandfather.

Ford says that at first， his inherited wealth caused a lot of pressure and stress. “The pre-ssure comes from having the money and feeling like I can't let my grandpa and my son down，” he says. “I was feeling a lot of pressure from the culture around me to keep up with the equivalent. The money has definitely made me more anxious.”

He's thankful to what he has， but he's not interested in accumulating more money. “I know that chasing more isn't going to make me more happy，” he says.

Reading Check

How much money can make you feel wealthy？ What else can make you feel strong apart from money？

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Language Study

Sentence for writing

“the+比较级……，the+比较级……” 越……越……

你賺得越多，你的选择、灵活性和机会就越多。

And______________________you get， ______________________options， flexibility and opportunities you have.