People say money can’t buy happiness. AND Barbara Corcoranstar of ABC’s”A tank with sharks” and a real estate entrepreneur would say that these people are absolutely right.
“I’m not going to use that cliché and say money can’t buy happiness, but it is,” Corcoran told CNBC Make It.
Corcoran says being rich can’t—and never will—buy happiness. “I know because I’ve been poor. And I’ve been rich. And I’ve been in between. So I can talk to both.”
Corcoran earned straight D’s in high school and college, according to her website. When she was 23she held about 20 jobs. But a $1,000 loan allowed her to start a small real estate business that launched her career.
Today, the Corcoran Group—which she sold in 2001 for $66 million—is a hugely successful global real estate firm.
According to Corcoran, there are two main misconceptions people have about being rich: money brings happiness and money doesn’t ruin relationships. Here’s a look at why he says neither is true.
Misconception #1: Money Can Buy Happiness
“The problem with being rich is that you can get richer,” says Corcoran. “You start looking at the next thing the money is going to buy.”
This leads to what Corcoran calls the fallacy of greed: “The fallacy of greed is that there are as many miserable rich people as miserable poor people. Money has nothing to do with being happier. It really doesn’t.”
Despite her success as the founder of the Corcoran Group and diverse investment portfolio thanks to her time on “Shark Tank,” Corcoran says money did not alleviate all her problems.
“I’m no happier today than I was when I was dirt poor. Do you think anything would change? No, I’m still unsure about the same things. I’m still nervous about the same things.”
Corcoran says being extremely rich isn’t the end all be all. According to her, the happiest people are those who are between the rich and the poor. “They’re always the happiest because they’re not always chasing the next thing.”
For most people, well-being and happiness increase with income, found recent research from the University of Pennsylvania. Still more money it can only take you so farespecially if your life is lacking in other areas.
Misconception #2: Money doesn’t change relationships
The second major misconception about wealth is the way money ruins relationships, says Corcoran. It changes the dynamic between those who have money and those who don’t.
“Money complicates relationships,” says Corcoran. “Everybody has a $10,000 problem. They always come to you. It complicates things, the will of your children, it just complicates everything.”
This is especially true for those who at some point in their lives come into a “life-changing” amount of money, Susan Bradley, certified financial planner and founder of the Sudden Money Institute, previously he told CNBC Make It.
“It brings up beliefs and value systems that maybe have been there all along but you haven’t had a chance to talk about,” Bradley said.
Having money comes with a perceived responsibility to help or invest in friends, family and others in your circle.
“My cousin wants some money for it, my uncle wants me to invest in their business. This dynamic happens all the time. You have cousins you’ve never heard of showing up at your door,” the certified financial planner and professor of financial psychology at Creighton University Brad Klontz he told CNBC Make It.
For Corcoran, the point is that things aren’t necessarily easier for those with a lot of money.
Would she give up money in exchange for easier relationships? Certainly not. “When you don’t have a lot of money, things go smoothly. But I’m still glad that I have a lot of money. Ironically, I don’t know why that is.”
“I’m not getting the money back,” jokes Corcoran.
Disclosure: CNBC owns exclusive off-network cable rights to “Shark Tank.”
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