Photo by QuotesEverlasting via Flickr cc
At a financial conference, one man exclaimed, “Your health is your wealth.” That’s the truth. But isn’t it something how we often take our health for granted until we get sick?
Health and wealth tie closer together than you might think. As William Danforth once wrote, “Wealth can’t buy health but health can buy wealth.”
After reading Danforth’s quote on our Facebook page, someone commented: “I’m lost.”
In response, I commented:
“Well, the quote is saying money can’t buy you good health. Depending on what you’re suffering from, you could have all the money in the world and it wouldn’t make a difference. On the contrary, if you have good health, you are strong enough to go to work and make $$$. Nothing is holding you back and keeping you in bed.”
It’s true that wealth cannot buy you good health. If it could, then Steve Jobs might still be here.
Sure money can give you more comfort, but it can’t prevent you from dying from an incurable disease.
There’s no denying that health problems can drain your bank account though. In fact, medical bills (not credit card debt or student loans) are the leading cause of personal bankruptcies.
So you see your health really is your wealth. In the end, your health is priceless just like you!
Mayo Clinic: 10 Tips for Better Health
Still not convinced?
Did you hear about the woman who lived in the Marriott for 9 years? I’m not talking about days, weeks, or months—9 years. According to the story, she got sick and was unable to work. And she decided to stay at the Marriott because it was more comfortable. Getting sick totally turned her life upside down and depleted her savings too.
If you’ve ever had to be admitted to a hospital, you probably already know that medical bills can easily rack up (with or without insurance). They can throw a wrench into your finances, especially when you can’t work.
That’s why having disability insurance (short term and long term) really helps. But even when you take the right steps financially, you can still fall victim to unforeseen medical costs.
For tips on how you can lower your medical bill, check out Time magazine’s Tips for Lowering Your Medical Bills.
