Reading Time: 9 minutes
Hey guys! How y’all doing?
Hope you been enjoying the weekend – plenty of glorious sunshine out there!
MrsFrugalSamurai certainly did, for she went out for a hike with friends to the famous Wedding Cake Rock whilst I ran around throwing my weight around on the field (as a referee).
During one of our breaks, I sat down to have a chat with a couple of my fellow refs.
Soon enough, the conversation gravitated towards our normal day jobs – one was a doctor, another a self-employed jeweler and the youngest of us, still a student.
“You guys are all level 99’s!” said the student at the end of our brief chat.
Level 99 aye… this reminds me of something my friend Bugzy said the other day.
Cue dream music…
Bugzy is busy in front of his PC – typing FURIOUSLY away as he attempts to defend his village in Clash of Clans.
“Bzzz Bzzz”, his phone buzzes with an incoming message.
It is his long-time friend and rival Bike Bao.
“…Flies 600km round trip on tax payer funds to play 33 minutes of futsal? I like that idea”.
Bike Bao is referring to our friend Light Beam (who pulls the treasury strings from our nation’s capital but is often seen on the indoor soccer courts, 300km away).
“He’s a level 65 surely.” Says Bubu – the tallest and most good-looking of the group.
“Nah, Level 80.” This time, it is Bngolo – a prolific gardener and renowned nose model.
“Ha ha, no sirs – level 80 is Bheriff, I’m only a level 5 at best”. Light Beam humbly replies, referring to our friend who once ran for Mayor.
Bugzy chuckles – these noobs with their banter, he thinks – let me give them a proper education QUICK.
Pausing Clash of Clans, he starts typing…
“Scale for general muse
Level 5 (avg) – ur 50k guy who goes home to watch tv everyday. Living paycheque to paycheque. U will not starve or die alone. But No ambition, no dream haha. I dunno any guys like this.
Level 10 – ur an above avg person with a hobby or 2. Eg. Balf (going by pure gut feel btw. He might be starting a million dollar business who knows)
Level 20 – u excel at something and generally doing well in life. Whether u utilise that skill and chase something bigger is up to u. Most guys here settle for a 6 digit job
Eg. Plennnnty of ppl we know. This is already the top 10% of population.
Maybe Bugzy 2016 is perfect example
Level 30 – now we r getting into the alpha dogs territory. These guys have all been thru some real dark times and come out the other end a war veteran. Depends how old they r, options in life become limitless if theyre young (under 45 id say id consider “young”)
Eg. Beffles
Level 40 – imagine a level 30 guy whos gone thru the trials and succeeded. Any successful business owner earning 250k or more id put in this category
Eg. Bheriff
Now we r already talking about the 0.1% of population so ill just summarise from here
Level 50 – 60 ceos, corporate figureheads, leaders in their fields
Eg. Leaders in fitness, finance, sport, tv, cooking
(Gordon ramsey, kobe bryant, david letterman)
Level 70 – level 60 guys transforming into world changers (arnie)
Level 80 to 99 – men who revolutionise the world (steve jobs, jack ma, donald trump in a way, elon musk etc)”
Bugzy finishes typing, gives a slight nod and resumes his game…
Editor’s note (names changed to protect privacy).
You know, I think Bugzy is onto something here – in society today, we all love to compare and contrast our fortunes and lives with one another.
But Bugzy’s scale gives perspective in terms of levels.
Levels in which we can try and climb one step at a time.
Without comparison, without “Keeping up with the Joneses” and just focusing on ourselves.
It’s pretty powerful stuff.
I thought I’d apply this scale to our own finances and provide a tongue-in-cheek look at which level we may be on.
Level 1 – 5 (Avg)
Bugzy summed it up best. You live paycheque to paycheque. Money comes in, money goes out – on what you don’t really know.
When you want something you get it, you never seem to have enough in your bank account.
As for understanding what are your assets and liabilities? Forget it! Just words with no meaning.
Your credit cards are your best friends.
Level 5 – 10 (Not bad)
You understand the difference between a savings and a transaction account, you have an idea what your current level of spending is. Most of your money is safely locked away in your bank account earning interest.
You have a brief idea on your financial goals e.g. buy a house or save for a holiday – so you save towards those goals.
You’re looking for a way or two to increase your income either through stocks, real estate or a 2nd job.
Your credit card(s) are your social friends.
Level 20 (Nice!)
The basic concept of investing your savings (income minus expenses) is well known to you.
You’re the Treasurer for your household.
Financial decisions must come to you and have your seal of approval.
You have a couple of side hustles on top of a comfortable 9 to 5 job, a decent share portfolio, maybe an investment property or three.
Your credit card (s) are your acquaintances.
Level 30 (Whoa!)
You have multiple streams of income. Multiple pillars to stand on and are reasonably set in your finances. Minor tweaks and adjustments are needed on occasion.
You keep yourself busy and are part of numerous networking groups, clubs and organisations.
The businesses you set up 5 years ago are starting to come good and become more self-sufficient – to the point you’re looking to hire full-time managers to look after them.
Your partner at home starts to make noises that you’re too busy all the time, that there is enough money, that it is time to slow down.
Your credit card is your frenemy.
Level 40 (Achievement Unlocked!)
Your dog-walking, babysitting, English tutoring and online retailing businesses are absolutely firing. But you have already out-sourced the day-to-day running to someone else.
The income and dividends from your investment portfolio is projected to cover your expenses in perpetuity.
You start to feel more and more philanthropic and take an active involvement in charities and non-profit organisations.
Your credit card has not received a cent of interest “in like, forever”.
Level 50 – 60 (World Class!!!)
You want to leave a legacy – be it in the record books, in the media, a hospital ward or in university case studies.
You are the renowned expert in your field and have world-wide recognition. You may even have a charitable foundation or two.
Your finances are now managed by your accountant, agent , personal assistant (s) and manager freeing your time to pursue your legacy.
You have not seen your credit card in decades.
Level 70 (Legendary!!!)
Your position and financial status allows you to change laws, rules, regulations and effectively the world – either for better or for worse.
Numerous charities, non-profit organisations, geographical locations, university halls and hospital wings bear your name.
Your finances are now mere digits on a page and you only know your net wealth as it’s reported in the media.
You are looking to buy a credit card company or two.
Level 80 – 99 (Cheat Mode)
Your ideas transform the world and your businesses produce more revenue than some countries.
You stopped actively working a long time ago to focus solely on solving the world’s problems.
You don’t care about your finances as you realize money is just a concept.
You turn into a giant, walking, breathing credit card.
~~~~~
There you have it – my light-hearted portrayal of the financial levels in life.
Although, to be honest, nothing is more important than relationships and experiences – so no matter which level we are on, I hope we never lose sight of the bigger picture!
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4 Comments
ljphd
5-10, I am a student and discovered mr money mustache just over a year ago.
The Frugal Samurai
Most of us are at that level – keep learning and climbing!
Hugzy
LOVED it. Ur best article to date
The Frugal Samurai
Thanks Hugzy – I hope your brother Bugzy liked it too