One of the dreams shared by almost everyone worldwide is the dream of becoming rich. The book store is filled with texts by so-called financial gurus. Game shows (and now most reality shows) promise the chance to win vast sums of cash.

But what does it really mean to be rich? Well, you could define it with a dollar amount. You could say $1,000,000 is rich. But that's not necessarily true in reality. For instance, $1,000,000 might not last very long if you live in downtown Manhattan -- you could burn through that in less than 2 years if you're not careful. And $1,000,000 may last more than a lifetime in Thailand -- even though you live like a king. So in reality, being rich is relative to the amount of money you spend.

When many people talk about being rich, what they are really talking about is being able to afford to retire. Being rich is (often) just a means to an end. Yes, there are some people who dream about owning a mansion, driving a Ferrari, and having a billion dollars just for the sake of being able to call yourself a Billionaire. But for most people, the money (or possessions they can buy) are not as important as the modest desires -- to stop working, to travel, to spend every day golfing, etc.

So ultimately, you can retire with $100,000 in savings if you can afford to live on only a $600 a month. Some people can. Do you think more people would be happier and healthier if they realized they could retire 10 years earlier than planned?