What’s more important to you: love or money? Would you rather your heart be fuller than your pockets? Or do you prefer that your bank account keep you warm at night? Our culture tells us that to be successful we must have both…and it’s not simply a cultural mandate.

A study came out a few years ago entitled, “Happiness Equals Love + $75,000,” which found that love is the most central element to human happiness. And while money adds to our sense of wellbeing, its influence on our satisfaction levels off after we make about $75,000 a year. Clearly this study wasn’t done in D.C. or L.A. but I digress.

Whether or not that figure is accurate, many of us are taught either directly or indirectly that we’re supposed to collect as many coins as possible to be happy. To accomplish the goal of making tons of green, we’re required to go to school, which teaches the vast majority of us HOW to be effective employees, so that we can get a good job, get promoted to increase our income, and save for our retirement.