December 2025
Philippe Ryan-Giroux, F. Pl., CFP, RIS
Director of Financial Planning
In financial planning, one of the most quietly loaded questions clients ask is: “How much do I need?” It is often code for something deeper. Will I be okay? Can I stop worrying? Can I live how I want without running out? While numbers do matter, the answer is not found in a spreadsheet or a calculator.
The ideal amount of wealth is not a universal figure, it is a personal equation, shaped by lifestyle, mindset and meaning. As a financial planner, I have worked with individuals who feel secure with $500,000 and others who remain anxious with $5 million. Which is to say, the pursuit of wealth is rarely just about the money.
THE MYTH OF THE MAGIC NUMBER
There is a popular idea that a perfect number exists, a target that, once hit, ensures financial freedom. One million. Two million. Ten. This belief offers comfort in its simplicity. In reality, wealth is only ideal when it reflects and supports the life one actually wants to live.
If someone envisions retirement as time spent with family, modest travel and a sense of ease, that person’s “enough” will look very different from someone whose goals include a high-cost lifestyle. The danger of fixating on a universal benchmark is that it often leads to one of two outcomes: complacency or chronic dissatisfaction. Either planning stops too early, or there is a persistent feeling of never quite arriving.
ENOUGH IS A FEELING, NOT A NUMBER
Many clients assume they are coming to financial planners in order to maximize wealth. Of course, growing and preserving assets is part of our responsibility. However, what most individuals truly want is clarity, confidence and peace of mind. These do not come from arbitrary numbers, they emerge from alignment, from knowing that money is structured in a way that supports personal priorities.
That is why conversations about wealth are really conversations about values. What does financial freedom mean to you? Is it the ability to stop working? To support your children? To give generously? Once we define what a meaningful life looks like, the ideal amount of wealth becomes easier to quantify and, more importantly, easier to trust.
THE PARADOX OF MORE
There is a phenomenon in behavioural finance known as the “hedonic treadmill.” As wealth increases, expectations often rise in parallel. Individuals adapt quickly to upgrades, with larger homes, better vacations and higher spending. What once felt abundant soon feels like the new baseline.
This is why many people, regardless of net worth, continue to feel uncertain. Not because they lack resources, but because “enough” keeps moving. The antidote to this is not austerity, it is intentionality. Knowing where money is going, and why, helps recentre the conversation around quality of life rather than quantity of assets.
HOW TO THINK ABOUT YOUR IDEAL NUMBER
Rather than asking how much you need to be wealthy, consider reframing the question:
- How much do I need to live the life I want?
- What trade-offs am I willing or not willing to make?
- What gives me the most peace of mind: liquidity, security, freedom or control?
- What do I want my wealth to do for me and those I care about?
From there, we can build a financial plan rooted in your personal definition of wealth, not someone else’s.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF WEALTH?
Ultimately, wealth is a tool. It is there to reduce worry, support independence, and help individuals live with intention. The ideal amount is not what the market says, or what a neighbour has, or what an online calculator recommends.
The ideal amount of wealth is the amount that allows you to stop thinking about money constantly.
It is the point at which a financial life feels integrated. Where goals, assets and lifestyle are in conversation with one another. When that happens, money stops being the destination and becomes what it was always meant to be, the means.
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Disclaimer
This report is for the purpose of providing some insight into Pembroke and the Pembroke funds. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Any securities listed herein, are for informational purposes only and are not intended and should not be construed as investment advice nor is it a recommendation to buy or sell any particular security. Factual information has been taken from sources we believe to be reliable, but its accuracy, completeness or interpretation cannot be guaranteed. Pembroke seeks to ensure that the content of this document is correct and up to date but does not guarantee that the content is accurate and complete and does not assume any responsibility for this. Pembroke is not responsible for decisions or actions taken or made on the basis of information contained in this document.
