According to a report by Lloyds TSB Private Banking, one in three wealthy people in the UK have sacrificed marriage, personal relationships and time with family in the pursuit of money.

Although the rich generally feel happy, successful and content with their wealth, thre are other costs. As well as sacrificing personal relationships, 12 per cent confessed that their health had suffered too. Men do not seem to have paid the same price for financial success as women with only a third of men, compared to nearly half of the women questioned, saying they had sacrificed their leisure pursuits.

Among the rest of the population, only 13 per cent said they would forgo time spent with family to become rich, and even fewer would sacrifice personal relationships and marriage (8 per cent). More said they’d give up leisure pursuits (32%).

Main findings
– In this survey, amongst other things, 74 per cent became rich through their career, job or business success and 28 per cent through canny savings and investments. Inheritance remains an important source of wealth, but of those interviewed, only 24 per cent became wealthy through family money being passed down.

– 43 per cent of the high net worth do not consider themselves to be wealthy even though they are in the top five per cent of richest people in the country.

– With the British reputation for understatement, it comes as no surprise that wealthy Brits are inclined to conceal their wealth. Even though 70 per cent say they are comfortable with people knowing they are rich, 62 per cent deliberately play down their wealth. Men, in particular, are keen to avoid any outward manifestation of their money.

– Where only 43 per cent of regular Brits believe money brings happiness, 66 per cent of the rich take this view.

– 79 per cent of the wealthy feel they have reached their ‘definition of success’ compared to only 55 per cent of the general public. The majority, regardless of their wealth, think that to be happy is to be successful.

– Three-quarters of wealthy Brits said that their social circle is totally mixed in terms of their wealth, with the rest mixing with people with either more, less or similar amounts of money.