Leno from 2012:

[Tekward]

"A new study found that happiness is u-shaped. By that they mean you're happy when you're young, you're least happy in middle age, and happiest again in retirement.

You're least happy in middle age — especially when you realize you're never going to be able to retire."

 

[Nick12]

Jay Leno is a smart dude. He lives off of his salary from stand up comedy. He saved and invested his Tonight show monies. That is why he is worth $400 million today and he has his multi million dollar car collection.

 

[timbervest]

"A new study found that happiness is u-shaped."

I would tweak this and say "Happiness is YOU shaped." I've always subscribed to the philosophy “Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”

 

[ckelly78z]

I look forward to my second childhood...youthful energy is wasted on the young.

 

[wmc1000]

Of course it really helped build that nest egg when he was pulling in 20-25 million per year from The Tonight Show. We should have all be so lucky that our hard work had paid off so handsomely.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Yes, if I made $20 million a year I might have managed to save a bunch more. OTOH, when a retired/washed up celebrity/athlete claims poverty, I go bonkers.

Sorry if this is stealing your thread. I will stop there.

Leno has always been a good Paisano.

 

[joeea]

I would tweak this and say "Happiness is YOU shaped." I've always subscribed to the philosophy “Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”

I like this - well done!

 

[Nick12]

Of course it really helped build that nest egg when he was pulling in 20-25 million per year from The Tonight Show. We should have all be so lucky that our hard work had paid off so handsomely.

I know a few guys that would blow that dough regardless of the amount. A NFL player recently retired invested his multi million dollar salary for the last years and paid his bills and low key lifestyle with his endorsement deals.

 

[sengsational]

The problem for famous high earners is when nobody cares about them anymore. Lots of money, but shrugs from everyone that bothers to acknowledge them. Super hard to live with for a lot of them. Not all, but many seem to run into trouble.

 

[aaronc879]

Jay Leno is a smart dude. He lives off of his salary from stand up comedy. He saved and invested his Tonight show monies. That is why he is worth $400 million today and he has his multi million dollar car collection.

The general concept is smart but in his case I wouldn't call it smart. He could have lived on much more and/or given more to charity rather than have half a billion bollars when he dies with no kids to give it to.

 

[W2R]

"A new study found that happiness is u-shaped. By that they mean you're happy when you're young, you're least happy in middle age, and happiest again in retirement.

You're least happy in middle age — especially when you realize you're never going to be able to retire."

Not for me, it hasn't been! My lifetime happiness has been j-shaped:

J​

I was least happy as a child and teen, quite miserable due to circumstances beyond my control that would have made any kid feel similarly. At the time, I thought that was all there was in life, just misery, but I was wrong.

Things became MARKEDLY better as time passed. I enjoyed my 50's and 60's so much, and the older I get, the happier I am. Right now the only thing that messes with my happiness is when those I care about die, which saddens me and also reminds me of my own mortality. But overall, life is a million times better than it was as a kid.

<~~~ (me at age 70)​

Which goes to show you that know-it-alls like Leno don't actually know it all, and tend to make unfounded broad generalizations IMO.