I live in a town with highest medium income in the state of Michigan. Over 25% have a household income of over $200,000. In the downtown area, it is not uncommon to see Lamborghinis, a Lotus or two, and a wide variety of Italian sports cars rolling up and down the streets - most of which are owned by guys in their late 40's-early 50's. They are usually with women half their age who are 9's and 10's easily. These men are also divorced from their first wives who are usually 40+ in age and jacked up on botox and re-sculpted with plastic surgery.
The town is beautiful, with it's amazing homes and beautiful parks - but a vast majority of people here are fake, snobby, and opportunistic. The men are uber competitive and talk down to you and the women don't want anything to do with you if you don't have a house that is worth at least $500K.
Money and wealth can bring you a lot of happiness and access to things you always desired. Unfortunately, a lot of people with money were told growing up that money is the only thing that mattered. These people never really developed their interests or their identity because the focus to obtain (or protect inheritance) was so overwhelming that they would be seen as failures if they didn't follow the paths set by their lineage (or peers). These people become major azzholes as they age and the pressure to gain more wealth becomes of such critical importance that nothing else seems to matter.
I've also learned the hard way that most women - especially those in the 25-35 age bracket - don't care about how you look, your hobbies, or even your attitude towards life. Your position of power and your wealth the most important attributes you possess. Women are looking to be SUPPORTED and COMFORTED. If you are a nice guy who is 9.5 in terms of looks but don't have much else going for you, you are only going to get so far.
I think an ideal situation for a guy is dating or marrying a woman who makes a salary equal to or just less than what you make. These are women who actually understand the value of money and what it takes to actually make it. Since they actually HAVE money already, wealth is not the most important factor when getting into a relationship, it's more about connecting with someone else and feeling valued.
Unfortunately, these women are extremely rare.
I also want to add that if you are miserable person with no money, you are also a miserable person with a lot of money. No amount of wealth can repair faulty wiring in a person's brain. A great example of this is a friend who of mine who pulls $250K per year (not including bonuses) in sales. He owns a boat, a BMW convertible, and a new Jeep. He is not married and lives in this big house by himself - but he cannot keep relationships, has loads of family issues, is on antidepressants, and just never seems fully "there" or happy. He has gotten fired from jobs and he's been in court recently.
I don't think he ever has touched the amount of happiness I had in my life and I make half of what he makes.
In closing, money is major player in terms of making things happen but it is extremely limiting in terms of life fulfillment.