Mark Cuban Says He’s ‘Enough’: Why This May Be a Healthy Money Mindset

Mark Cuban has no Fs to give – at least when it comes to his net worth. Financial therapists say it’s a healthy state of mind, even if you’re not a multi-billionaire like Cuban.

“I don’t care about my net worth. I’m sick of it. My family is sick of it,” Cuban posted on the social media platform X on Monday, in response to another user’s post about the serial entrepreneur’s growing wealth since 1990.

“I don’t care about climbing the Forbes 400,” Cuban added.

Cuban currently has an estimated net worth of $6.8 billion, according to Forbes, which ranks the former star of ABC’s “Shark Tank” as the 597th richest person in the world. Cuban sold his first company, a software company called MicroSolutions, for $6 million in 1990. He became a billionaire when he and his co-founders sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5.7 billion in 1999.

He developed his attitude after purchasing a majority stake in the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks in January 2000. He told CNBC Make It, “I was more interested in winning than making money.” This mindset may seem obvious to some: after all, why would a billionaire be stressed about their bank account? But even people with lots of money experience financial stress and anxiety, studies show.

What seems to set Cuban apart from other wealthy people is the confidence he shows in how he uses his wealth, says Christine Hargrove, a financial therapist based in Athens, Georgia. In his post, Cuban wrote that he wasn’t obsessed with increasing his personal net worth because, in part, he preferred to see the impact his money can have on the world.

“My next dollar can have a far greater impact on the lives of others than my own,” Cuban wrote, citing his decision to launch pharmaceutical startup Cost Plus Drugs and his numerous investments in small businesses during 15 seasons of “Shark Tank” as an investor judge. “That’s what drives my investments. I’m looking for ways to make an impact.”

Confidence in how you save or spend your money is often a sign of a healthy financial mindset, notes Hargrove, president-elect of the Financial Therapy Association and deputy director of the Love and Money Center at the University of Georgia.

“In fact, you need to be the person who decides what’s enough for you,” she says, adding, “Having a purpose with your money and your life can be an incredible source of protection against chronic financial anxiety.”

Many Americans, especially as the cost of living remains high nationwide, have no choice but to worry about their finances.

When those with lots of money in their bank accounts or stock portfolios obsess over their level of wealth, they’re probably not doing it by choice either, Hargrove notes. Some people’s financial insecurity comes from growing up in low-income households. Others may view themselves as relatively struggling because they earn less than other wealthy people around them.

“Having a healthy relationship with money isn’t just about what you have. It’s also about understanding what money means to you and what you want it to do for you,” says Cara Macksoud, an accredited financial counselor and financial behavior specialist based in Orlando.

Regardless of your financial situation, money anxiety can actually harm your finances in addition to taking a toll on your mental health. Financial stress and related mental health issues can harm job performance due to distraction and absenteeism, according to a 2024 report from the TIAA Institute, the research arm of retirement fund manager TIAA. Poor mental health can also impair cognition, making it more difficult to make wise financial decisions, the report suggests.

Obsessing over every dollar can also make it impossible to part with money for causes that would otherwise align with your personal values, like charitable giving or supporting loved ones, Hargrove says. “And then our money comes between us and what we want to be,” she adds.

Financial anxiety often results in repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively checking your bank account or stock portfolio, notes Hargrove. For those who aren’t in immediate financial danger, Hargrove suggests reminding yourself “enough is enough” and working to replace those behaviors with actions that promote gratitude for the valuable aspects of your life that aren’t tied to your finances.

If you’re constantly checking banking apps on your phone, you can change your wallpaper to a photo of your family or group of friends to remind you, for example, of the safety of your family and social networks. It’s a simple tip, but it could soon become part of a pattern of “focusing on thoughts of gratitude” that research shows can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, Hargrove says.

And if you feel like you’re using your money to make a positive difference, whether for yourself or others — as Cuban suggested in his post — you probably have a healthier money mindset than many other Americans, notes Hargrove.

“Living with gratitude and feeling that you are making a difference, whether to yourself or to others, (it) doesn’t get much better than that in life, does it?” Hargrove said.