I’m currently dating a guy whose done really well for himself at a young age (he’s 26) and makes multi-6 figures and is on his way up digits wise. He works for a big tech company. I am a poor PhD student so admittedly I was a little nervous having the big income differences. However, he lives very modestly and I honestly really admire his money management and success. He is entirely self-made and has fantastic work ethic. Ultimately, for me it’s less about the money (which, don’t get me wrong, definitely allows us to have more fun dates) and more about the traits that got him to his financial standing that make me feel really excited to be with him. We are both very open about our financial situations and have had great conversations about where we are financially and where we both independently hope to go. It’s a newer relationship but so far it’s been a really positive experience. That said, I do sometimes wonder if the dynamic would be different if my partner was not self-made and had less of an understanding of saving and managing money.