Know any rich people in real life?

[Big Black Dog]

I know several wealthy people personally. They are like everybody else you know, that is, they are about as happy as they decide they want to be.

The other part of that question for me is, what really defines wealth? I don't have a mortgage. I own two cars. I do what I want, get what I want, and go just about anyplace I really feel like going. What few bills I have are always paid on time and I usually always have a little jingle in my pocket. I would consider myself "dirty rich" compared to what life was like when I was a kid coming along.

 

[rdean]

I have two good friends that I hang out with regularly that are millionaires, and most of my family on my father's side is "wealthy," to say the least. I also have millionaire cousins on my mothers side that own an auction and realty business, and now they're into wine making.

Why aren't you rich? You make whine.

 

[Mr.Nick]

Careful
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Whittaker_(lottery_winner)

Give a greedy individual $100,000,000 and they will waste it...

I don't even know what I would do with that much money....

I'd probably build my dream house (which would be a museum), buy a few nice cars and make sure I had enough to pay my property taxes off for life and give the majority away.

At least I would like to think I would.

I'd probably just continue being me......

It would be really cool to have a collection of artifacts tho... Imagine having an original copy of the Bill of Rights, or a Mammoth, or an Egyptian Mummy, gigantic meteors... Even a complete dinosaur skeleton like the T-Rex at the Field Museum..

That would be so awesome....

I'd have one of the lamest or coolest homes ever....
Of course if I decided I would want that....

That would be a bit creepy to be surrounded by all those artifacts! Mummy? Mammoth? I don't know man...sounds a bit creepy to me!

Maybe the mummy....

I don't know if I could rally do that...

When I die I don't want to be someones property for display...

 

[Mr.Nick]

You can spend time in museums any time you want to...I wouldn't want it in my house. You want to be able to go home and not worry about inhaling mummy germs.

The only circumstance I would have a mummy (if I was rich) would to be for educational purposes...

If I won the lotto and built a museum - I would open it up to the public - at least anyone I thought was interested would be granted to enter..

I'd give the tour my self.

 

[Sunshine]

Define happy.

I've had several mega rich patients from various walks of life, business, show biz, , medicine, inherited wealth. If they were 'happy' I suppose they wouldn't be patients in psychiatry. But then again, several years ago when I worked in an exclusive upscale psych hospital one of them said her hospitalization had been better than her last cruise. At least she knew how to treat the 'help.' LOL. Shortly after, Tenncare hit and we had the welfare set taking a 45 day vacation there every year. The didn't know how to treat the help. And some even were so crass as to remind us that we were paying for them to be there.

My daughter's in laws are mega rich. They seem happy. My son is well off as he chose his profession well. He, too, seems happy.

 

[uscitizen]

Money does not buy happiness. All it buys is the surroundings in which you experience your life. The rich are just as happy and miserable as the poor and middle class.

If the rich are just as miserable as the poor the rich are in bad shape.
Warm house, medical care and a full belly gives a lot of contentment.

Me is a millunair.

The question is about happiness.

Warm several houses, medical care and 5 star dinners, though very nice.... does not necessarily make someone happy.

but the rich can afford pills for that

 

[Kiki Cannoli]

If the rich are just as miserable as the poor the rich are in bad shape.
Warm house, medical care and a full belly gives a lot of contentment.

Me is a millunair.

The question is about happiness.

Warm several houses, medical care and 5 star dinners, though very nice.... does not necessarily make someone happy.

but the rich can afford pills for that

See now uscitizen, I had you pegged for the pill affording type.

 

[uscitizen]

The question is about happiness.

Warm several houses, medical care and 5 star dinners, though very nice.... does not necessarily make someone happy.

but the rich can afford pills for that

See now uscitizen, I had you pegged for the pill affording type.

OHH yeah I got the pills.
I did say that I is a millunair didn't I?
But my situation is a bit different and the pills almost make life tolerable.

 

[saveliberty]

Being the brave soul I am, I'm willing to be rich for a while and report back.

 

[uscitizen]

Money cannot buy happiness. It can however rent it for a time.

Anyone else link in on the average US citizens self esteem depending on personal possessions?
Big house big SUV, Air Jordans, etc.

 

[saveliberty]

Money cannot buy happiness. It can however rent it for a time.

Credo of the ice cream truck driver.

 

[eots]

What does it matter, a dream of love
Or a dream of lies
We're all gonna be in the same place
When we die
Your spirit don't leave knowing
Your face or your name
And the wind through your bones
Is all that remains
And we're all gonna be
We're all gonna be
Just dirt in the ground

The quill from a buzzard
The blood writes the word
I want to know am I the sky
Or a bird
'Cause hell is boiling over
And heaven is full
We're chained to the world
And we all gotta pull
And we're all gonna be
Just dirt in the ground

Now the killer was smiling
With nerves made of stone
He climbed the stairs
And the gallows groaned
And the people's hearts were pounding
They were throbbing, they were red
As he swung out ofver the crowd
I heard the hangman said
We're all gonna be
Just dirt in the ground

Now Cain slew Abel
He killed him with a stone
The sky cracked open
And the thunder groaned
Along a river of flesh
Can these dry bones live?
Ask a king or a beggar
And the answer they'll give
Is we're all gonna be
Yea yeah
We're all gonna be just
Dirt in the ground

 

[Ernie S.]

Money cannot buy happiness. It can however rent it for a time.

Anyone else link in on the average US citizens self esteem depending on personal possessions?
Big house big SUV, Air Jordans, etc.

Money can't buy happiness. Poverty can't buy shit.
I've known a few mega-rich people. Some seem pretty consumed by getting richer. One is a hopeless alcoholic and my friend John still works as a blacksmith, even though he's worth 200 million. He lives next door to the Chairman of a huge publishing corporation and is just tickled that his house is about twice as big. He puts up his own storm windows every fall. It takes him 2 weeks. 98 windows. John is just a regular guy. He's got a Viper in the garage, but prefers to drive his pick-up
Another friend is a recently retired pro quarterback. He has a wife and 3 kids he's devoted to and a 9 million dollar home. He's about the happiest, friendliest and most honorable man I've ever met.

 

[IndependntLogic]

Are they happy? What do they do for a living?

The only rich guy I know is in my gym. Pot belly, old, trades $25,000 for fun in the stock market. Reads the WSJ. Retired from Goldman Sachs. His life seems kind of sad and he seems a bit lonely. Asked him what he does with his money and he says he just lives like regular people. The only difference he goes on a luxury one month cruise to various places around the world. Last cruise was to Alaska.

What would you call rich?

 

[Dr Grump]

Yes. I deal with some of the richest people in the country. I don't think they're an happier than the rest of us but that's just a guess. I've never asked if they are happier than the rest of us.

Oh, c'mon, I'd suggest your pretty rich yourself!

 

[Toro]

Yes. I deal with some of the richest people in the country. I don't think they're an happier than the rest of us but that's just a guess. I've never asked if they are happier than the rest of us.

Oh, c'mon, I'd suggest your pretty rich yourself!

Pfft! I wish.

 

[IndependntLogic]

Are they happy? What do they do for a living?

The only rich guy I know is in my gym. Pot belly, old, trades $25,000 for fun in the stock market. Reads the WSJ. Retired from Goldman Sachs. His life seems kind of sad and he seems a bit lonely. Asked him what he does with his money and he says he just lives like regular people. The only difference he goes on a luxury one month cruise to various places around the world. Last cruise was to Alaska.

Well most of my clients and many friends all make over $5o0K a year so I guess they might qualify in some people's books. We're in $250K+ category so some people might consider us pretty well to do but I think we're probably what's considered upper-middle class nowadays.
Here's what I've observed.
1. Whether they're rich or poor, some people will never be happy with what they have.
2. There are evil, greedy people in every class. Many poor people wouldn't stop stealing or scheming, simply because they became rich - it is in their nature. The difference between the two is that the rich people who steal and scheme, simply started with better resources or were just better at it. But rich or poor, there are always good people and bad.
3. Once you have enough money, you don't really think about it. You might think about how much it would cost to hire more people or do research when it's time to buy a car but on a day to day basis, you just don't think about it. I think that's the best thing. Money doesn't solve any problems except one: The problem of having to worry about whether you have enough money.

As for your other question, I own an executive recruiting firm. I love it. I work three days in the office and two from home (as do my employees). My wife doesn't have to or want to work so she doesn't. We all play tennis every day (daughter is a starter on the team), do homework, play scrabble and just normal stuff. We do travel a bit but usually just long week-ends with only one long vacation in the Winter (I usually take most of November & December off). So basically, we're like anyone else who makes say $60K or whatever. Oh, and as you can see in my pic, I don't have a potbelly!

 

[Mr. H.]

Two of my brothers are millionaires. It's a non-issue in the family.
Childhood poverty has bred humility in us. Monetary wealth bestows nothing of true worth.
We're just tired of death and dying. Parents, brother, grandparents, aunts/uncles/cousins/friends.
One of my brothers once mentioned his will and I told him I don't care and that I hope he outlives me.

 

[jan]

I think what money really offers is peace of mind as swagger said...it's being able to ride out the "what if's" in life with a sense that everything won't go crashing to pieces at some point. It enables one to live the life they want to live instead of the life they may feel pressured to live. Let's face it...most folks work at a job that more likely than not, they only partially enjoy. But...the bills need to be paid so they continue to go into work every day...because they HAVE too for the pay and health benefits!

If money weren't in the equation, one would be free to persue what they enjoy...what their soul leads them towards...rather than what they HAVE to do in order to pay the monthly bills. Without having to be concerned where the next house payment is gonna come from, one is free-er I would think. Money affords opportunity, choice and freedom...more choice than one has without money!

 

[saveliberty]

Not saying money makes you happy, but try living in our society without money and be happy...