I think that the wealthiest people that I know are my husband's sister and her husband.
He is an engineer and she has a good-paying job as well.
He is stingy as hell. We all rented a house together on vacation this year, except that this couple didn't offer to contribute anything to the cost oft he house. My father-in-law paid half, and me and my husband paid half.
My husband and I bought tons of groceries. They ate what we bought, which is fine, but then they didn't offer to contribute anything to the groceries.
Also, when my husband's mom died last year, we paid for part of the funeral and they didn't contribute anything.
So, I think that the combination of good-paying jobs and just being stingy with family is how they got their money.
Post by redheadbaker on Nov 3, 2017 14:04:58 GMT -5
H's dad. He's owned an electronics store for most of H's life. He just built a 4 bed/2 bath 3200sqft house with 3-car garage. Two of his 4 cars are luxury models.
I don't know if I'd call him down to earth. He's made comments before that indicate he had no idea what childcare costs (H's mom stayed home with the kids).
This person is a contact in your phone, and you are in his or her phone.
How do you know this person?
How did this person make all that money?
What is this person like?
One of my 2nd cousins. She married a sheikh involved in the oil business I think. They're based in Dubai, with a full household staff, but own numerous properties elsewhere. I remember hearing back in the 90s that he gave her a $10,000/mo allowance solely for personal expenses.
I haven't seen her in a very long time, but she was sweet and down to earth, much the same as she was before coming into all this wealth. She was also extremely generous to her parent, siblings, and nieces/nephews, putting the kids through private schools, paying mortgages, hiring full time caregivers, etc.
I should really get back in touch with her, lol. I'm in more frequent contact with one of her sisters.
My cousins. They are multi-millionaires thanks to their mother's side of the family (their father is my mom's brother). They are over-educated, travel all the time, and are basically good people who just don't have to work. When their grandmother died they each got control of a substantial trust fund.
The owners of the company I work for do alright. They have vacationed most of this year, but not in their two vacation homes, because they "need a change of scenery". They took a vacation from their vacation homes.
They seem normal until you get to know them. Since I've been handling a lot of their personal stuff for so many years, I hear and see all kinds of things that just fascinate me. My boss will simultaneously bitch about his Kroger fuel points not working while asking me to make sure I pay his $40k credit card bill, $1200 electric bill, and write an $80k personal check for a vehicle the dealer is delivering.
This person is a contact in your phone, and you are in his or her phone.
How do you know this person?
How did this person make all that money?
What is this person like?
My father-in-law. He works in health care doing consulting work, he has also held titles like CIO. I love him and he has always been extremely generous.
I work for a nonprofit, so most of the richest people I know/who know me are donors and/or board members. I know (as in, correspond regularly through work, not personal friends) several people who were the PIs on major FDA-approved drugs, so were paid out very well. They are hit or miss in terms of being down to earth (ha!)
My best friend and her husband are very well off (he is in investment banking). They are the richest people that I am personally friends with. They aren't especially flashy (they drive hondas) but they do have multiple homes, and fully funded their kids college funds before the kids were 10.
Also... I think it’s interesting that we’ve all used the term “down to earth” to describe our rich friends.
I know rich people and I know rich friends (or family of friends). If you get in the friend category you're down to earth. One of the richest I know drink beringer white zin. In her beaver creek vacation home. Lol
Post by Shreddingbetty on Nov 3, 2017 14:25:54 GMT -5
I have no idea how wealthy my friend is but her H is a speciality surgeon and she doesn't work. She put him through med school without working. Shes from Europe, goes back every summer for 3 months with her kids. She comes from money and has a bunch of property in Europe. When she is there she wears nothing but Gucci, Dior etc and a lot,of her friends are also very well off. When she is here she is mostly a sweatpants kind of a girl (but brand name at least). She's got glamour life over there and here she is down to earth. They live in a very modest house but drive nice cars. She flies first class to Europe every year. She is very cool though. One of my Other friends her H is a neurosurgeon and makes well over a mil a year (and our cost of living is relatively low). One of my non friends brags about her husband making a million bucks a year and flaunts her fancy purses and expensive cars/second homes in expensive ski areas. Funny thing is, one of my friends knows how much her husband makes and it isn't even close to half a mil (she knows this because she is a higher up at our hospital who sees a lot of the doctors contracts so she knows how much most of them make), that girl is a complete stuck up snooty bitch and likes to talk about her supposed wealth (not that they are poor by any means since her h makes about 350k a year but it is a far cry from what she claims plus why would you want to tell people that, whether it is true or not.)
One of H's best friends became a partner in a hedge fund and then "retired" at 32. He has since gone back to work part-time because I think he was a little bored. They don't live a flashy lifestyle at all, but they own two multi-family properties in Cambridge, MA in their mid-thirties with only one of them working a couple days a week.
Post by minionkevin on Nov 3, 2017 14:32:52 GMT -5
My FIL. Lucrative career then became a business owner in a lucrative field in "retirement". I think my H and I do pretty well, yet FIL makes over 5x our annual income at his main business (not including his other ventures, investments, etc.) by working only a few hours/month. Annoying. Tedious. Makes me roll my eyes and grit my teeth when I am in his presence. My MIL, may she RIP, was an excellent buffer because due to all our issues with each other before she got sick I never focused on how much my FIL grates on me. BUT he is very generous with my H and I and our kids.
ETA: I would not call my FIL down to earth. LOL for days. He likes to think he is an every-man, but for example he calls regular toilets, after having a Toto Washlet (bidet) installed in his home, "barbaric". I give him barbs about that all.the.time. He is a snob through and through, and luckily my H sees it and is the opposite.
Post by themysteriouswife on Nov 3, 2017 14:38:58 GMT -5
Our best friend. He just spent the last week in our office on an air mattress. Lol
His goal was to retire by late 30s. He retired nearly two years ago at 32. He was one of the very first employees of a large social media company where he acquired multiple stock options. He paid cash for his flat in a European country. He does not own a car or flashy items. He treats himself to a new phone once a year. He rarely buys new just to buy new. He will use the last drop of toothpaste before tossing it. FFS he picked an air mattress over a hotel he could easily afford.
He is the absolute most intelligent person I know. He is very giving and supports multiple charities. He is difficult to get along with if you don't know him well.
Post by nextbigthing on Nov 3, 2017 14:45:21 GMT -5
my former in laws. She was raised with money and was very flaunty about it. He was raised very poor and earned every dime they have and she spends it like it's going out of style. He's very basic and a pair of sweatpants and bowl of spaghetti makes him happy.
My parents have several friends with money, mostly self made in the oil business or as executives.
Post by darthnbjenni on Nov 3, 2017 14:49:53 GMT -5
That I have their phone number? Probably my dad. He works for our school district as the head of educational technology for over 75,000 students. He makes more than the governor of our state, but still less than $200k a year.
Hmm probably some family friends. He’s been CFO at a few major international companies. They have a huge house in an insanely expensive area outside of Toronto. Fancy clothes/cars/vacations etc. They are like second parents and their kids are like cousins to me. Wonderful salt of the earth people. Came from humble beginnings and have worked their butts off.
I have a friend who will be one of the richest people I know when she receives her inheritance. Her family has a massive agricultural business and her and her family all live on a multi million dollar ranch about 45 minutes from my city. She will be worth a TON later in her life. She’s always been around money and can be a bit of a snob, but I think that’s just her personality lol
My parents. It’s a combo of saving well and inheritance from my dad’s parents. They’re not flashy and I regularly tell my mom to splurge on herself. My dad will go to 3 grocery stores for deals, coupons, etc.
They weren’t always rich. I still joke with my dad that he used to buy generic soda.
They are both retired civil servant and lucked out with the awesome old pension system. My dad was the highest position a federal employee could be when he retired.
I don't know anyone who is really rich, but H's aunt is probably the person in my phone contacts with a good amount of money. She's a VP at General Mills. Her company car is an Audi SUV, and she and H's uncle live in an amazing house on a lake. But it's not a mansion or anything.
Unfortunately she's in the process of getting a divorce from H's uncle because she's an alcoholic who refuses to seek help, but besides that she's pretty cool.
My aunt and uncle. Both have only high school educations, but they managed to start and build a business that they eventually sold for around $55 million when they were in their 40's.
Both were super-hard workers--my uncle worked two full time jobs as a welder and my aunt used to get up at 3 a.m. to pack meals for my uncle, then go to work at her waitressing job at 5 a.m. for a 12 hour shift.
I don't know that I know any MEGA MEGA rich people. I have a few very well off family members and family friends but no one who is jetting around in a private plane or has a butler.
No longer a contact in my phone, but I went to high school with a girl whose family had armed guards (with intense weaponry) posted at the gates of the house and who would follow in unmarked cars because they were afraid of the kids being kidnapped and held for ransom. The family made money in arms dealing.
They started their own business and have businesses that branch from there but all tie in to each other.
They like nice things. Nice cars, expensive clothes, etc. The only thing not flashy is their house. I believe they bought that before all the money or at the start. They don’t see their lifestyle as flashy because itms the norm for them.
ETA: At meat one of their clients (turned friends) regularly takes them on all expenses paid vacations.
He doesn't pass the "phone test," but a guy used to work with who is an school "Microsoft Millionaire" and who currently owns a consulting company that seems to be doing alright. He lives on one of the area lakes with probably 200 ft of waterfront. In the summertime he sometimes gets bored on hot days and will post on FB to just "Come over and party and swim in the lake!" He also has at least two Teslas and his own small plane (and pilot's license). I've gone to his house once a few years ago when he specifically was trying to hold a reunion of our team, and it was a lot of fun. We have very different views on politics though, so... yeah...
My H is also friends with a bunch of people on the early retirement track and one of them just left on a cruise that was going to go down through the Panama Canal and end in Chili (I think), and then he was going to tool around South America for a few months before heading home, and only then because he had comic con tickets. (These people do pass the phone test for him, they have lunch about once a month, but I only vaguely know them.)