Had Lunch With Two Men Worth Over a Billion Each...

[1990C4S]

I have a billionaire just down the street from me. I've seen him out walking with his kids.

His house is a bit nicer then mine. And he bought the house next door ti him to make space for a helicopter pad.

Ho hum.

[motion]

Money is overrated. Why can't people learn this?

[MRM]

Did the guy with the Patek Phillipe watch's last name start with the letter V?

[aigel]

Originally Posted by vash

True story...not naming names..but i had the daughter of a HUGE software company in love with me in college. family was BILLIONAIRES. girl was ..well, she had an AWESOME personality. my friends still talk about it, and tell me i am an idiot. the cash didnt impress me that much..even back then. she was a great friend tho.

i could be on Ferrari chat!

Haha! Thanks for posting this. We'd miss you if you were over on the Ferrari side or even in the waterpumper / Rennlist sections of the web!

I'd like to be a billionaire, but definitely not by marriage. I guarantee you will be reminded throughout your life that you married into it. If not by the family at really inopportune times, then by outsiders. That Ferrari may only be half as fun then ...

G

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by motion

Money is overrated. Why can't people learn this?

You never see a hearse towing a U-Haul trailer...

[recycled sixtie]

I have heard it said that if you marry for money you pay for it for the rest of your life.

On the Suzie Orman show she says you should put people first before things and money. I would conclude from that if you put money and things first you would not have too many friends.

[scottmandue]

My best friend (since 4th grade) always wanted to be a millionaire, he finally worked his way up, got his own business and became a millionaire... now he wants to be a billionaire...

His brother in law works in the medical industry, he and my friend love going to Las Vegas to play black jack.

BIL gets invited to join some of his billionaire associates on a LV trip, he invites my friend to join them.

Long story short my friend told me it was the worst LV trip he ever went on... went to all the most expensive restaurants, stayed in the most expensive hotel suites...and the rich guys did nothing but piss and moan about everything and constantly try to one up each other.

[gprsh924]

Money is overrated. Why can't people learn this?

I agree that money isn't everything.

But it's what lets you have the house in CA and in Montana, and the 993, and the track bikes, and the ducatis as art, etc.

I'm not pursuing money, I'm pursuing experiences and memories. Had a blast two weeks ago skiing with 12 of my closest friends in UT for the weekend. But it damn sure wasn't free.

[pwd72s]

When I think back on my long life (I'm 69 now) some of the most pleasant memories didn't involve spending a lot of money.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by motion

Money is overrated. Why can't people learn this?

You seem like a nice guy so don't take this the wrong way, but...

When will rich guys understand how annoying that phrase is to the ordinary middle class guy struggling to make end meet?

[motion]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

You seem like a nice guy so don't take this the wrong way, but...

When will rich guys understand how annoying that phrase is to the ordinary middle class guy struggling to make end meet?

No offense taken.... and believe me, I am not rich. I strongly believe that if I didn't have 2 houses, a 993, a bunch of bikes, etc, my life would be just as good (or possibly better) as the one I have now. It would just take a different mind-set. Anyone can do it. It only takes a little practice.

I would add.... buying a $200K car and owning it for 2 years did absolutely nothing to improve my quality of life. I just use this example because for me, its the one thing that made me feel "rich" at that moment. In all honesty, selling it was a relief.

[pwd72s]

The more "stuff" you have, the more "stuff" you have to care for.

Choose your "stuff" wisely...

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

My best friend (since 4th grade) always wanted to be a millionaire, he finally worked his way up, got his own business and became a millionaire... now he wants to be a billionaire...

My grandfather died with a pretty significant net worth. 100% self made man with an 8th grade education, started and ran multiple successful businesses. Huge influence on my life. But I watched him throughout the years, and his endless pursuit of more kept him from enjoying what he had. He and my grandmother lived in a double wide, he drove beater cars, and even when he died at 82 he was still working 50+ hours per week. He had a long list of things that he wanted to do, but he was always "too busy" to do any of them. He died with enough money that he could have retired at 55 and spent the last 27 years of his life doing everything that he wanted, but the endless pursuit of more kept him from doing so.

I want to be successful, have plenty to retire on, and even some to pass on to my kids. But I don't want to die with regrets. You can't take it with you.

[M.D. Holloway]

While I am not rich either, I don't struggle the way some do. We have a nice home, live in a nice town and frankly have almost everything we want (save for my 996 TT, AWD Tip - which I shall have in the next year or 2).

The idea of having anymore wealth frankly doesn't really motivate me. I know the kids will go to any college they want, I know I will never really retire and I know my wife will always be taken care of.

Not interested in the millions or billions - seems like when you have that sort cash the ones that don't have it are prolly jockeying for position to get it from you, prolly can't really trsut anyone to be sincere and in order to get past that you befriend folk in that circle which in it self is a host of issues.

Its one thing being a freak, its something else being a freak with money...thats a whole other level of freak.

And yes Paul and Richard, the best times of my life were when I had nothing in terms of money or possessions...

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

The more "stuff" you have, the more "stuff" you have to care for.

Choose your "stuff" wisely...

Guns & ammo it is !

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

While I am not rich either...

.... the best times of my life were when I had nothing in terms of money or possessions...

Ditto! Now lack of money would certainly suck, but once your basic needs are taken care of...money does NOT equate to happiness imo. Some of the most miserable people I've ever known in my life were "obse$$ed"...sad actually. Easy come, easy go, and ya can't take it witcha....

Now I wonder if over on the Billionairesforum there is a similar thread titled:

Had lunch with THE LUBEMASTER yesterday...YOU wouldn't believe the questions he asked!

[vash]

this is a great song..and how us poor folk look at things. one of my favorite songs..

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by motion

Money is overrated. Why can't people learn this?

Well, money is certainly not overrated to those that don't quite have enough of it. Then it becomes everything. Time. Freedom. Everything.

Those that don't have enough money understand this. Those that have too much of it also understand this.

[nzporsche944s2]

Originally Posted by KC911

Now I wonder if over on the Billionairesforum there is a similar thread titled:

Had lunch with THE LUBEMASTER yesterday...YOU wouldn't believe the questions he asked!

Brilliant! Post of the week right there!

[speeder]

There is a scathing line in an episode of "Madmen", (a very good show), when Betty Draper catches Don for all of his duplicity and in some part of the conversation she says, "you've never understood money."

It's a put-down because she is from a family that has had wealth for generations and he is from extremely humble beginnings but has made it pretty big in the world. That, along with many other things, colors and affects the way that people relate to money.

I don't have any money but I understand it pretty well. What it can and cannot do for someone, and how one's experiences shape their perceptions of wealth. A capitalist society is driven by people's desire for more wealth and possessions and the world of advertising is tasked with making sure that we don't get lazy and forget this.

I can remember someone joking a long time ago about someone with new $$, (think lottery winner), and the stupid schit they spent it on. They were basically saying that when you see people from the ghetto or barrio get their hands on some loot, they tend to spend it disproportionately on flashy stuff like cars, jewelry and clothes. "It's like a bum's idea of how rich people live", is how they put it.

Obviously, there could be another long thread on this subject and I'm sorry for the mini hijack but we all know that security beats lack of same, good healthcare costs $$, travel and Porsches are not cheap, etc. I like money as much as the next guy but I also get to see what it can't buy on a continuous basis. Life is short, don't waste it...