I don’t mean just ‘wealthy’. There are, in my opinion, two types of rich: Wealthy, and really insanely rich.
Wealthy, in my opinion, is ‘not middle class but still keeps track of how much you spend’, etc. Example: my roommate, who’s (divorced) father is a doctor who rakes in over 100K per year. He pays for 80% of her 40K/year tuition with no financial aid, and while it’s not a strain per se, it’s still a significant expense. He goes to Jamaica several times a year, though apparently stays in the ‘low-end’ tourist places.
Really insanely rich (for lack of a better term) includes, in my eyes, people who can spend, say, 40K a year and not ‘feel’ it, at all. Flying first class simply because it’s more comfortable, going on tropical vacations several times a year and staying in what the guidebooks classify as “$350/night and up” places, etc.
So - know anyone like that, in that second category?
Not that I’m, y’know, procrastinating on my final papers or anything…
• Kay Kendall’s sister, Kim, who married well twice. When I was writing about Kay, she hooked me up with her Truman Capote Swan friends, who live in East Side townhouses and winter on the islands. Unfortunately, none of them hooked me up with their sons . . .
• Dear Livvy De Havilland, who lives in Paris and could buy and sell us all.
• David Crane, co-creator of Friends, who could buy and sell Livvy De Havilland.
• Les Wexner, founder of The Limited (I used to work for him, back in the '80s).
My wife is a real estate agent. She sold a house awhile back to a couple who she wound up getting along really well with. They’ve had us over to the house a few times, and we’ve become pretty good friends.
Oh, the house they bought? Well, then were in our area because their boat is docked at a local marina. They happened to be driving by this house since it’s very close to that maria, and they thought “what the heck, let’s pick up another house so we’ll have a place near the boat, too”. Yeah, they bought a million-dollar waterfront on a whim, and paid for it up front – no mortgage.
I dated a girl who’s dad was the president of an oil company. She could do her artist thing and her folks kept her living in a rather comfortable life for someone in their 20s. Kind of last track of her. Nice, but odd…
Yeah, this guy I row with is an EE with several patents. He’s loaded but lives fairly modestly. But he doesn’t have any problems donating $15,000 to the rowing club so we can buy a new boat and name it after his mom. Or just up and buying a brand new Jaguar to show his support for the Brits because they backed us in Iraq. (he’s also very conservative)
But, on crew trips, he’ll pack into the vans with the rest of us and crash on the floor of the hotel room. He doesn’t really have extravagent “rich” behaviors…
I have a friend who inherited $20 or 30 million from his grandfather. Got it all in one lump when he turned 21.
I’ll go over to his house (he also has a couple of apartments around town) and we’ll be looking at the new Guitar Player or Modern Drummer magazines (since we’re both musicians). There’s always an add or a review for the latest greatest guitar/drum set/electronic gadget. I’ll say “Check this out”, and he’ll say “Let’s go get one!”
We’ll drive to Guitar Center (or whatever store has it) and he’ll drop 5 or 6 grand without blinking an eye.
This happens A LOT.
And of course, he’ll fly anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat if the mood strikes because HE CAN.
He gives away about $75K per year to his grandkids, children, nieces, nephews, etc, has an endowment or scholarship of some sort at a Canadian university, regularly goes on around the world tours, etc.
He lives in one of those senior type condos and pays $4600/month for the privilege, etc. Buys a new town car every year, etc.
He has slowed down in recent years, as he’s 91 and the traveling is getting a bit too difficult, but yah, he’s got a boat load.
My great aunt is in the same boat, but tends to be a bit more frugal. Her home out on the west coast was valued at 3.5 million or something. She would purchase a home for me and pay me a salary (allowance?) if I were to move to her city (well, the city her property is closest to).
I have a great aunt and uncle who are loaded. My uncle is, well, “connected” if you know what I mean. They own homes in seven states and in Italy, they have a helicopter, and their dogs have nannies.
Thay also haven’t any children. I asked my gram (when she was alive) whether I could coerce them into adopting me, but was told they’re leaving everything to charity.
I once worked for a fairly well-known Southern California billionaire. He hired me personally and I worked in a small group for his charitable foundation.
One of my husband’s best friends is the CEO and founder of a successful chain of restaurants. I don’t know if he could drop 40k and not feel it right now, because they recently bought a two million dollar fixer-upper and completely remodeled and redecorated it.
I know a famous movie actor that you all have probably seen many times. He’s got more money than I could spend in two lifetimes. I don’t see where he lives a super-extravagant lifestyle, but he wants for nothing, and has invested well, and his wife and daughter will never want for anything, either. He is very, very down-to-earth and sociable and very smart. And it costs a chunk of change to live in the Hollywood hills with a view of the whole city out your back balcony window. For him, it’s pocket change.
My bachelor uncles are multi-millionaires. They bought a bunch of land in Destin, FL back in the 70’s and have been selling it off, piece by piece, for years. They will never hurt for money, but they don’t spend it on a lot of luxuries (example: they both drive Lincoln Towncars, but they have had the same cars for about fifteen years). They are very active in the Catholic church and do a lot to keep the local churches going (Catholics are by far the minority in their area, and sometimes the very small churches need help to keep running). They run a food bank and things like that. Great guys.
A former student, who is literally by anybody’s standards, objective or subjective, one of the most drop-dead-gorgeous human beings who ever lived (I’ll never forget being at a swimming party where there was LITERALLY an audible mass-gasping when he took off his shirt and pants to swim) is the son of an evangelist but drives a $100K Mercedes convertible and talks about jetting to the Bahamas for the weekend or flying to France over the weekend. I’d thought that his father must be a Benny Hinn type, but nope- small church in Georgia. Finally learned the family secret: Grandpa was the owner/creator of Dukes of Hazzard til last year and the family is worth gazillions and gazillions (especially now that Grandpa has sold the series).
The most irritating thing about this kid: not only is he gorgeous and richer than Gawd, a frat-boy and a jock and reasonably intelligent, but he’s also one of the nicest human beings you’ll ever meet (deeply religious yet completely non-judgmental on the gay-thing or the abortion-thing, always willing to lend a hand or a muscular wonderful back…).
Anyway, he’s probably the richest person I know. My sister’s a multimillionaire but I won’t count her as she’s neurotically stingy (she not only will travel miles out of her way to find cheaper aluminum foil than the local grocery store, but she’ll literally re-use it til it’s falling apart; she also feeds dogs from her fork and then continues eating with the fork, which has nothing to do with stinginess but is just weird as hell and I felt like mentioning it).
I work for someone who is insanely rich, as in more than $500 million net worth. This means:
Charges $30,000-$100,000 per month on credit card; pays in full each month.
Private jet usually; or first class on commercial. Only flies coach on very short hops (shuttle) where there’s no first. He almost bought a Gulfstream recently but decided not to.
Main house worth $15MM or more, two vacation homes in the $5MM range each (all paid for in cash - no mortgages). Two boats.
Three private golf memberships at about $100,000 each. Paid in cash.
Expenses for running three homes run about $30,000 per month. This means landscaping, gardening, housekeeping, repairs, maintenance, security system, caretakers’ expenses.
Real estate taxes for all three homes are well over $100,000 per year.
Not too concerned about cars. Has a nice Audi, a Mercedes SUV, a minivan, and an ancient Isuzu, spread out between the houses. All paid for in cash.
Yes, he’s very rich. All self-made; turned $8,000 borrowed dollars into the $500MM.
My sister and her family down in Texas are somewhere between the two categories. She’s an MD (Rheumatology) in private practice and he’s an upper-middle manager for Shell Oil. Their 7500 square foot Georgian Colonial originally belonged to an oil baron and had also been the city art musuem. They and their two boys routinely spend Christmas in an Aspen ski lodge.
Not directly, but Mr. S and I have a circle of friends in common with Tracy Porter and her husband John, and we occasionally run into them at parties and gatherings and say hello. I am given to understand that they’re bazillionaires, as well as both being former models. Yet they are as nice as can be.
I never understand why people are hesitant to say that “I met so-and-so in some undefined way and she is a great gal.” What, she’s gonna find out and be pissed?
I casually went out with a very wealthy fellow once, many years ago, and it was an eye-opener. His family lived on an exclusive island in Key Biscayne, Miami. His area neighbors included at least one of the Brothers Gibb.
I had another relatively wealthy boyfriend (LTR) a few years ago. All his shirts were tailored and monogrammed in Japan, and his family owned a vacation home on the Italian Riviera. OTOH, he was entering a decidedly middle-class professional path (college professor) himself.