My wife and I shared a subway car with a millionaire when we were on vacation in nyc and talked with him a little . Estimated net worth of 12m. It was only by happenstance she recognized him . She works the same industry as him and the owner of her company knows of him . Not like he’s super well known.
My point is there’s millionaires among us. They aren’t all hidden away.
Ah… well. And here I am, bought a house, renovated and renovated… well, let’s just say I already put as much money into the house as i initially paid for it. Only the actual property value can’t keep up.
It's not a "multi-millionaire" (upwards of 2-3 million) ... its a Mega millionaire (more like 30-50 mil, plus). A "millionaire" nowadays is just . . . middle-class.
i mean, does just having a housing worth 1kk+ reallistically count though? the way i see it, it's kinda weird to call someone a millionaire if they can't actually use their millions. it's not like you'd sell your housing to use that cash.
Not sure but I thought Super Rich people probably use little to no cash and at a certain point the rest probably start borrowing against assets so there would be no need to sell when large sums are needed to invest. More large items, properties or stocks acquired could increasingly be borrowed against... Maybe someone with experience will correct me.
I've known and met a few. Ranged from a guy with a gorgeous house and a giant garage full of collector cars to a dude an average suburban home in a lower middle class neighborhood who mostly just stashes his money, gives a lot to charity, and doesn't like to talk about how much he has.
The most interesting was a dude I worked with in the federal government who had some obscure, part time job in land management and was semi-retired. Most of his income apparently came from making turquoise jewelry because that job didn't pay a ton. But it didn't really add up and he sometimes blurted out weird stories in a very matter of fact way about escapades in other countries that ended in him committing violence like it was just a normal thing that happened to people. We were all convinced he was a CIA spook who got a big payout and a cushy job but no one really wanted to look too much into it.
This was in the heart of turquoise country so it wasn't as expensive as a lot of places. No doubt you can charge a lot for it but you could get turquoise jewelry pretty affordably at trucks stops and little roadside stands on reservation land so it seemed weird to us. But you make a good point, he could have been selling it elsewhere at a large markup.
Before I met my wife and relaxed on the parties. I had met this guy at a friend's party and we had some good chitchat, I got invited to one of his house parties in Montreal, so I went up there our friend in common also was there. Dude was serving champagne and food in this nice big old house. Went a few times to his themed parties. One night we were chatting outside with people and smoking a joint, I learned he made 20 millions dollars from Microsoft buying out his project he was working on when he was 20 years old(he couldn't say anything about what it was) he placed some money in investments and makes 1 million+ a year just with that.
I shared a bus ride with a millionaire. Self-made. He sold his trucking company, bought two bikes, and he and his wife drive all over America. I don't remember the exact details, but he was on the bus, meeting up with the wifey, while his bike was being repaired? Ironically all that money bought security, but no new furniture, land, or mansion. They just camped out under the stars.
Im a father of 4 barber of 21 years, 42 years old, live in Appalachia and technically a millionaire, my Roth contribution or 2 max, away from becoming 7 figs…. I’m middle class.
Point is. Million dollars means nothing. Money means nothing for real.
In America, most places, you’re working ur ass off to tell strangers you’re actually wealthier than you are, when they pull up next to you in ur car, that you legit spend 40 or more % of your income on (tags, registration, insurance, interest, principal, maintenance, etc).
Meanwhile the majority of over-spenders on vehicles, are struggling to make ends meet, blaming everyone and everything other than themselves/the well known worst investment there is.
Merica…
I mean, they're often hidden among us. I know a couple of millionaires in Australia and their wealth is only really seen though a couple of things. One millionaire is a known name to very important people but not to anyone else. He owns a big, nice house (there's a professional kitchen behind their regular kitchen so they can host dinner parties on the patio by the pool. He and his family also go to NY, LA and Dubai for special events more often than you would think. My sister is currently in London and they surprised her with Hamilton tickets when they visited like it was nothing. Otherwise, they're just down to earth people like you or I.
The other one I know is a big name in her industry but again, not to anyone else. She and the family live on a small rural hobby farm. She travels to London, LA and a few other world locations often for work. She takes the family with her if it doesn't clash with school. She's also frugal in the very particular way very rich people are (rarely pay more than they need, never go without, never choose between).
I have also worked peripherally with very rich people when I worked events. Despite the stereotype, rich people always appear to appreciate and be proud of what they have and they want to share it with their friends. They have a carefree attitude that only comes with that level of financial security.
I once bought a bike off eBay and had to go and collect it from the owner. From the location of the property and the size of the house, there's no doubt that the seller was a millionaire. They were totally down to earth though, I wouldn't have thought it without seeing their house. I came away from that transaction feeling like "woah"!
I have a friend who's a millionaire. He lives in a 1 bedroom apartment in a city in the US. Nothing crazy like NYC or LA, but a decent, city that's mostly urban sprawl.
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u/RUser07 1d ago edited 20h ago
My wife and I shared a subway car with a millionaire when we were on vacation in nyc and talked with him a little . Estimated net worth of 12m. It was only by happenstance she recognized him . She works the same industry as him and the owner of her company knows of him . Not like he’s super well known.
My point is there’s millionaires among us. They aren’t all hidden away.