My grandparents never lived rich… my grandfather’s father did build a fortune in Long Island but most of it was lost during the 1929 crash and subsequent Depression. However, what they did do was save and invest and land values were inexpensive in the late 30s so they bought a house for $3K a few blocks from the bay. They always lived really modestly and volunteered, worked civil service type jobs, required all their kids to work after school and really just socked away every dime they could. When my grandmother retired, they bought a condo in Florida and became snowbirds. Our family still has that condo. After my uncle died (he was left the house for his lifetime), his brother sold it for over $600K. The rest of the Trust after my grandparents died was divided among the brothers and survivors of the ones that were already gone. They were never Hamptons rich though.
Comment on How do wealthy people know if the people they meet are wealthy or not?
starlinguk@lemmy.world 5 days agoI had rich grandparents and great grandparents and they didn’t do any of that. The only “rich” thing I remember them doing is going hunting.
Lucelu2@lemmy.zip 4 days ago
Seleni@lemmy.world 5 days ago
I mean, what’s mentioned in this thread is what rich people I know do. Plus saw a lot of it in Palm Beach.
exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 days ago
We probably need to talk about what one’s definition of “rich” is. I suspect the commenters in this thread are all over the place.
When I was growing up, my idea of rich was private schools and McMansions and overseas vacations and new BMWs for 16th birthdays, basically the kind of lifestyle accessible to only the top 5%.
But now, 20+ years later, I’ve been around 0.1%ers, desensitized to upper middle class stuff that the things I used to believe were signifiers of wealth barely register for me anymore. I’ve also been around descendants of former 0.1%ers who carry some cultural baggage from their families despite having “only” ordinary upper middle class income.
I read this thread and wonder where each commenter sits in how they evaluate richness.