I worry about watching all my peers who make as much or less than me, and how they spend their money like they make 5 times more than me.
POLL: Do you ever experience wealth guilt?
- Thread starter alaskanseminole
- Start date
Not wealthy, not living paycheck to paycheck. Both the wife and I work steady jobs.
I had the privilege of going to college. I have the privilege of working a full time job. I once tutored a high school who had a 4.0 GPA and fill ride to Dartmouth. Her parents were deadbeats and she cooked for her little sister every night. She stayed local and went to a community college to stay near her sister. I had a single parent who worked two jobs, cared for me and my sibling, and got me started on the path in life. Saying every opportunity is available to everyone is complete bullshit, respectfully.
Have lived in starter house for 19 years, currently have 4 kids sharing two bedrooms in said house. Last two cars were purchased in cash as salvage rebuilds. Only sharing that for lifestyle context.
Do I feel guilty? Maybe sometimes? Do I feel very privileged? Yes.
I had the privilege of going to college. I have the privilege of working a full time job. I once tutored a high school who had a 4.0 GPA and fill ride to Dartmouth. Her parents were deadbeats and she cooked for her little sister every night. She stayed local and went to a community college to stay near her sister. I had a single parent who worked two jobs, cared for me and my sibling, and got me started on the path in life. Saying every opportunity is available to everyone is complete bullshit, respectfully.
Have lived in starter house for 19 years, currently have 4 kids sharing two bedrooms in said house. Last two cars were purchased in cash as salvage rebuilds. Only sharing that for lifestyle context.
Do I feel guilty? Maybe sometimes? Do I feel very privileged? Yes.
I have not felt guilty for what I have earned but often feel empathy for those with less. Living in an affluent suburb I always felt like the poor guy on the block until a couple weeks ago.
My no pic wanted to meet with a financial planner around some cash she has sitting in a savings account, figure out the immediate path with that money and future planning. She went to a big box place in town and laid out that we are debt free, our 401k amounts, our incomes, the cash on hand (immediate concern) and received the response "what are you doing here, what do you want, the game is over, you won". She was floored and explained that she was looking to do something with a 6 figure amount of cash and plan for the future as we still have up to a decade of employment ahead of us and will be receiving inheritances in the low to mid 7 figures in coming years. The answer again was "what do you want from us? Even without the inheritances you have won the game, game over, sit back and enjoy".
She walked out and we both realized that while we may not look like we are keeping up with the Jones' of our affluent community, we are obviously much more financially secure, if the local big box thought we won the game.
I then did, what I told her we should do in the beginning, and contacted a client of mine that is a boutique wall street investment house. Explained I knew we were small fish for them but is there someone I could talk to, given our business relationship. Connected with the head of their Chicago office, talked through our finances/plans/thoughts and it turns out we are a big enough fish to get in the door. He also did not have a lot of suggestions around our current efforts, everything looked firm but is putting a plan in place for the future influx of wealth.
This really opened my eyes as to just how debt strapped/unprepared for retirement America is. If I qualify as even a medium sized fish and have out paced my affluent community to date I am scared for those around me that think they are wealthy but are just getting by, not to mention those that truly are just scraping by.
My no pic wanted to meet with a financial planner around some cash she has sitting in a savings account, figure out the immediate path with that money and future planning. She went to a big box place in town and laid out that we are debt free, our 401k amounts, our incomes, the cash on hand (immediate concern) and received the response "what are you doing here, what do you want, the game is over, you won". She was floored and explained that she was looking to do something with a 6 figure amount of cash and plan for the future as we still have up to a decade of employment ahead of us and will be receiving inheritances in the low to mid 7 figures in coming years. The answer again was "what do you want from us? Even without the inheritances you have won the game, game over, sit back and enjoy".
She walked out and we both realized that while we may not look like we are keeping up with the Jones' of our affluent community, we are obviously much more financially secure, if the local big box thought we won the game.
I then did, what I told her we should do in the beginning, and contacted a client of mine that is a boutique wall street investment house. Explained I knew we were small fish for them but is there someone I could talk to, given our business relationship. Connected with the head of their Chicago office, talked through our finances/plans/thoughts and it turns out we are a big enough fish to get in the door. He also did not have a lot of suggestions around our current efforts, everything looked firm but is putting a plan in place for the future influx of wealth.
This really opened my eyes as to just how debt strapped/unprepared for retirement America is. If I qualify as even a medium sized fish and have out paced my affluent community to date I am scared for those around me that think they are wealthy but are just getting by, not to mention those that truly are just scraping by.
Thread TL;DR:
If I am wealthy, I earned it.
If you are poor, you deserve it.
If I am wealthy, I earned it.
If you are poor, you deserve it.
I guess I’m curious how you were able to live while maxing out your 401ks when people have bills to pay and not go on spending sprees. How were you able to buy any house to fix up? Seems like a big spending spree.
Not every person knows carpenter type work so they can’t flip houses.
Not all people can marry a sugar momma, and I’m not sure how you made millions?
Not to mention every person is different and has different skill sets. So to say everyone has the same opportunity is such bs. Let’s talk about professional athletes for instance. Not everyone has the opportunity to be a professional athlete some people without any sort of disability struggle just to walk without tripping.
I wouldn’t say that I hate poors
But I certainly wouldn’t be caught hanging out with any of them
But I certainly wouldn’t be caught hanging out with any of them
People feel guilty about their lot in life? I dunno, it’s whatevs. I’m a weird mix of free spirit, and down to business. I feel no guilt nor envy for the most part. Just a keep my nose down and grind kinda guy. Other peoples place in life doesn’t matter to me.
As a non-farmer, can you expand on some of this for me (I live in farming country now and am curious). Some assumptions are in my questions.
Was the 17 acres already planted and you just rented to remove at the end of the season or did you have to plant?
If he had not found someone to rent, it dies over winter and then.... ? He could just try again next year?
Im assuming this was a year to year rental?
You would need to have equipment and muscle to harvest? (hence your comment about borrowing other's equipment?)
What size team would you need to harvest 17 acres?
How small is the window to harvest?
Depending on the mix, do you separate or do you just go with the grass/hay combo? Not worth the effort to separate, no need?
Grass/hay used for winter feed for cattle? Livestock (Horse need very high quality right?)? what else?
What does an acre yield and what rate per/? do they sell for (range current prices) (answer per google 5-200 bales selling for $75-$90 ?)
Mixed grass/hay, doesn't need replanting, but did you(he) rotate the crop?
Does one get to a certain low yield point and then decide to rotate to alternate crop?
Are farmers usually pro or con on letting hunters access during the season? We have corn and soy here, Im going to likely miss this season but some of these crops draw them in. I never got around to door knocking in Colorado and have debated doing it here vs public land.
My grandparents farmed for much of my dads early life and into his 20s, but he went the academic route. I've seen our old land, but the new owners have changed it.
We can start a farmersonly thread if that keeps it out of this thread.
Ive been watching Clarkson's Farm and I find it fascinating.
Well even if you dedicate your entire life to a sport, in order to make the pros you also kind of have to win the genetic lottery too.
Maybe so, and I admitted earlier I likely used the wrong verbiage. I was at least attempting to have a discussion other than Trump/Harris. Do I at least get one free "like" for my effort?
I gave you one but don’t let it go to your head.
Sorta kinda. Born with the height and size gene and a certain aptitude (which can be developed)
But that is dependent on nurturing.
iirc, only 1% of football players actually make it to the NFL. I'd certainly have a back-up plan.
1% of football players make it to the NFL?iirc, only 1% of football players actually make it to the NFL. I'd certainly have a back-up plan.
If you start in youth leagues and go through high school and college that is correct.
I averaged it.
Only a small percentage of football players make it to the NFL. According to the NCAA, about 1.6% of college football players are drafted by NFL teams. This statistic becomes even more striking when considering the broader context: only around 0.08% of high school football players make it to the NFL. In other words, the chances of making it to the NFL from high school are extremely slim, highlighting the level of talent, dedication, and perseverance required to reach the professional level.
I'm not fabulously wealthy, but we live comfortably and do most anything we want to do/buy what we want. I'm paying my boys' way through college, so they'll have degrees with no debt. My parents did the same for my siblings and I.
What my wife and I have accumulated has come primarily from hard work and good decisions. We made a conscious effort to start saving when we were young, we've never been the type to need a new car every year. Shortly after we married, we bought a vacant lot & built a house on it; we still live in that same house 35 years later. We inherited a little when my parents died, though not a large amount as what they had was split 5 ways. I also would say that I'm at least partly responsible for inheriting what we did...while it was accumulated mostly through my dad's work, I joined his firm right out of college and helped grow that business into a much more profitable operation than it had been. Two of my siblings also worked for the firm for a while after college, but both left & went on to other work careers.
I've never been a big donor of money to my area, but I've always been generous with my time and efforts with various community organizations. I have a lot of sympathy for those who struggle, but I do not feel guilt for accumulating what I have.
What my wife and I have accumulated has come primarily from hard work and good decisions. We made a conscious effort to start saving when we were young, we've never been the type to need a new car every year. Shortly after we married, we bought a vacant lot & built a house on it; we still live in that same house 35 years later. We inherited a little when my parents died, though not a large amount as what they had was split 5 ways. I also would say that I'm at least partly responsible for inheriting what we did...while it was accumulated mostly through my dad's work, I joined his firm right out of college and helped grow that business into a much more profitable operation than it had been. Two of my siblings also worked for the firm for a while after college, but both left & went on to other work careers.
I've never been a big donor of money to my area, but I've always been generous with my time and efforts with various community organizations. I have a lot of sympathy for those who struggle, but I do not feel guilt for accumulating what I have.
