[grecht]

Very interesting. This guy not only seems to attract rich people, but rich people who display their wealth. I wonder how "hard“ it is to live a fairly normal, modest life with that kind of net worth. Could you restrain yourself and not buy that Porsche?

It‘s hard to say if you‘re far away from being able to afford things like that, and content with it. It‘d surely weaken the problems with relationships they mention at the end.

[sho]

> but rich people who display their wealth

This is the key IMO. I know a few people who fall into various of the categories mentioned and, well, you wouldn't know it meeting them. The place they live is probably the only real tell besides maybe watches and acessories. Apart from the occasional splurge - weddings, the occasional destination getaway - they're pretty thrifty. They didn't get rich by throwing money around uselessly.

And that "perspective" concept doesn't really work that way in practise from what I've seen. If first class tickets were $70 instead of $7k i would never fly anything else, but people I know worth 100x more than me sure don't act like they are.

Like any group of people I don't think it's possible to draw these generalisations. Culture and individual personality plays a huge role. I also imagine the more you feel you have something to "prove" the more likely you are to engage in conspicuous displays of wealth, but for a large number of people that doesn't seem to be the case.

[fatnoah]

>They didn't get rich by throwing money around uselessly.

I've also had the privilege of knowing some people that fall into the categories from $1MM to $1B+. You couldn't tell which bucket they belong to just by meeting them. The down to earth guy who's just a dad to the kid on your soccer team, yeah he's worth $3 billion, but bikes everywhere. You son's best friends parents? They're normal, but have a 6k square foot home in the downtown area of a major city, but shop at Costco and only own one (nice, but used) car.

Agree that the flashy folks are the ones at the lower end of the spectrum. They've gotten some cash and are a) showing off and/or b) trying to enjoy it.

One of the biggest changes I've noticed (and have noticed this of myself as my career and income have progressed) is that you're aware that you are paying more for things, and therefore expect more. This definitely can create the appearance (and occurrence) of entitlement.

[gizmo686]

Its also not clear how easy it is to get that kind of net worth if you live a fairly normal and modest life. Lunch with the president is not just about bragging rights. If you are rich enough, it can pay for itself.

[corporateguy6]

I think basically entrepreneurship is your only shot. Finance maybe, but probably not

[mindentropy]

Is it possible to be this wealthy these days? The competition is so high it is very very difficult.

[ap3]

When has it NOT been dificult to be a billionaire?