Reply #151: are you people really sure you're talking about genuine "wealthy people?"

[mainer]

Because there are a lot of faux wealthy people with Rolexes, mansions, fancy cars -- and up to their eyeballs in debt. They're worse than worthless on paper.

Most people are completely fooled by who the wealthy really are. They think Mr. Jones with the big house is rich -- and don't realize that Mr. Buffett (in the same house he's lived in for 30 years) is worth a hundred times Mr. Jones.

Here's my experience with the wealthy (and in Maine, we have a lot of them, many of them summer people.) They dress down. Way down. Jeans and frayed shirts. They drive trucks or Priuses. They don't like to advertise the fact they're wealthy because it only invites solicitations. They like to grow their own vegetables. (In fact, some of the wealthiest people I know -- I'm talking folks who are worth 100 million or more -- have dreams of being organic farmers. They want to be known as "regular folks," even though they know, in their hearts, they never will be accepted as such. Yes, they may fly first class, or they'll own big spreads of land, but I don't know a single one who owns a mink coat, and they never wear expensive jewelry because it's just an advertisement to be hit up for money.

Rich people are uncomfortable talking about their money and investments, so that's why they often end up hanging around with other rich people -- because then the topic can be discussed frankly and openly.

Honestly, the folks who spend a lot of time telling you about how much money they have, or buying fancy stuff and flaunting their wealth, are often only wannabes. And if you think they're the rich ones, you're just snookered. Because you don't know the secret lives of the truly wealthy.