Boy if you could only see my uncle, you would swear he came right from under a bridge somewhere. The clothes he has on are filthy and don’t look like they have seen a washing machine in months (actually ever). I think his boots are black but with the caked on mud, it’s hard to tell.
One would think he lives at the Salvation Army, but believe it or not, he is one of the richest men in Virginia aside from being one of its top real-estate developers.
The media have it all wrong when trying to depict the typical millionaire. They are way off the mark on this one. Your typical millionaire wouldn’t make for exciting tv anyway. The truly rich don’t live in castles, drive expensive cars, or hang out at the Playboy mansion.
They are just a little to smart for that. I’ll never forget the day my uncle told me, “Being wealthy is not about how much you make, but all about how much money you save.” Millionaires loathe car payments and you will be hard pressed to find one driving a new vehicle.
A few years ago, I went to a party my uncle had thrown for his friends in Lexington, VA. I never saw so many rich people in all my life. If I had to add up the net worth of those in attendance, I’m sure it would surpass over $200 million easy.
When I arrived at my uncle’s house, I thought I was at the wrong party. Judging by the cars parked out front, you would have thought you were at an old ladies bridge game. The latest model was a 1999 but most of them were from the 1980’s. They weren’t flashy and all had factory rims. You couldn’t pay me to believe all these guys were millionaires. When I asked a few of them about their choices, they said that upkeep and performance were the two main factors in making their decision regarding automobiles.
You would think that most millionaires lived in mansions overlooking the sea, but the truth is most stay in relatively modest homes in nice neighborhoods. The average price being around $250,000. They also own these houses outright with no mortgage or debt.
Most of the millionaires I talked to opted to never wear suits (look at my uncle). They prefer overalls over Armani suits. Most of these guys work in their underwear and when they leave the house, anything goes. In 20 years, I have never seen my uncle wear a suit(no kidding).
To bring it all home:
Copy the lifestyle and habits of a millionaire and you will be one.
Ironically, the richest people I know are also the cheapest ones. Don’t get me wrong, they have fun but they just live well below their means.
Conversely, I watch out for people driving expensive cars and living in lavish estates. Sure, some of them are rich, but most of them are out of their league and trying to keep up with the Joness.
Millionaires are just a different lot of people. They think different. They act different. They spend different. They are different. Just like my uncle used to say, “In order to lead the band, you have to turn your back on the crowd.”
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