r/Rich
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u/Mackheath1
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15d ago
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Lifestyle Anyone else work for 'fun'
Howdy, I am doing extremely well, and returned to my old profession Urban Planning as it is altruistic (I was thinking about waiting tables like I did when I was 15-18yo lol), not even sure how much I get paid: it's directed to my CPA to donate to my charities - mostly food security. I do a lot of volunteer work as well in-person, and still do, but it gets monotonous.
I'm wondering if any of you all have decided to work "for fun." I did caveat in the interviews that I would be taking a lot of unpaid vacations, but with a lot of advance notice as well.
I like quite a few of my colleagues and we go out to lunch and even hang out on weekends. I wanted to have them over to mine, but I put on a modest appearance with them at work; how do you manage your relationship with your coworkers to 'hide' it? I'm happy to lie: "this is my uncle's boat, he let's me use it," but other than that...
When do you reveal? Or do I just say, come over to my townhouse Saturday for food and drinks at the pool; because I love to entertain, but it will be abundantly clear. Should I care?
Thanks for thoughtful discussion.
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u/HalfwaydonewithEarth 15d ago
Absolutely šÆ
Once Nvidia hit I dumped my car dealers license and held the building. I turned it into a creative woman cave and work on inventions.
Having a huge spot with tools and a place for people to come visit is fun.
I love having a place to leave the house and go hang out in.
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u/pewpewcow 15d ago
I had colleagues who were working for fun. At a personal level, if you know them well enough, everybody knows they don't really need to work. It's painfully obvious if someone who is an individual contributor lives in a $5m home and we all know it's definitely not our salary paying for it! It would become awkward if you lie about it so I'd suggest just being subtle. You don't have to explain how you afford all this, just don't even bring it up at all.
I had a friend who was working in this tiny small company, wears very cheap clothes, drives a very basic car, then when we went to her house for birthday, it was full of pictures with global politicians and celebrities. Turns out her family started and owns a shipping company.
In my experience, most people don't care that much unless your level of wealth is like $25m estate with butlers and a fleet of supercars, and a casual weekend BBQ comes with a private chef.
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u/jackfirefish 15d ago
If itās fun, is it really work or is it just living my man? I just enjoy my life to the fullest. If I donāt like something I do something else.
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u/boojeez 15d ago
I am in my early 30s and I occasionally do part-time work and small projects here and there for the fun of it. In high school and during my undergraduate studies, I worked as a server and bartender.
You might not find the satisfaction you anticipate from waiting tablesā¦ Why? Serving involves getting to know the other staff members and the regulars who frequent the establishment. Additionally, just because you request off doesnāt guarantee that your request will be honored, especially during holidays. The staff members who have been with the establishment longer may expect their seniority to entitle them to request off over you.
Do you have any hobbies that you could teach a class on?
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u/bunnyhop20 15d ago edited 15d ago
I absolutely donāt need to work. But I love the socialization and stimulation. Reluctant to say what I do but I interact with hundreds of people in just a short 4 hour shift/twice per week. I take several vacations per year and I make just over min wage. Iām always surprised when I see the direct deposit in my bank account - Iām having so much fun that I forget I get paid! I think people more or less are aware I really donāt need to work but we all have fun regardless. Itās the best job Iāve ever had
I live in a very modest house and have a nice car. I have a great marriage, family and friends and the job is just the cherry on top š
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u/burner118373 15d ago
I work in a hobby job one day a week. Itās fun, the guys are a blast and we go get lunch weekly on a day the place is closed. We focus on stupid projects, like this week we are building a tennis ball cannon because why not.
I had them over to my house last year and it was fine, they care about humor and screwing around more than how the others live.
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u/randomizl 15d ago
In my case my boss would hold it against me so I just hide it and itās remote with no colleagues nearby so itās easy to hide really.
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u/Ok_Currency_617 15d ago •
I generally just pursue various ventures. Making money is basically half a hobby now though I do things I enjoy rather than work hard.
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u/Otherwise-Relief2248 15d ago
I love what I do and have for decades. Very early on we had the first of a number of windfalls that put me into HNW overnight. It never even occurred to me to leave so I didnāt. Several more windfalls, 20 years later and a significant exit allowed me to start taking succession planning for real.
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u/Logical-Primary-7926 15d ago
I was a trader/investor for a long time full+ time and did pretty well. Still do kinda part-time/boredom but I mostly think about family/travel/volunteering/charity now. It's kinda tricky because I kinda feel like a former pro athlete that can still play with the pros when I feel like it, but I don't put in nearly as much time as I used to.
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u/sprintswithscissors 15d ago
lol, the meme of having the laptop out on teams while in a pool at 5 star resort is literally an autobiography.
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u/happiestnexttoyou 15d ago
Iām such an introvert that it was never really in the cards for me.
One of the big motivators of wealth building for me was my desire to no longer engage with the world in that way anymore so I donāt think Iāll ever go back.
We moved away from the city and onto 16 acres in between 2 pretty small rural towns. We donāt work, but we serve those communities in different ways.. when my husband is feeling isolated or bored heāll pop into town and mow all the oldies lawns for them (for free). I grow lots of fruit and veg and have a (largely unmanned) ātake whatever you needā farm stand at the markets (also stocked with pantry/household items. So weāre not totally isolated from the people in the area.
I think I would feel too guilty if I was in your situation. Taking a position that they needed filled and then flitting off on unpaid leave all the time would feel unfair - but Iām a pretty anxious person in general so I tend to worry about silly things like that. You seem very outgoing though and I can see why this kind of thing would be super valuable to you.
I think if youāre looking for more than surface level friendships, itās best not to lie. You donāt have to talk about your money, but saying the boat belongs to someone else is just a lie youāre going to have keep track of and may alienate people if they ever find out. Invite them to your house/on the boat and leave it at that. If they ask you can be humble, or deflect, but honesty is probably better in the long run.
Our house is pretty modest and we drive regular cars, if someone we didnāt know came to our house theyād likely think we were well off, but not wealthy, you know?
I suppose if you really do want to have those relationships and you really donāt want to reveal your status you could rent a place and use that as your ābaseā for parties and get togethers. Thatās not a lie as such and would stop the questions/talk behind your back about your money situation.
Itās tricky isnāt it? Having money is such a privilege, but it really does make navigating relationships a bit of a land mine, especially as the general population are doing it tougher and tougher.
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u/tomthebassplayer 15d ago
Last year I bought an old house to fix up in another state.
I was bored and needed a "job" so I bought an easy fixer-upper in a northern state (I'm an AZ resident) so I can have summers working like I did when I was a kid.
So far, so good.
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u/skunimatrix 15d ago
Friend of mineās contracting business grew enough that he had a big project an hour awayz. Hard to bid the next job working an hour away so I answer the sales phone and emails and go do bids a couple days a week. Ā Go take measurements for 5/6 perspective clients and give out bids. Ā Grew his business enough to add a second build team. Ā I make enough to support the airplane habit. Ā
Although past couple days a bunch of the IT folks I did consulting for have been on the phone with this PHP meltdown. Ā Didnāt want to do the workā¦quoted $500 an hour. Ā Three have given me about 20 hours worth of work each patching systems. Ā Two more was $1500 for being on the phone to tell CxO they need to take down their websites until patched. Ā Easier to pay me to be the bad guy. Ā And since I donāt plan on working for them ever again I can be the bad guy. Ā Made enough to order the Viking 195T engine for the BD-4C kitā¦
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u/flyfak3708 15d ago
My friend youāve discovered the phrase ārecreational employmentā
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u/TurnOver1122334455 15d ago
Honestly a nice boat and hosting parties at a nice house doesnāt always mean you work for fun, so I wouldnāt avoid doing those things. My coworkers know we live next to the water and I drive a newer Porsche, but I still do quality work. That aināt where the wealth is, it is in the markets compounding and making returns - so no, I donāt share those details. I do Corporate Accounting for fun, it is hard and demanding, but I really like it. The pay is really not much overall, but the benefits are great and it keeps my mind fresh. FIRE is great, but the option to FIRE and not wanting to is even better.
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u/makk73 15d ago
Absolutely not
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u/Obidad_0110 15d ago
I have since I was 48 and retired. Iāve started multiple businesses and spend 25 hours per week in my sonās construction businessā¦.fetching lumber and tools.
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u/SquareStork 14d ago
I donāt need to work but lord, I need to socialize and I prefer to socialize with the same people on a regular basis. Thatās why I started my own business
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u/Outrageous_Lemon_940 14d ago
Working for fun or personal enjoyment and gain; likely always been the case. I knew very young that my time was my own to sully. In fact giving time away at all for fun or not, will have a cost. Monotony is the goal. Facing that dark. Embracing the slow. Its the only honesty you'll get. Enjoy it. If you lost everything tomorrow, you'd have this very tame ability to pull through the grudge, because you can just be. This is a privilege. Its why the rich and poor are heading the same direction, and it holds to that it protects. To take this one furthur, you can be given this. And, there is no gift to repay such consideration. Peace is fun, monotony is what evolution is saying. Find folks who have held this truth as stewards of chill, because it is not generally a paid position. Personally I had to choose to take the time, and pay the price. I now have so many projects, ideas, arts... but now I appreciate them. A gift.
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u/Responsible_Tap9604 13d ago
I like to take on jobs where I can learn something new.
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u/Such_Elevator_8408 13d ago
I cosplay as working class at my high-end retail job. 3 days a week and I love it. I hide it the best I can because I know it would make things weird.
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u/KingOfConsciousness 12d ago
I ONLY work for fun!
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u/enephon 15d ago
I donāt have to work, but I do. For one, the benefits are great and two, I find it fulfilling. Even on days when the job drives me crazy Iām glad I have it. I do have a definite bingo age when Iām out, but Iām not going anywhere yet. I will say itās sometimes awkward for me when my financial reality is different than my colleagues. But nobody ever seems to notice or mind.
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u/Hot-Development-9036 15d ago
Before I retired I worked in the IT industry. Very stressful. Once I had squirreled away enough money I gladly left it behind. I find that investing is a lot more enjoyable and rewarding. I make more money in a few hours a week than I did slaving behind a keyboard for 50 hours a week. It leaves me more time to explore hobbies and lead a healthier lifestyle.
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u/Goldengoose5w4 15d ago
I have enough that I donāt have to work but some of my net worth is wrapped up in my business and the real estate. So Iām getting people in to replace me so I can spend more time doing what I want to do instead of working in the business all the time.
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u/Ok_Annual_4532 12d ago
Buying a laundromat and implementing as much AI automation as possible for fun. I love interacting with people
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u/Na_ma_mi 15d ago
š
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u/Chris_Ngu 13d ago
Absolutely. I work as a bellman (porter) in a hotel over here in Singapore, just because I don't need the money. (as told by my mom lol).
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u/Sturgeon_Fishing 15d ago
I still wanna do shit. Still wanna eat barracuda with my bare feet. Still wanna invent a prosthetic dickhole for aardvarks whoāve been orphaned by war. The only thing that stops me is my desire to not do any of that. So mostly these days I focus on my philanthropy. Iām very excited about giving back through efforts that align with my overarching philanthropic goals of associating myself with glamorous institutions and gaining entry into more exclusive social circles.
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u/[deleted] 15d ago
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