Blimey, HOW MUCH??? something that’s less useful than Sheldona’s extra top-tube…

noteeth – how much

Are they still in the original packaging? 8)

All of what you say is fair enough. Can we probe it a little.

Now, suppose that your income from your investments produced $500million per year. In all seriousness, how much of that would you give away for malaria prevention or whatever?

Say you gave away half of it. That would be pretty generous and enormously philanthropic of you. That gives you an income of $250million to spend on whatever you want. Suppose you want to buy your special lady something lovely. You aren’t (all elese being equal) going to buy it from Elizabeth Duke, or even Tiffanys. You might end up spending an amount which, right now, you regard as insane, but which would be proportionnate to your disposable income.

Perhaps, rather than spending the rest on yachts and models you spent it on doing a masters degree in philosophy and buying fine art, mature brandy and racehorses.

What I am really interested in, I suppose, is at what point you start to regard spending money as demonstrating that the spender has lost track of their humanity. 🙂

If I were to ever ‘earn’ £500 million a year, then I would have more money than I would know what to do with. Therefore, it would be foolish, in my mind, of me to keep all but I needed to live comfortably.

What is ‘comfortable’? I spose there’s as many answers, as there are people. Possibly a little bit more than I am now.

I dunno. A million quid a year? £100,000 should surely see you right, no?

As for buying trinkets; something nice, yes. something made specially. Needunt cost £5 million. Surely, you can get something really nice, for a few grand?

Sorry, I just don’t value material things in that way. I live without them now, I could live without them even if I were fabulously wealthy, I’m sure. Whether or not I would want to, is another matter. Can’t answer that, as I’m not (and never likely to be) in that situation.

So, I feel that I’d be more likely to give £499 million a year, to charitable causes.

Or maybe help fund the Lympics… 😯

Suppose you want to buy your special lady something lovely. You aren’t (all elese being equal) going to buy it from Elizabeth Duke, or even Tiffanys.

Damn right – Chain Reaction, here I come! 😳

spent it on doing a masters degree in philosophy

😯 😯 😯

Anyone who has studied philosophy will know that this is the educational equivalent of putting bamboo under your fingernails.

Alright, imagine that, instead of the $500million hitting you in a lump then your income increased gradually without you having to work.

You could get used to a steady increase perhaps? A slightly nicer flat to begin with? A rather better bike. A lovely sculpture that a friend had made? If you had slightly more each year you would (reasonably enough) have confidence that your personality was robust enough that wealth wasn’t changing you, and that your standard of living was not excessive. Even easier if you have a wife and kids I reckon, or an aged mother to look after.

I know people who do not really take on board the fact that being hit by the lastest 50% tax rate will mean they are in the top 10% of wealth of all the humans who have ever lived.

I agree that it is hard to see how one gets into the position of thinking that a blue diamond is a very good buy or indeed a bargain. I’m just basically not convinced that someone who can afford it spending that sort of money if they have it indicates insecurity or inadequacy any more than you spending your modest means on things not actually needed for subsistence, or me spending an equivalent percentage of my slightly greater means.

🙂

if i owned the original rough cut diamond at circa 26 carats i’d be asking lot of q’s about the other 19 carats….

kinda typical for cutting losses TBH.

A major factor in feelings of unhappiness (among rich and poor) in any given society is inequality of wealth. I propose world communism as the answer. Obviously I’ll look after the diamonds to stop squabbles.

Duntmatter; you could encrust the Blackpool Tower, with them. Glittery..