Thread: Bill Gates: Being a billionaire is overrated

Originally Posted by Rain

Gates to students: Don’t try to be a billionaire, it’s overrated - GeekWire

“I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars, there’s a certain freedom, meaningful freedom, that comes with that. But once you get much beyond that, I have to tell you, it’s the same hamburger. Dick’s has not raised their prices enough,” he said, referring to the Seattle-area fast-food chain. “But being ambitious is good. You just have to pick what you enjoy doing.”

Thoughts?

My number is $100MM, of which give back 90% of it and live life to its fullest. My one item I want is the BMW 5 series, besides that travel and enjoy philanthropy.

Originally Posted by Money mania

My number is $100MM, of which give back 90% of it and live life to its fullest. My one item I want is the BMW 5 series, besides that travel and enjoy philanthropy.

Jeez man, you can get a nice used 550 for under 20k. Go get one now! Thats less than a camry.

X2 on the giving back part!

Originally Posted by Kak

Jeez man, you can get a nice used 550 for under 20k. Go get one now! Thats less than a camry.

Please excuse my mistakes, Im using tapatalk and a mobile device.

I think he means he wants the entire 5 series. Like, every model, every year, ever made.

All joking aside, why not simply make $10M and give away your time to philanthropic endeavors instead of your money?

I'm glad this turned into a thread about hamburgers, otherwise I fear I would have nothing to contribute!

Seriously though, many wealthy people seem to come to this conclusion, or at least that the benefit of being wealthy is not what you can do, but what you don't have to do. Usually something like "If time is money, then money is time, or it at least buys the freedom to own 100% of your time- the most finite resource we have".

This is what Sam Walton is reported to have discovered all too late while lying on his deathbed, right?

Originally Posted by Kak

Jeez man, you can get a nice used 550 for under 20k. Go get one now! Thats less than a camry.

X2 on the giving back part!

He wants the 5 series, the 5 series He gets. That's his dream car.
Everyone has cars that tickle their bones without having to be top of the line car.

At $100MM, I will pick the Lexus LS, A8, 7 series or S class over a Rolls Royce any day! In that order by the way.

Did not read the entire thread but skimmed enough answers to get a gist and offer a substantive opinion.

I did my first speech on Bill Gates in my Public Speaking class in college. Followed him rather closely in the mid to late 90's, so I may be a bit biased.

For the most part he is right. This is coming from someone who has never been a millionaire, but have six figured it before and legitimately am friends with millionaires.

I tell people all the time, humans needs have not changed for centuries: you want the ability to have food, shelter, clothing, and do what you want to do...without having to think about it!

Trust me, I am a frugal individual by nature, but have expensive taste, if that makes sense. Honestly, I ended up splurging on others before myself. As long as I could drive what I wanted, live where I wanted, eat where/what I wanted, wear what I wanted, and date who I wanted, WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT, I was happy. And it does not take a billion to do that. It does not take $100 million to do that.

There are exceptions, but, one has the ability to make between 5 and 15 million in a 4 year period, the wants and needs of the majority of human beings is covered.

Yeah i'd agree with him. You don't need to be a billionaire to own a private jet, a cool $100m will do, or even less, i don't know.

Actually know TWO people who have private jets and are certainly NOT billionaires.

Same with Yachts. Though you'll need decidedly more than $10m. But for that i can go on any cruise i ever want and fly any flight first class - and flights and cruises are so regular, like why even bother.

Some Arab princes, though, don't get bored of ridiculously extravagant luxuries.

I am really loving all these private jets and so pics.

Aiming for the private jet for sure and will be satisfy with nothing less than 100 million -- and in fact, if anyone reading this post has a private jet and wants to fly me to the Jamaica, in the Caribbean, next Monday evening and bring me back on Tuesday evening please send me a pm. It would be your charity work to me in support of a friend's event... thanks in advance.

And I am not joking on this one.

Do you see that these threads are a waste of time, this is mental masturbation.

Anyone else think Bill Gates is kind of a douche? I am not really all that interested in what he has to say.

Originally Posted by Kak

Anyone else think Bill Gates is kind of a douche? I am not really all that interested in what he has to say.

I like Bill Gates, Kak! I prefer a cooler billionaire like Richard Branson or Mark Cuban, but I think Gates is a nice guy. I'm going to keep trying to be a billionaire no matter how "overrated" he thinks it is though.

Originally Posted by Kak

Anyone else think Bill Gates is kind of a douche?

Not me.

I think he is one of the best salesman in humankind history.

If he was capable of getting the whole world to use his product, despite of it being mediocre and half-baked at best, then there are a lot of things I want to learn from him.

And then, when we all get to hate him for being obscenely rich, he goes and gives it all away.

Tough to beat that one.

He is more of an inventor than a businessman.

I don't hate him. I don't have a problem with anyone just because they are rich.

He did a good job, but I really have no interest in bill gates.

Hi. First time poster, long time lurker. Love this website. Plan on doing a formal intro soon but I thought this scene fit the thread good. Look forward to doing some future posts. Love this site.

I like making other people happy. I love taking less-than-fortunate friends out for a weekend of relaxation and no worries, and all it takes for their worries to disappear is usually a small amount as long as it is budgeted properly. I am not wealthy by any means, but I am completely debt free and value myself on money management. I could do a hell of a lot with $10 million. Like pay for a nice house, then pay myself $100,000 a year until the day that I die. I could live a perfect (to me) lifestyle on that salary.

At the end of your life, what the hell would you do with the left overs anyways? What is everyone's beliefs in leaving your money to your children? I think that would ruin their own ability and drive to learn, and get after it for themselves. I'd like to see other opinions on this.

Also, I'm definitely eating a burger for dinner today. Heh.

Originally Posted by cilaes

I like making other people happy. I love taking less-than-fortunate friends out for a weekend of relaxation and no worries, and all it takes for their worries to disappear is usually a small amount as long as it is budgeted properly. I am not wealthy by any means, but I am completely debt free and value myself on money management. I could do a hell of a lot with $10 million. Like pay for a nice house, then pay myself $100,000 a year until the day that I die. I could live a perfect (to me) lifestyle on that salary.

At the end of your life, what the hell would you do with the left overs anyways? What is everyone's beliefs in leaving your money to your children? I think that would ruin their own ability and drive to learn, and get after it for themselves. I'd like to see other opinions on this.

Also, I'm definitely eating a burger for dinner today. Heh.

I think Warren Buffet put it well:

You should leave your children enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing.