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.......and your friends do what?

kimberland

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The way parents react to our desire to accomplish more is almost like they think we are being greedy or unrealistic.

John,

I think that one of the major steps along the fastlane
is moving past caring what other people think.

I might get advice from a lot of different people
but I am the only person knowing what is right for me
so I'm the only one I really need acceptance from.

I tend not to explain myself to others.
Either they get it or they don't,
no amount of explaining will change that.
 
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yveskleinsky

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Since I am single with no kids some of my friends use that as the reason I alwasy seem to have some money (no debt other than RE investments and home). But yet they still have fancier houses and nicer vehicles than I do. They go on more elaborate vacations and go out to dinner (and put it on a credit card) more frequently. I will concede that because I have no dependents that it gives me an advantage, but I would think that if I had a wife and kids I would be even more driven and frugal so that my children would have a good influence and a financial leg up when they got older.

You would think more people would reign in expenses in order to provide a stable future for their family, but I think most people work to have a lifestyle and not security. It's easy to live a $300k a year lifestyle and only make a third of that- everything is financed. People focus only on monthly payments- which is great until they lose a job or rates change. Pointing that out tends to just anger people, and does little good unless they are open to new ideas.

...I also want to add that money is not a determining factor as to who I hang out with- it's the mindset that either attracts or repels me. I know several people who are just entering the fastlane way of thinking but are still broke- and that's fine. Their mindset is where we have common ground, and I could spend all day listening to people with great mindsets...that's why I'm here :)
 

AroundTheWorld

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Better yet, maybe we could create a commune on some of your land! lol!

I'm all for it! (as long as you don't mind long, cold, snowy winters!!

img_2566.jpg


img_2569.jpg
 

SteveO

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My friends are all over the scale of wealth. There are business owners, high income, low income, jobs for life... It does not matter to me. I have offered to help those that want to do something but most have no interest.

It is difficult enough to deal with my own family issues around money. My sister and children show interest, so I help them.

I like my friends for their shared interests in my social activities.
 
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Wolfgang5150

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PHXMJ wrote:
(I just don't take money advice from my broke friends!)

Isn't it funny? To me, this group is always the group that is either:
A: Complaining about money, and what the rich have
B: Unwilling to change what they do
C: Always trying to give others advice about money
D: All of the above.

I tend to have a similar pattern that PHXMJ does. Seems to work for me, keeps me grounded with one group; while the second group motivates me.
Unless asked for advice, I never talk about investments with the first group; it creates feelings of jealousy and akwardness.
Kevin S.
Orchard Park, NY
 

nomadjanet

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Most of my friends are fisherman or travel enthusiasts; I try not to find out what they do for a living unless they are compelled to talk about it. I like to ask when the last time they caught a Tuna or a Shark was. Have you ever been to Belize or Panama and listen to stories. Have you snorkeled the great barrier reef? (this is one of my things to do before I die things)
We do have a core group of friends from trade groups and we talk business with them but still try to talk about fun things more. The thing is we have friends in the plumbing business that have 20mil a year businesses and friends that are mom & pop shops just getting by so although we have many similar experiences the end result is very different. So instead of talking about business things we talk about the next convention and can you take an extra week to spend at the spa or on a cruise or hiking?
Janet
 

hawaiiloans

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It's starting to come to that point in life where I have to re-evaluate who my friends are. I have friends I've known all my life, but recently with the realization of wealth building, and my dreams are way beyond what they are looking for in life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm going to dump my friends, but I can sense we are growing apart.

Another thing is that the entrepreneur lifestyle is unknown to average people, so my friends really don't understand what I'm doing.
 
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EasyMoney_in_NC

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I think its easier doing the entrepreneurial thing when you're not giving up much in the first place. My success came from a slow messaging and learning process of something I had always had my hands in (Realestate). I didn't quit a great job making big money, to risk everything on an idea or dream. I slowly came to understand my surroundings and how to manipulate them and one day all of the pieces hit me and the rest is history. Luckily it was the right time, from an economic standpoint (low rates, low materials, limited competition etc) and I had become just mature enough to handle the forest I saw through the trees.

I hate being around people that gripe about jobs and having no money, but I think I understand where they're coming from. I'd just like to be around more people that don't gripe :D
 

Rawr

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I am lucky - I have one very good friend who is more ambitious than I and is actually working harder at getting there, I also have a good friend who is my age and has his own business. These people inspire me and it's great to hang out with them and mix business with pleasure.

The rest are all over the board - from people working 40hrs a week from the age of 15 (poor guys) to 22 year old guys with kids, to 19-20 year old married folk, to guys who see college = good job as the only way.

This is why forums like these are important. We cultivate connections and knowledge. There is nothing wrong about learning things from "strangers" online. People who criticize that are usually not smart enough to see the benefit.

On that note, Merry Christmas all.
 

Jason_MI

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My friends are all dead.

Really. All of my friends from the Army, whom I served with in Central America, Panama, and Grenada, have been killed. All of them became cops. One of them was killed during a traffic stop by a drunk driver; one disappeared in Katrina; one took his own life in Los Angeles.

My other friends are what they are. Life is far, far, far too short for me to judge my friends. I'd suggest everyone else do the same. From those that are involved in entreprenuerial endevaours, I seek to learn; from those that are not....those that work for others, I simply enjoy their company. Judging has become a thing of the past.
 
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yveskleinsky

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Damn dude- you are right on. Enjoy people for who they are, and don't hold it against them for who they aren't.

...I am so sorry about your friends.
 

ErikV10

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A lot of my friends who are my age or a bit older now works either part/full time. Most of them work at a grocery store. We used to hang out a lot but since all they do after school is work; I stay home, spends about 1-2 hours on the computer reading forums (including this one), dreaming, and reading more stuff about business.

Almost all of them don't have any goals in life. Once they see an opportunity for a good paying job, they go for it. Couple of them actually dropped out of school because they are now making money being a nursing assistant. Sitting at our lunch table everyday, all they do is talk money; how much they make per week, where they spend it on, etc. Long story short, they spend all the money they make.

Thank God I have a father who has friends with the same mindset as I do. Dad hosts a poker party every Friday night with a small group of friends. I hang out with them since most of their conversations are about businesses and making money which I like. I learn a lot just from listening to them and at the same time, it keeps me motivated. Best part is they treat me as a part of the group.

Friends are friends whether they are in the slow lane or in the fast lane. I hang out with both groups because there are times when slow lane friends can teach you something that fast lane friends can't (doesn't matter what kind of advice it is) or vice versa. :)

Erik G.
 

Yankees338

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Friends are friends whether they are in the slow lane or in the fast lane. I hang out with both groups because there are times when slow lane friends can teach you something that fast lane friends can't (doesn't matter what kind of advice it is) or vice versa. :)

Erik G.
Great point.

My two best friends are both pretty open-minded about at least listening to my ideas. They both know I want to be an investor and entrepreneur, so they're not surprised by what they hear. One of them, who's dad is a RE agent, doesn't care all that much about being financial well-off when he's older. He's more of a...I don't quite know how to say this while sounding appropriate...but he likes to have fun and doesn't really think about these things. However, there are still plenty of things that he says that really are true. He definitely isn't the smartest of kids, mainly because he doesn't care, but he knows his shit.

My other best friend likes to talk about this stuff with me. He's more of an intellectual than the other one and he'll probably end up owning his dad's successful business, so he likes to learn what he can.

In my opinion, it's best to have friends who will at least listen to what you have to say and that will give you their honest opinions. Having their varied opinions can be helpful, especially if they see things differently from you, because from their view, you might be introduced to something you may not have thought about beforehand. For example, I'd probably be considered a dreamer to most. A few of my friends are very negative and pescimistic about things and look at the realistic side of things more than I do. When I talk to them about ideas, I know they'll be honest, so their views will bring me down from the high I'm on and force me to focus on what I'll have to do if I want to make this a reality.

Most of my other friends, though, I just hang out with. Most of them are only 16 or 17, so they don't really care much about their financial future because most of them are already pretty well off. Usually, I'll just bring up a business-related topic I'm into and toss it out there as a feeler. If they bite, I continue talking more about it. If not, I just continue on about baseball and it's all good.
 
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