Wealth Is Quiet. Rich Is Loud. Poor Is Flashy.
Loud money can have undesirable consequences.
While attending a work function a few years ago, I met an odd human.
The guy was a few levels higher than me on the corporate ladder. I wanted to chat with him to get a different perspective on our company. “What do you think about our biggest client’s latest move?” I asked.
What followed was 20-minutes of conversation torture.
Instead of talking about business, he went off on a huge tangent. He told me about the massive house he lived in that had the best home automation you’ve ever seen. He explained how the light would turn off for a movie and the blinds would suddenly shut. The automation saved him 30-seconds or so, but that wasn’t the point. He didn’t spend $100,000 on home automation to save 30 seconds — his time isn’t that precious.
The home automation is a status symbol. He paid all that money so he could brag to strangers like me at work functions and impress them.
Frankly, I didn’t give a shit about his oversized home automation. In two years it will be out of date and probably worth peanuts anyway. This man is the loud kind of rich.
There are three levels to money (courtesy of Wealth Director on Twitter).
