# Is 'Rich' a dirty word?



## SeanATL (Apr 6, 2007)

Woz the Painter said:


> This shows that you can have all the money in the world and you could be extremly nice or the biggest bastard in the world.


And....there's no difference between this and a poor bastard who's the nicest guy in the world or the poor bastard who's a complete jerk.

There is nothing about having money that makes someone inherently nice or not nice.

Some people are good people, some people are not.....their financial situation rarely determines which they are.


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## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

Woz the Painter said:


> This shows that you can have all the money in the world and you could be extremly nice or the biggest bastard in the world.


or maybe he got tired of waiting for you to actually stand behind one of your ridiculous statements


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## ruskent (Jun 20, 2005)

Mike Finley said:


> LOL, I understand. The best kept little dirty secret to creating a successful business is simply knowing how to create a successful business. It doesn't really matter what the business is. Only tradesman believe their trade knowledge is the most important thing they need. A business owner realizes that all trade knowledge can be paid for on an hourly basis.
> 
> If you think how most contractors got where they are it should be shocking who I am. Some, but not all contractors ended up as business owners by a natural progression of steps. Summer job... full time job... move around in trades... get good at what they do... decide to go out on their own...
> 
> ...



Its 9.51 am on a wednesday morning, and i am posting on contractor talk. My crew is out working. My foreman is 50 years old and knows the quality of work i expect, so i no longer have to be in the feild 24 7.


I realized real early i can not be the one doing the work forever.

If i had to work in the feild for 30 years stright i'd find a new line of work.


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

Ruskent










:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## ruskent (Jun 20, 2005)

WTF i do not get it


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## dougchips (Apr 23, 2006)

ruskent said:


> WTF i do not get it



over my head also.

Mahlere, what happened to Woz, that post was funny.


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## fathersonfab (Apr 27, 2007)

Great discussion....

People are people... Wealthy or middle-class, it makes no difference. (and I'll use the term 'wealthy' since 'rich' could mean 'rich in life').

I have had wealthy people jerk me out of money, and I've had middle-class people jerk me out of money. I don't care how well off they are, they will each get the same treatment from me, the same respect, the same quality of work. And I would expect the same from them. If not, it's no skin off my nose. I'll take my check to the bank and move on to the next job.

As for me personally, wealth means ZERO debt. It's not about how much money I have in the bank. Being wealthy will be when a certain standard of living can be maintained, even if I decide to not work for a month. It will be when I got to work becasue I WANT to not becasue I HAVE to. It will be when my house is paid for in full. It will be when I have my kids college paid for, BEFORE they go to college. It will be when I can make a spur of the moment desicion to go on a vacation, just because I feel like it. 
And the ultimate will be when my money is working for me and I'm living off the interest. 

I don't need or want a fancy car or a big mansion. That is not wealth. There is no dollar amount to wealth either. Wealth is being able to go where you want, when you want and not worrying about "can I afford this?". It's about being able to afford to not work and hang out with your family.

If you want to learn about REAL WEALTH, read a book by Dave Ramsey. He has a systematic approch to being wealthy, and as he puts it. It's not get rich quick, it's get rich slow. Get rid of debt, pay off your house, spend less than you make and then start building wealth. http://www.daveramsey.com/


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

ruskent said:


> WTF i do not get it


It's a cat...

a skinned cat...

come on guys!


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## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

Mike Finley said:


> It's a cat...
> 
> a skinned cat...
> 
> come on guys!


One million dollars!


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## Rich Wozny (Aug 18, 2005)

mahlere said:


> or maybe he got tired of waiting for you to actually stand behind one of your ridiculous statements


Or maybe you don't like anyone telling you the truth, because your a right wing slave, who wouldn't know the truth if it bit you in the balls!!!


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## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

Woz the Painter said:


> Or maybe you don't like anyone telling you the truth, because your a right wing slave, who wouldn't know the truth if it bit you in the balls!!!


could be...i'm just asking for some factual evidence to your statement...

so Woz, again, I beg of you...please give factual evidence that this is BS. 

but judging by your answer here, you wouldn't know a fact if it bit you in the balls...nor would you let a fact get in the way of your opinion. and truth to you appears to be a distorted reality.

but, i'm still waiting, and I'll call you to the mat until you actually answer, or you just go away.

remember, I'm not the one that made the asinine statement. I'm just asking for you to provide the truth and facts...simple as that. You should be able to do that...right?


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## Kristina (Apr 21, 2006)

I hate the idea of living my life "in order to".

I discussed this with my husband the other day. I don't want to keep looking for "the next best thing" and in the meantime lose out on the "current best thing".

We have our health, our children, our home, good friends, the money to pay our bills and some leftover for fun stuff.

"Things" have never been the definition of "wealth" for me. Even if I had a lot of money, I wouldn't want to waste any of it on "things". A couch is a couch, a lawn is a lawn, clothes are clothes. I see no point in spending $400 on a pair of shoes when you can get a perfectly fine pair for $50. I don't believe in keeping up with the Joneses, because quite frankly, I don't even LIKE the Joneses, so what do I care what they think of me? I'm not going to be someone I'm not, just so I can say I am.

I have no desire to create a financial legacy for my children. If I tried, they'd likely have no inclination to do what we do anyway. If my kids want to be dog groomers, hair dressers or doctors, their dream is THEIR dream, not mine. If I have enough money to help them pursue their skill and help them build their dream, that's good enough for me at the end of it all.

I'm ok with being mediocre. I'm not special, I feel no burning desire to BE special. I am what I am and I make no apologies for that.

Of course, if any of y'all hook up that yacht, I'd be glad to show up for a ride! I'll even bring some homemade potato salad and chocolate chip cookies!!! :w00t:


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## woodmagman (Feb 17, 2007)

Mike Finley said:


> Ruskent
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Mike...You have to stop taking so many sun filled hoildays or leave the cat at home. I am sure some SPF50 on the cat would have helped prevent the sun burn:laughing:


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## PA woodbutcher (Mar 29, 2007)

Kristina said:


> I hate the idea of living my life "in order to".
> 
> 
> We have our health, our children, our home, good friends, the money to pay our bills and some leftover for fun stuff.
> ...


Your too funny!! I couldn't agree more. I started my business last summer with no intention to get rich or have a grand illusion of my son joining me, but to make a living and put a little aside for the future


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## jb3628 (Apr 2, 2007)

Wealth is created in 5 yrs. or less. Read the book by Robert Kiyosaki called Cash Flow Quadrant. The left side of the quadrant is employed or self-employed people. That's 95% of Americans competing for 5% of the money. The right side of the quadrant is Business Owners and Investors where 5% of Americans compete for 95% of the money. I don't know about you guys, but I want to be on the right side of the quadrant. I was self-employed as a trim carpenter and all I was doing was trading time for money. I stepped out on Faith and became a business owner and started leveraging my time and now am on my way to creating personal wealth. I still trim a house every now and then to keep in shape. If you have any questions, call me @ 501-428-7531


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## dougchips (Apr 23, 2006)

jb3628 said:


> If you have any questions, call me @ 501-428-7531


http://www.arkansasrodeonews.com/buster.htm

Googling your number brings you to buster the clowns web-site.

(look at the bottom of the page)


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## dirt diggler (May 14, 2006)

:blink: :laughing: 

Uncle Jack???



:laughing:


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

A few years ago, I decided that I was too poor. I changed professions and jobs and became rich. I spent 2 years as the richest person I know, but I eventually had to return to the ranks of the poor to pay bills.


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## jb3628 (Apr 2, 2007)

Yep, I used to be a rodeo clown until I messed up my knee last year.
That's what I used to do to relieve the everyday pressures of dealing with people. Give me a call and I will give you some info on what other business I am doing.


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## Cdat (Apr 18, 2007)

Retired from my 1st job, working 2 others at the present time. Have a wife and 2 wonderful kids. I could stop working today and struggle to make the bills and be okay.

I could quit 1 job and have more time with the family and not be able to invest too much or buy too many toys.

Or, I could just stay like I am. Overworked but knowing that my family is living a style that I think they deserve. I've found out, that no matter how much you make, you always seem to want to make more.


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## troubleseeker (Sep 24, 2006)

Like most things, I guess the definiton of rich is different to everyone. Most peope equate it with strictly a monetary thing...Bill Gates, Donald Trump, etc. These people are driven by only making money, everyone they associate with and everything they do is somehow connected with making money. I know people who I consider financially rich, althought a long way from this kind of money, they all seem to not be very "happy" people. The have acquaintances and associates, but seem to have no true friends. They spend every waking momemnt working on more money. I never have and never will consider this a type of life for me. I work to make money to enjoy it, not for the glory of collecting it. My wife and make enough money to live a comfortable upper middle class lifestyle and provide all the reasonable things we need for our family, and do not aspire to impress the neighbors. I believe the negative connotation to being "rich" comes from the often unethical, ruthless business practices many subscribe to in the all consuming quest for the dollar bill.


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## RichContractor (Dec 29, 2007)

jb3628 said:


> Wealth is created in 5 yrs. or less. Read the book by Robert Kiyosaki called Cash Flow Quadrant. The left side of the quadrant is employed or self-employed people. That's 95% of Americans competing for 5% of the money. The right side of the quadrant is Business Owners and Investors where 5% of Americans compete for 95% of the money. I don't know about you guys, but I want to be on the right side of the quadrant. I was self-employed as a trim carpenter and all I was doing was trading time for money. I stepped out on Faith and became a business owner and started leveraging my time and now am on my way to creating personal wealth. I still trim a house every now and then to keep in shape. If you have any questions, call me @ 501-428-7531


I agree that you've got to step away from the actual labor and move into an owner/managerial role to start increasing your wealth significantly. I guess it's all about your goals and what you value more: achieving wealth or performing the labor - rarely can you have both. If somebody really loves being a trim carpenter for the sake of it and likes nothing more than the smell of sawdust in the morning, then they should stick to it. Do what makes you happy. I have no problem with that. But for somebody that maybe isn't as obsessed with the actual labor, and is more concerned about growing a business and accumulating wealth, you have no choice but to step away from the actual technical work and work on managing the operations. 

As for me, I am probably more money-driven than most, so I'm focusing on business ownership and the management of my business. But for me the pursuit of money isn't about a lavish lifestyle or impressing somebody - it's about having total freedom to to do what I want, when I want. It's about having options, business and personal, that I wouldn't have otherwise. Money can't buy happiness but it can sure open a lot of doors to new opportunities and experiences. Go ahead and call me shallow but that's how I'm wired.:biggrin:


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## deckman22 (Oct 20, 2007)

Mike Finley said:


> It's a cat...
> 
> a skinned cat...
> 
> come on guys!


He looks shaved to me, but I got your point anyway.

Rich is not a dirty word to me. I like customers that are in fact rich cause I charge them more than I do people who are not rich. Some are nice some aren't, but all rich people that I work for are going to pay more & I like that. The ones I don't like & have trouble with are those who think they are rich, but really aren't. They are the type who will nit pik about this or that trying to get out of paying what's due. 

The nicest people I ever worked for were not rich. They were a couple in the US Army, the wife was a nurse (officer), the husband a first sargent. She made me & the guys lunch everyday leaving it in a cooler on the back porch with a pitcher of tea or lemonade. When Top would get home first thing out of his mouth was, "y'all ready for a cold one?", "roll 'em up". I never had to ask for a check, she would just bring out an envelope with C-notes. Needless to say I did by best for those folks. 

When I was younger I wanted to get rich. I kept at it & made more & more money only to find it was never enough & was never happy. I no longer want to get rich, but now only want to make a decent living & have time to do the things I enjoy.


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## Floordude (Aug 30, 2007)

Rich these days... When your net worth, outweighs your debt.

There are a lot of lifestyle personalities, that are in debt up to their eyebrows


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## ontime (Dec 30, 2007)

Everyone would like to be rich. But rich is relative. Like the sage in India said "I want to go to America where the poor people are fat."


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