If a person can afford to buy the toys of life why shouldn't they?

I agree, if you have the cash to splash then why not!

I think that part of being rich is to buy things. There are people whose jobs depend on yachts, private jets, and even gold plated plumbing fixtures.

It is much better to have rich people that spend their money on a wide range of things, especially quality items than to have them speculating on short term market gains and trading foreign currencies.

Remember supply and demand? That’s what keeps capitalism going. That is why the stimulus funds were spent in exactly the wrong place. If the money was paid to the bank depositors, it would have been spent for more than to prop up the bank. Giving it to the bank without the obligation to spend meant that a high percentage of money was and is still sequestered by the bank. This way it helps the least amount of people and helps the economy, not at all.

I can’t agree more. Wealthy people are so often bad mouthed as being greedy and evil and stepping on everyone and everything to obtain their riches. Which is obviously not always the case. Good for them if this is what they wanted and now they can enjoy what their money can buy them. I want to be one of those people as well. :)

Because those toys aren’t coming out of thin air – because all that we purchase makes a difference given global forces and interactions. Because there are better ways to spend your money and because one should recognize how privileged they are and give a shit about where their Lexus is coming from and what it represents.

I’m not going to say they shouldn’t, but I will say it would be very nice if they plowed that money back into the community—especially into education.

It is important to purchase feel good toys when you can afford it, but it is also important to be socially aware, and maintain a balance of charity along with it.

You can’t take it with you when you go! I already tell my kids I am going to live until the money runs out!

As you get older, you begin to notice people you knew going into assisted living. Then you find yourself evaluating their choice: is it a nice place? A dump? Good food? And you start realizing you’d better have a lot of savings to pay for it because not everyone is going to drop dead in their sleep. And for nursing homes, the average stay is two years. Start investigating what that costs per person per year.
So I think we should buy things in our twenties and thirties, then begin saving in our forties and fifties for the decades past retirement. Don’t think, “oh, my son in law or daughter in law would just Love having me in their house.” Don’t be too sure.

@Aster I’m 63 and am going to forgo some of the niceties so that I can get one of those cool electric scooters and a room at an old folks home with good food and hookers.

@Ron_C It’s hard enough to find the good food part; you won’t find hookers at all ! haha!

@Ron_C Why not have a boat load of money, a sprawling mansion, private massusse, and English butler and a decked out golf cart…...sounds much better, and a helipad to fly in the hookers. Though I suspect when they know you have it like that you will have more chicken heads to choose from than you can beat tits off of. :-)

@Aster and @Hypocrisy_Central thanks for thinking of me. Frankly, the idea of a big mansion and English butler are the opposite of what I find attractive at this time in my life. I am looking for simplicity and a letter service, nothing more.

A boat is attractive by too much touble (speaking from experience), the mansion sounds too big, and I don’t want a servent following me around. I’ll take the scooter, occasional hookers, and a good steak now an then. I a more a cabin (with utilities and internet) in the woods kind of guy with just a little kinky side.