Ever felt like the poor relation?

euronorris

Besides, it might not be all rosy for them. I know someone who is young (early 30's) and very succesful, with plenty of money. All that meant was that he was able to buy as much cocaine as he wanted, develop a serious addiction, destroy his close relationships and then spend almost 2 years in and out of rehab before finally getting clean.

I'd rather be poor.

bluenoseam

No, primarily because all my family are good working class people (so millionaires in my family - don't know is that good or bad?!?) and i know as well as anyone that money can be made from a free idea if you're willing to work hard enough for it - although a good education helps, and alas my slacking in high school (i'll be honest, if i'd went to an all-male school i'd have a MUCH better grades) doesn't help me!

But so long as i have my health (much as it is) & i'm happy, i don't care about the size of my bank balance - i'm rich enough with the gifts i have!

Marisco

This is why there is so much private debt!!! People comparing themselves to others, coming up "short", then buying things they cannot afford, usually on CC's and store cards, to "keep up with the Joneses"!! And then moaning that they cannot afford to pay their bills!

split_second

i'm a poor relation too

then again my parents and one of my aunties was too.

basically one of my aunties (older sister of my dad and my other aunty) married a wealthy self employed electrician, they got a massive house and had a couple of kids, those kids went to grammer school. one of them (my cousin) owns a bar in the town centre, had a wedding about 10 years ago where it was over £100 a night for a room, some of the family couldnt afford to go and now we arent spoken to, they dont even know i'm getting married, good job really as they arent invited

lostinrates

We probably are the poor relations....despite being comfortable ourselves. There are certainly some with wealth I can't imagine. However, there is also one who lives a life thatsuggests weath (including children at top public schools) who does it through living off charities. The schools are paid for my an educationa trust set up by a godfather and the house is paid for with housing benefit. Ultimately, I'd rather teach my children that they are really worth something, not that its important they LOOK like they are worth something.

It honestly doesn't matter to me what our ranking in the family stakes are. DH and I have made it where we have made it our selves, and haven't finished yet.

Kay_Peel

I'm very proud of my two millionaire cousins (twin boys).

They brought themselves up on a rough council estate. Their mother died before they were ten and they nursed their father through cancer until he died when they were 17. Even as youngsters they could light up a room and they were a joy to be around. They worked their way up in a company and expanded it no end. They took a risk and went seriously into debt to buy the business from the owner and struggled for years with a young family.

It paid off.

The best part is that their children have a balanced outlook on life and take nothing for granted.

onlyroz

It is entirely possible for ANYONE, regardless of their social background, to achieve spectacular things in their life if they are willing to put in the effort. However, of course it helps if you've got a stable family life, parents who support your efforts, and the good fortune to attend a school where your peers and mentors have plenty of drive and ambition.

Desperado99

Be happy in your own skin.

Being a good person is more important than money.........


(of course money helps):p

kafkathecat

The statistics show that Britain is the country in Europe where the poorest are least likely to escape poverty.
What would be the point of paying all that money for a private education if it didn't get you ahead of those that couldn't afford it?
Obviously it suits all of us but the poorest to believe that we deserve to be where we are. I am not denying that starting a business and making a go of it takes incredible hard work but it also takes some luck and there are many important jobs in society that are not so well rewarded, nurses and teachers for example.

Tropez

I think people achieve more if they want to achieve.

The most successful people I know, in terms of assets, are those who have plans, even lists, of things that they want to do and accomplish in their lives. They know how much things cost, they know how much they need to earn to be able to do these things and so they work, hard, at ensuring that they keep the money coming in. Only one of them went to a private school. To be honest, while luck may fall into it, I cannot believe that "luck" is the common factor in the lives of these people and of other successful people, I think it is quite simply desire. Sure, networking at posh schools and universities may help in the short-term but if you want to be successful, by whatever criteria you consider to be successful, then you have to be in it for the long-haul and work at it.

You can read the stories of Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne, both of them started with !!!!!! all but both of them wanted to succeed and continued at it until they did and Bannatyne was in his 30s by the time he made his big decision to go somewhere.

I have known people who went to private school and haven't really done anything special - one is a manager at a local supermarket, another cold-calls on behalf of a certain mobile phone company... but both of them seem happy in their lives the way that they are. Neither complains that they don't have x, can't afford x - they just live their lives and for the present, are content.

I will also say that another private school friend of mine is never likely to be a multi-millionnairre given his absolutely awful money management. I had to bail him out last year because he took a payday loan with Wonga, missed the payment three months running.