janitor leaves library and hospital $6m

atush

No, unless you have insurance.

JohnRo

Same difference.

Glen_Clark

atush wrote: »

No they aren't anything like ours.

Mainly because they actually make money- they have to as a commercial entity.

If they are a money making thing, why is he giving them a donation?

darrensurrey

I understand his mindset.

I'm nowhere close to where he is in terms of wealth but I'm not uncomfortable yet I'll still park out of town and walk in to save car parking fees... which also saves on gym membership. Also, a lot of my food is Tesco Value stuff. I get it from my dad. The frugal mentality, not the food.

(I also shop in charity shops.)

vacheron

darrensurrey wrote: »

I understand his mindset.

I'm nowhere close to where he is in terms of wealth but I'm not uncomfortable yet I'll still park out of town and walk in to save car parking fees... which also saves on gym membership. Also, a lot of my food is Tesco Value stuff. I get it from my dad. The frugal mentality, not the food.

(I also shop in charity shops.)

I can completely understand hm too.

I think a lot of people believe that spending and possessions = happiness.

The act of getting a bargain or a well performing investment gives me more of a sense of satisfaction than the actual obtaining of the item or a resultant financial gain.

We have 2 cars but I'm never happier than when I leave them both at home and cycle to work watching the sunrise.

I don't require foreign holidays. We have one booked this year because my wife is originally from a far hotter climate and deserves a break in the sun. It will give me pleasure to see her and my young son having fun regardless of where we may be. However if I was still a bachelor I'd be just as happy at home fixing broken things in the garage.

My wife loves shopping and exploring in our local Lidl. She is a keen cook and appreciates quality, authenticity and value above branding and image. Where their range falls short on the above she buys those things elsewhere.

I've had some expensive hobbies and interests, however this was only because the hobby was something that greatly interested me. Had I not enjoyed those interests i would not have bought or done these things simply because I felt socially obligated to do so.

I've personally found that those with real money (and I do not include myself in this!) often don't show any outward signs of wealth because the security gives them the objectivity to see what really brings them happiness. The richest lady I have ever met loved hedgehogs and had made a small sanctuary for them in her garden. It cost her peanuts t build and she scavenged a lot of the materials, she loved every single minute she spent with them.

People asking why this old gent chose not to donate during his life, perhaps he didn't want to be considered anything other than a janitor who's friends and colleagues would like for who he was not what he had. Perhaps he didn't require or desire the attention or gratitude which donating could bring.

If he was indeed a great investor then it wouldn't make sense to give the money now when he could use it to generate more wealth right up to the end. Perhaps simply the hobby of investing gave him pleasure, not the making of money. Expecting hm to give away the money in his lifetime would be like taking all the tools away from an old practicing carpenter because others could benefit from them now.

Ryan_Futuristics

It's the super-investor mindset

Warren Buffett's worth $73.4 billion - he's still living in the same $31k house he bought in 1958 ... he was driving the same old second-hand car up until very recently

It's much more Zen not to be attached to transient physical things ... But what Buffett gets (and what this janitor got) is the ability to invest in businesses and services and make a real difference to the world

Investing should be a one-way street ... Capital isn't there to be spent; it can generate income ... The janitor could've been taking $200k/year in dividends/income - but I suppose there comes an age when you're used to living a certain way

For me though, a Rolex is just a very expensive ego-tax - which depreciates into minus figures as soon as you're sat next to someone with a better one

atush

Glen_Clark wrote: »

If they are a money making thing, why is he giving them a donation?

some are run as 'non profits' but they generally do make a profit which they plow back into the hospital. the most important thing is, unlike the NHS, they can't run on a deficit

As to the donation, sometimes that means they can open new wings or fund super expensive equipment. sometimes when money is donated, it can be stipulated as to how it is used. for instance to fund treatment for those w/o insurance.

Glen_Clark

Ryan_Futuristics wrote: »

For me though, a Rolex is just a very expensive ego-tax - which depreciates into minus figures as soon as you're sat next to someone with a better one

Where I go, a £10k Rolex would be as much a social liability as a fur coat. Friends would wonder why it wouldn't give me more pleasure to buy a £10 watch, and give the £9,990 to the local foodbank or homeless shelter..

Ryan_Futuristics

Glen_Clark wrote: »

Where I go, a £10k Rolex would be as much a social liability as a fur coat. Friends would wonder why it wouldn't give me more pleasure to buy a £10 watch, and give the £9,990 to the local foodbank or homeless shelter..

I think any decent people would feel the same

I've worked with a fair few like that (old boys with trust funds, Chelsea flats, and very little to do) and they all seem to hate each other

(But admittedly if you're genuinely into fine watch craftsmanship, I'm no one to judge ... I do like vintage cars)

darrensurrey

Didn't see the Rolex comments earlier. A Rolex can be an investment if you pick the right model.

As for me, I just picked up a packet of celery sticks from Tesco for 5p!!