If you are rich, not just upper middle class

[Anonymous]

I mean wealthy as in mutiple 8 figures even 9 figures. Do you care if your children work? Or how much they work? Or are you ok with straight out funding them?

[Anonymous]

I am upper middle class but have known a lot of RICH people and can say that upper middle class wants-for-little-but-flies-premium-economy-on-their-own-dime is the best scenario. You have everyting you need, almost everything you want (almost is KEY), can afford education and experiences for your kids, who then have to go work to replicate the lifestyle and don't have an easy opportunity to fall into bad lifestyle habits (laziness, drugs, etc...).

[Anonymous]

The person I know with 9 figures made by growing their share of generational wealth through their own business success has trust funds for their kids that are enough for them never to work, but they've instilled a work ethic and strong sense of philanthropy in their kids. His kids are working but in low-income, high-reward jobs, like one is a teacher. I think their kids' money is as divorce- and creditor-proof as possible, and their wish for their kids is that they are happy and contributing to making the world a better place.

[Anonymous]

I have 25M, but our HHI is not high. The millions came because we were lucky/savvy in the stock market when we were young, and now we're older.

Our kids know how much we have, and they are preparing for careers in case everything goes south. But our goal is to build family wealth and our kids, having lived a relatively frugal lifestyle like us, will try to build on that for future generations as well.

[Anonymous]

Well into 8 figures due to generational wealth handed down but I still work at a fairly high paying job and my spouse has always worked FT as well (albeit at lower paying profession). Yes, my kids must work. We will not tell them about the $$ until they are 30 or so. It is a work ethic killer - I would definitely have tried harder in my own career if not for the fall-back. My rule is don't spend the $$ you inherit. Know it is there as a fall-back, but make your own money to live on.

[Anonymous]

Parents have 8 figures and we are not expecting on or counting on any of it. They might spend it all, health care might be insane, they might choose to give it to one sibling or charity, etc.

They have never offered to fund our lives, but they are generous with presents, dinners out, small stuff that makes our lives nicer but never the day to day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 25M, but our HHI is not high. The millions came because we were lucky/savvy in the stock market when we were young, and now we're older.

Our kids know how much we have, and they are preparing for careers in case everything goes south. But our goal is to build family wealth and our kids, having lived a relatively frugal lifestyle like us, will try to build on that for future generations as well.

Me again. Honestly, I feel your question would be valid if we were talking 100M and above. But with our 25M, I don't think our kids can plan on not working.

[Anonymous]

Hoping to retire at 55 with $40 million or so. That will continue to grow after that. Only have one child. I couldn't care less whether she works or not. Her choice. But I know she will because that's her personality. She doesn't seem the type to do nothing. She's only in high school, but you can get that sense at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean wealthy as in mutiple 8 figures even 9 figures. Do you care if your children work? Or how much they work? Or are you ok with straight out funding them?

How many people on this website do think have $100M???

$10M I can see but I don’t think that many centi millionaires are hanging out here. We are closing in on $10M after a lifetime of hard work and saving and yes we expect our children to work and provide for themselves. We will be generous of course.

[Anonymous]

We have 8 figures net worth thanks to generational wealth. We both work jobs we love. That's what I want for my kids.

[Anonymous]

I am part of a large extended family with significant wealth from three generations ago.

I would say that some branches of descendants are more successful than others which suggests some parenting component but there are also huge ranges within siblings.

I don’t think substance abuse or major periods of joblessness come from wealth. Wealth might make some of them last longer or be less damaging. It’s hard to say.

If you studied it, I doubt descendants of middle class families and wealthy ones would have very different batting averages than after a few generations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 25M, but our HHI is not high. The millions came because we were lucky/savvy in the stock market when we were young, and now we're older.

Our kids know how much we have, and they are preparing for careers in case everything goes south. But our goal is to build family wealth and our kids, having lived a relatively frugal lifestyle like us, will try to build on that for future generations as well.

Me again. Honestly, I feel your question would be valid if we were talking 100M and above. But with our 25M, I don't think our kids can plan on not working.

This is just emblematic of the tendency of people on this board (in the US?) to think it's never enough. Unless you spend a hefty portion, your kids can live off of the earnings from 25 million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am part of a large extended family with significant wealth from three generations ago.

I would say that some branches of descendants are more successful than others which suggests some parenting component but there are also huge ranges within siblings.

I don’t think substance abuse or major periods of joblessness come from wealth. Wealth might make some of them last longer or be less damaging. It’s hard to say.

If you studied it, I doubt descendants of middle class families and wealthy ones would have very different batting averages than after a few generations.

My family passes down a family business through all male lines. There's definitely a difference, wealth-wise after even one generation between the boys' and girls' families.

[Anonymous]

I think maybe the biggest thing is that if you want, you don’t have to prioritize career stability. You can still choose a profession like medicine or law if that’s your calling, but like my DH would not have left a stable career and started a business without the backstop of inherited wealth. The second business has been wildly successful, but he could also be on business five and still be failing. No one gets rich from a salary. He wanted to swing big.

Or, you can pick a career because you love it even if it’s neither stable nor potentially lucrative, which is a huge gift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have 8 figures net worth thanks to generational wealth. We both work jobs we love. That's what I want for my kids.

+1. I want my kids to have strong work ethic, goals, and growth-mindset towards the things they want to do. I think this results in greater purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in their lives. But the generational wealth allows them to pursue a greater variety of paths (like arts, public service, entrepreneurship) while maintaining a stable UMC standard of living for themselves and their kids.