Anonymous wrote:How about buying a second home as a getaway? A place to decompress from DC, but you still have access to things are still clearly important to you.

Anonymous wrote:I think everyone has to define work life balance for themselves. Some people have enough wealth to last three lifetimes but choose to work.

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Anonymous wrote:Yes- we did this coming out of the pandemic. From a wealthy close-in DC sunburn neighborhood to a beach town small-town life 3 years ago. Not a day goes by when we don’t wonder if we made the right decision. We miss culture, opportunities other than sports for our kids and do not fit in with the Tattoed drinking culture here. Is it more relaxing- yes- but feel like we swung the pendulum too far. Our kids are happy—- top of their classes, recognized for accomplishments that would be just matter-of-fact in DC. Not sure where the grass is greener.

If I suddenly had a ton of cash and could move from DC, I would choose a more laid back city but not a beach town. Examples that come to mind would be Denver or San Diego. Lots of culture and opportunities, as well as natural beauty that DC does not have.

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Anonymous wrote:Olney/Brookeville has wealthy families without the rat race.

I’m the poster who left and always thinks about coming back and Olney/Brookeville is exactly where I keep getting drawn to. Can you tell me more about the vibe there?

It has the wealth of Potomac/Bethesda/CC without the striver element.

It’s a mix of UMC to affluent families with very little (hardly any, really) low income housing.

No metro, so minimal issues with riff raff.

Plenty of UMC families still use public schools. Others use the local privates or schlep down county or into DC for private (mostly legacies).

Lots of second or third generation locals who love the old school, small town way of life.

Diverse racially/ethnically but not socioeconomically. (Again: no real low income housing; few rentals).

Sports are big. Some kids ride horses.

Lots of families with beach houses and money, but you rarely see designer or showy accessories.

I think a lot of MoCo locals strategically moved out here to avoid the rat race and the pressure it imposes on all facets of life. And some moved out here because they no longer recognize parts of down county that have changed too much.

What is the "rat race" for the wealthy people exactly? Can you please describe what someone with many millions in NW would be suffering if living in Bethesda/Potomac/Mclean/GF/CC/Arlington exactly? Keeping up with who if you are already loaded?

I’ll try. Imagine making $3-5M+/ year. You can afford almost anything, always without ever giving it a second thought and you still are putting away $1M+/ yr. Your income fluctuates with the economy so every year is not necessarily better than the last but it continues to trend upwards. Depending on your age when you are making that money you could pass $5M/ yr or $10M/yr In fact, you probably already have outlier years where you make double what you normally make.

After some consistent years at that level your money makes money and objectively considerable money. Several hundred thousand. Eventually more than a million peryear.

At some point you decide that you have enough but it is still scary to leave what was consistently many millions per year in more active income income plus $1M-$2M or more in passive income for just the passive income. Objectively the passive income is plenty. But you can’t leave something that was making many millions and just go back if it doesn’t work out. You are on train to extreme wealth but if you get off you are done. If you get off too early you will be fine but your wealth will over time dissipate. It may be decades but it will erode. If you stay on too long you don’t get to enjoy any of it.

That is the rat race. Not even a 1 percenter problem. A .25% or .1% er problem. But a rat race nonetheless.

Give me a break. There is no reason on earth you can’t leave this particular “rat race” if that’s what your gut is telling you is the right choice for you.

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Anonymous wrote:Olney/Brookeville has wealthy families without the rat race.

I’m the poster who left and always thinks about coming back and Olney/Brookeville is exactly where I keep getting drawn to. Can you tell me more about the vibe there?

It has the wealth of Potomac/Bethesda/CC without the striver element.

It’s a mix of UMC to affluent families with very little (hardly any, really) low income housing.

No metro, so minimal issues with riff raff.

Plenty of UMC families still use public schools. Others use the local privates or schlep down county or into DC for private (mostly legacies).

Lots of second or third generation locals who love the old school, small town way of life.

Diverse racially/ethnically but not socioeconomically. (Again: no real low income housing; few rentals).

Sports are big. Some kids ride horses.

Lots of families with beach houses and money, but you rarely see designer or showy accessories.

I think a lot of MoCo locals strategically moved out here to avoid the rat race and the pressure it imposes on all facets of life. And some moved out here because they no longer recognize parts of down county that have changed too much.

What is the "rat race" for the wealthy people exactly? Can you please describe what someone with many millions in NW would be suffering if living in Bethesda/Potomac/Mclean/GF/CC/Arlington exactly? Keeping up with who if you are already loaded?

I’ll try. Imagine making $3-5M+/ year. You can afford almost anything, always without ever giving it a second thought and you still are putting away $1M+/ yr. Your income fluctuates with the economy so every year is not necessarily better than the last but it continues to trend upwards. Depending on your age when you are making that money you could pass $5M/ yr or $10M/yr In fact, you probably already have outlier years where you make double what you normally make.

After some consistent years at that level your money makes money and objectively considerable money. Several hundred thousand. Eventually more than a million peryear.

At some point you decide that you have enough but it is still scary to leave what was consistently many millions per year in more active income income plus $1M-$2M or more in passive income for just the passive income. Objectively the passive income is plenty. But you can’t leave something that was making many millions and just go back if it doesn’t work out. You are on train to extreme wealth but if you get off you are done. If you get off too early you will be fine but your wealth will over time dissipate. It may be decades but it will erode. If you stay on too long you don’t get to enjoy any of it.

That is the rat race. Not even a 1 percenter problem. A .25% or .1% er problem. But a rat race nonetheless.

That sound in the distance is the world's tiniest violin.

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Anonymous wrote:Olney/Brookeville has wealthy families without the rat race.

I’m the poster who left and always thinks about coming back and Olney/Brookeville is exactly where I keep getting drawn to. Can you tell me more about the vibe there?

It has the wealth of Potomac/Bethesda/CC without the striver element.

It’s a mix of UMC to affluent families with very little (hardly any, really) low income housing.

No metro, so minimal issues with riff raff.

Plenty of UMC families still use public schools. Others use the local privates or schlep down county or into DC for private (mostly legacies).

Lots of second or third generation locals who love the old school, small town way of life.

Diverse racially/ethnically but not socioeconomically. (Again: no real low income housing; few rentals).

Sports are big. Some kids ride horses.

Lots of families with beach houses and money, but you rarely see designer or showy accessories.

I think a lot of MoCo locals strategically moved out here to avoid the rat race and the pressure it imposes on all facets of life. And some moved out here because they no longer recognize parts of down county that have changed too much.

What is the "rat race" for the wealthy people exactly? Can you please describe what someone with many millions in NW would be suffering if living in Bethesda/Potomac/Mclean/GF/CC/Arlington exactly? Keeping up with who if you are already loaded?

Getting into the best private schools

Doing a million sports and extracurriculars and test prep/private tutors to ensure admission to the best college

Prestigious camps (think: sailing camp in NE)

Interior designers who help you redecorate and renovate periodically (far more regularly than necessary)

Making sure your kids have the best clothes, go to the best concerts, drive the best cars, etc.

Taking the best vacations

Poor mom must be skinny, have gorgeous skin and hair, wear the best clothes, etc.

For whatever reason, the dc metro area lacks a critical mass of old money families who know better than being flashy, so we are forced to endure the rat race perpetuated by greenhorns in the close in fancy burbs.