Affluent African American Family, Considering Rockville Area (Columbia, Silver Spring: travel, work)

[Bob The Builder]

Originally Posted by autimom4ever

One of the reasons I left ...

"Affluent"... WHO CARES!!

How does one define Affluent?

[truthhurts]

As I understand, its a PC way of saying upper middle class without seemingly coming across as rude or snooty.

How would you define Affluent? Well, how would you define upper middle class economically?

Most likely most people i think would automatically assume the following

-Two Parent Household
-Duel Incomes that total more than 150k
-College educated (although that's more a social function of upper middle than an economic function, because their are blue collar workers with no college degree that make more than 150k doing odd jobs, but would not consider themselves upper middle class socially)

Not sure how else you would define it and not sure why it would be need to be debated. It is basic common sense. Think about it from the stand point of someone asking the following. I work as a police officer i would like to move into a neighborhood that reflects my income and family skills. Most people would respond and say without thinking...X neighborhood is a middle class neighborhood that would suit you fine etc....or Y is another middle class neighborhood that would suit you nicely.

Or if a family (left race netural) said we are moving from Saddle River, NJ to Maryland and are looking for an affluent area to live in DC Metro...what would you say to a person just asking something basic like that? What neighborhoods would you tell them would be good to live in?

[Bob The Builder]

Originally Posted by truthhurts

As I understand, its a PC way of saying upper middle class without seemingly coming across as rude or snooty.

How would you define Affluent? Well, how would you define upper middle class economically?

Most likely most people i think would automatically assume the following

-Two Parent Household
-Duel Incomes that total more than 150k
-College educated (although that's more a social function of upper middle than an economic function, because their are blue collar workers with no college degree that make more than 150k doing odd jobs, but would not consider themselves upper middle class socially)

Not sure how else you would define it and not sure why it would be need to be debated. It is basic common sense. Think about it from the stand point of someone asking the following. I work as a police officer i would like to move into a neighborhood that reflects my income and family skills. Most people would respond and say without thinking...X neighborhood is a middle class neighborhood that would suit you fine etc....or Y is another middle class neighborhood that would suit you nicely.

Or if a family (left race netural) said we are moving from Saddle River, NJ to Maryland and are looking for an affluent area to live in DC Metro...what would you say to a person just asking something basic like that? What neighborhoods would you tell them would be good to live in?

When one says they are affluent, it wreaks of snootiness to me. I am watching CNBC Europe right this minute. They are calling 10M as wealthy. To me, the affluent don't have to work. It is a choice.

I found this defintion n.

1. A plentiful supply of material goods; wealth.
2. A great quantity; an abundance.
3. A flowing to or toward a point; afflux.

Now, I don't know for sure, but the OP is probably not in this category. Neither is a family with 150k in income. Not in 2007.

I know people who make that on a real good day and they would not never say they are affluent. I have a buddy who runs a jet taxi company that hires out at 3000 dollars an hour. People call up and say I want to fly 5 people to Sicily for the weekend and my buddy says oh thats gonna be about 20k. That is affluent.

I guess I agree with the poster who said they are glad they left SF. But perhaps the OP really is affluent and her husband only has to move/work because he really loves is job.

[myselfdotcom]

haha....the OP setup up to be critized..

[Bob The Builder]

Originally Posted by myselfdotcom

haha....the OP setup up to be critized..

I moved from the Bay Area to Italy about four years ago. I was constantly barraged by people constantly telling me how affluent they were. I certainly have no right to tell them to stop. Freedom of speech and all. But I do have the right to excuse myself from their presence. And I did. I love my children and I just have to remove them from that environment.

If you read the threads from different states as I have, you will notice the tone and subject matter of the Californians carries a more superficial slant. They just don't see it because they are steeped in it day in day out. This is intended as a criticism, just an observation.

I intend to move back to the US in the next few years and have found that reading these threads gives me a wonderful insight as to the people in these various states. I will not move back to the Bay Area.

[truthhurts]

Originally Posted by Bob The Builder

When one says they are affluent, it wreaks of snootiness to me. I am watching CNBC Europe right this minute. They are calling 10M as wealthy. To me, the affluent don't have to work. It is a choice.

I found this defintion n.

1. A plentiful supply of material goods; wealth.
2. A great quantity; an abundance.
3. A flowing to or toward a point; afflux.

Now, I don't know for sure, but the OP is probably not in this category. Neither is a family with 150k in income. Not in 2007.

I know people who make that on a real good day and they would not never say they are affluent. I have a buddy who runs a jet taxi company that hires out at 3000 dollars an hour. People call up and say I want to fly 5 people to Sicily for the weekend and my buddy says oh thats gonna be about 20k. That is affluent.

I guess I agree with the poster who said they are glad they left SF. But perhaps the OP really is affluent and her husband only has to move/work because he really loves is job.

Hey Bob, I guess i have a different opinion. My definintion of wealthy would differ from affluent. The more modern term for affluent has definitely been placed on the current standard required to be upper middle class. There are obviously ranges of any income class and the OP maybe at the lower end of upper middle i don't know as i do not know how much they really have in assets.

When I hear something as silly as saying that someone with 10 million dollars is wealthy you seriously have to laugh. I person with an income of more than 10 million dollars is wealthy. A person with a net worth of 10 million dollars is just rich nothing more nothing less.

I think there's a significant difference in "wealth" and "affluence." Obviously it can be argued i tend not to take offense to someone saying my family is affluent. There is really nothing to be jealous of as it is not a slight against you or anyone else. Now if they said something like I dislike families living in proverty etc etc, because i'm rich (they should be entitled to those opinions, but that may be consider rude and not socially polite)

I guess what seems to bother me most is people's response to those that post statments such as affluent looking to live around other in same income category. There's a clear dislike for people with any sort of affluence on these boards and people attack them immediately. Most of it is underserved and pointless. I'm not sure how the OP post describing themselves as affluent is or should be taken as a slight to anyone else? If you could explain that?

I mean i'll agree with your main point "wealth" is very relative. Hell, I'm not silly enough to believe 10 million dollars makes you wealthy. I mean in who's eyes? The guy working as a plumber? Or the guy sitting down at the CEO's desk of a major conglomerate? Surely he would laugh at someone who thinks they are wealthy with only 10 million in assets.

[carolina_guy]

Originally Posted by truthhurts

Think about it from the stand point of someone asking the following. I work as a police officer i would like to move into a neighborhood that reflects my income and family skills. Most people would respond and say without thinking...X neighborhood is a middle class neighborhood that would suit you fine etc....or Y is another middle class neighborhood that would suit you nicely.

Or if a family (left race netural) said we are moving from Saddle River, NJ to Maryland and are looking for an affluent area to live in DC Metro...what would you say to a person just asking something basic like that? What neighborhoods would you tell them would be good to live in?

Um, there is nothing wrong with the questions you posed and they are quite different from the OPs question. Why CAN'T race be neutral? It is this type of thinking that plays a part in the continual racial divide. People want to be "with their kind." What's really interesting is that there seems to be more segregation in the north than there is down here in the south. In Charlotte, the only color that matters is GREEN. This helps Charlotte remain diverse and your neighbors can be of any race. Now that's diverse! Who cares what color you are??

All this to say: is there a nice middle class area that's diverse, particularly for well off white folks?

[Bob The Builder]

Originally Posted by truthhurts

Hey Bob, I guess i have a different opinion. My definintion of wealthy would differ from affluent. The more modern term for affluent has definitely been placed on the current standard required to be upper middle class. There are obviously ranges of any income class and the OP maybe at the lower end of upper middle i don't know as i do not know how much they really have in assets.

When I hear something as silly as saying that someone with 10 million dollars is wealthy you seriously have to laugh. I person with an income of more than 10 million dollars is wealthy. A person with a net worth of 10 million dollars is just rich nothing more nothing less.

I think there's a significant difference in "wealth" and "affluence." Obviously it can be argued i tend not to take offense to someone saying my family is affluent. There is really nothing to be jealous of as it is not a slight against you or anyone else. Now if they said something like I dislike families living in proverty etc etc, because i'm rich (they should be entitled to those opinions, but that may be consider rude and not socially polite)

I guess what seems to bother me most is people's response to those that post statments such as affluent looking to live around other in same income category. There's a clear dislike for people with any sort of affluence on these boards and people attack them immediately. Most of it is underserved and pointless. I'm not sure how the OP post describing themselves as affluent is or should be taken as a slight to anyone else? If you could explain that?

I mean i'll agree with your main point "wealth" is very relative. Hell, I'm not silly enough to believe 10 million dollars makes you wealthy. I mean in who's eyes? The guy working as a plumber? Or the guy sitting down at the CEO's desk of a major conglomerate? Surely he would laugh at someone who thinks they are wealthy with only 10 million in assets.

I am silly by your definition. 10M in assets makes you wealthy in my book.

Commenting about your wealth is offensive and bad manners. Moreover, it is an all around Unclassy thing to do.

[truthhurts]

Originally Posted by Bob The Builder

I am silly by your definition. 10M in assets makes you wealthy in my book.

Commenting about your wealth is offensive and bad manners. Moreover, it is an all around Unclassy thing to do.

No Bob you are rich by my definition. You're only silly if you believe that 10 Million dollars makes you "wealty." People with more than 100 Million dollars are wealthy.

10*8% return on your money each year is 800k thousand dollars...you cannot go out and purchase a jet...make a significant contribution to your respect political party. You cannot just throw away money you have no real power maybe on a local level, but on a national level you have no influence whatsoever.

100*8% return on your money 8 million dollars a year...you have real money and therefore you command real power..this is the difference in saying someone is affluent, rich or wealthy...only the wealthy command nation power...the rich only have power on a very local level and the affluent have no power whatsoever......

This is my reasoning for the difference and why it is all relative.

Anyway i do not think the OP made a comment about his/her wealth. I think she used the word affluent to deter others from directly asking, so i do not see how this is rude?......Furthermore i agree with you making comments about how much you are worth is tactless and not very classy.

[Bob The Builder]

Originally Posted by truthhurts

No Bob you are rich by my definition. You're only silly if you believe that 10 Million dollars makes you "wealty." People with more than 100 Million dollars are wealthy.

10*8% return on your money each year is 800k thousand dollars...you cannot go out and purchase a jet...make a significant contribution to your respect political party. You cannot just throw away money you have no real power maybe on a local level, but on a national level you have no influence whatsoever.

100*8% return on your money 8 million dollars a year...you have real money and therefore you command real power..this is the difference in saying someone is affluent, rich or wealthy...only the wealthy command nation power...the rich only have power on a very local level and the affluent have no power whatsoever......

This is my reasoning for the difference and why it is all relative.

Truth

I don't believe one can accumulate 10M plus by investing at 8% unless it was by inheritance or lottery. If you offer these guys an 8% return on their capital, they will laugh. Maybe not to your face, but they will have no interest. They are looking at a minimum 20% or more. 8% is good for parking their money until the perfect pitch comes.

Rich and Wealthy are synonymous.

You are talking about the super rich and elite.