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Well mazeltov! Have a great time and count your blessings! And your dead-parent money!
My parents are supposed to die before me. I am their legacy. Why should I feel bad that they can and will leave me a ton after (and before) they pass on?
no siblings, and quite a bit of it is already in a trust with my name. we're talking multiple millions.
What a nice position to be in. Is there something like animal rescue, helping children in need, literacy, etc. that you are passionate about? For a lot of charities, finding volunteers that don't work and have the time to help during the week is hard. You could always travel and literally see the world.
OP, you're to be commended for your hard work, and for not sitting back and goofing off (as many in your position do) while you wait for major money to fall on you. You've come out way ahead of the other guy in terms of character and learning experiences. You have scads of potential letters of recommendation should you need to change jobs, which the other guy doesn't. But the main thing is that in these short years, you've gotten a lot more out of life, and probably have contributed a lot more, whether you're aware of that or not. You've met a lot more people and made a favorable impression on them, undoubtedly. You've grown a lot more as a person.
I've met people who came into money at a very early age, and didn't have to work, or perhaps their only work was managing a small charitable foundation they'd set up; those people were airheads. They never matured past adolescence, because they didn't have to. You are so far ahead of them, there's no comparison! Hard work and learning are their own reward, intrinsically. You're a better person with a richer background than those who have had an easy time of life. As a result, you're capable of giving more to the world.
It's best to not compare yourself to others anyway, because you're your own unique person with your own unique yardstick. Your relationships, whether with work colleagues, friends or intimate partners, will be less superficial. You'll experience life more profoundly. This is wealth that one cannot bank; these are the values that truly make life worth living, vs. just skating by on minimal effort in perpetual party mode. Don't sell yourself short. Continue being the best "you" that you can be.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 11-05-2016 at 01:56 PM..
...1. For those with less money, it would be a job. Therefore having heat in the winter, a dry place to sleep in spring(varies for region), and full stomach year round.
...2. Keep from getting board, depressed, and feeling worthless (mental and social health). Keep you from getting lazy (physical health problems).
...3. You increase your skill set incase something happens to your money. You say that can't happen but look at history. When dating, people are usually more interested in you if you have skills and interest. By being overall educated( social skills, mechanical skills, psychological skills, financial skills) there is a much better chance that you won't fall into a scam or become a victim of theft.
...4. Many old people (80+) say that having a purposes and sticking to it each day is very important to a long life. I know many people that worked part time jobs, volunteered regularly, or worked out regularly well into their 90's.
I don't remember my great grandmother on my mother's side all that well as she died when I was 5. I do, however, remember she always told me the only great sin in this world is to be boring.
I can't help but wonder, why did I work so hard? I could have done absolutely nothing and been in the same position.
What your "slacker" fellow student accomplished is not proof that he wouldn't have done even better if he'd applied himself, or that you would have done the same if you hadn't. Also it assumes all the other variables including dumb luck are identical between you. We don't know, relative to you, what the quality of his "rolodex" of networking contacts is, his native skill at socializing and negotiating and presenting, and a hundred other things.
It IS quite possible that you are focusing on things that aren't the most effective use of your time or something, but I can tell you that at your age I was generally caring too much and trying too hard, so yes, you might want to reconsider your priorities. But not in a cynical, "what's the point" sort of way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stellastar2345
The truth is, I don't even need to work. I can just wait for my parents to die, and I'll inherit more than I need. It's so hard for me to be motivated in life when there is no apparent benefit. The idea that he would likely struggle to get a job really gave me some satisfaction. What are the benefits of being motivated?
The benefits of being motivated are obvious for a goal that you actually care about.
Your question is really why should you care about having valuable / marketable skills when your long term future appears to be assured anyway. Aside from having a plan B "just in case", it's an understandable question.
One way to look at this is to put it in a different context. There are many who feel that our society is automating jobs out of existence, and that rather than have all that cost savings and productivity go to the elites, it should be shared with all society in the form of a guaranteed minimum income. In its ideal form it is simply an amount equal to a basic level of existence (food, shelter, clothing, health care) that is simply paid to everyone; perhaps in the US right now it would be roughly equivalent to $15/hr x 40 hours plus "obamacare" and other basic services, with an annual inflation adjustment. It would eliminate poverty at a pen stroke and eliminate employer incentives to take advantage of workers. No one would HAVE to work, unless they want extra status / higher standard of living than a basic but entirely sufficient one.
Imagine that you lived in such a society, where you and everyone else were on that level playing field.
What would you do?
Well, you would just enjoy it and be content with it and grateful for it. But if you wanted a higher standard of living -- to own your own home in a nicer neighborhood, say, or be appealing to a more accomplished demographic as potential mate, or whatever ... and/or if there was a profession that strongly appeals to you and that you feel passionate about ... or if you were simply bored and wanted to satisfy your curiosity and ambition ... then you would go the the extra effort to get educated / certified / experienced and trained and knowledgable about it. And then you'd reap the benefits of that extra effort. Always knowing that the alternative is not penury or something extreme like that.
From your description it appears that you're one of the lucky few who already enjoys this situation, other than perhaps the need to keep up appearances so that your family doesn't disinherit you for being a deadbeat or something. So I would say ... only pursue educational and job and social opportunities that you truly are passionate about and which will be apt to give you some sort of "juice" over and above just living off your inheritance will.
The problem of course is that you're young, don't fully know yourself yet, have little or no experience living in an adult world with both its perks and its burdens, so it probably makes sense to err on the side of giving yourself more options.
I simply think you can afford to be a little pickier a lot sooner than most of us.
I didn't come from money, and it took me until my 40s to get to a place in my profession (software development consulting) that I could start to be choosy about the work I did and didn't take, could command my own price, etc., and have some flexibility to take time off to travel and the like. I'm 59 now and I'm to a place where you probably are at 29 or however old you are. So just understand your good fortune and make decisions accordingly.
Another option of course for both of us is to donate time and expertise to causes that we care about. It needn't be all about the almighty dollar (or pound, or rand or whatever).
Last year I sort of was seeing a guy who didn't do much extra in college. He had no research experience, no part time job, no internship, no clubs, no leadership positions. He had an equal GPA (3.4) in the same major I had, computer science at the same college. He got a job before graduation [he is still in college]. A job that pays roughly the same that I make. He went to Europe for a month with his family the summer before his final year. He's even taking a 5th year to graduate.
I worked hard in college. I was up before dawn getting to my internship while taking 2 classes the summer before my final year. I would have really enjoyed going on a vacation for a month. I did research. I had 3 internships. I worked part time all 4 years. I was involved in different clubs. I even had 2 majors (computer science and econ) and too full loads to graduate on time. I can't help but wonder, why did I work so hard? I could have done absolutely nothing and been in the same position.
The truth is, I don't even need to work. I can just wait for my parents to die, and I'll inherit more than I need. It's so hard for me to be motivated in life when there is no apparent benefit. The idea that he would likely struggle to get a job really gave me some satisfaction. What are the benefits of being motivated?
That's an exaggeration, but a point you should still consider and apply to your life choices.
So there is no benefit to your work, other than making money? Perhaps you should find a different line of work, in an area that fulfills you.
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Is there something like animal rescue, helping children in need, literacy, etc. that you are passionate about? For a lot of charities, finding volunteers that don't work and have the time to help during the week is hard. You could always travel and literally see the world.
