Why I do not feel any guilt being rich

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kocdim
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Re: Why I do not feel any guilt being rich

Post by kocdim »

AmericanSteve wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 1:39 pm To get rich is glorious - the Chinese said but all Americans think so to. I have no idea how people get rich but I would have loved to have figured it out.

I own three houses my self, and this on a teachers salary, and two of them are in China. My ex and I used to own a house in ChongQing but we sold it and bought a house in the states. When we divorced, that house came to me so now I have three houses.
I just bought my 3rd house in China for 600,000 RMB in Nov 2017 and immediately rented it out. Its now worth 800,000 RMB. The 2nd and 3rd tier cities in China are taking off. Real estate is always a safe bet.

Now if I had some real balls, I'd like to open a taco truck in China, like a gourmet food truck, because I think the spectacle of a white man selling tacos in China would draw in customers like flies to shit. I even looked into to it. They have licenses for food trucks.

My total wealth though is more difficult to calculate. My first ex-wife became a successful business woman in the states and my second ex-wife became a well paid nurse in the states. They both own their own houses, have savings and these resources go toward raising my kids, including university and travel and all sorts of perks from the famlies back in China and Taiwan. Calculating that into the wealth equation, I'd say I'm worth about US$3,500,000.
This is really really amazing what are you saying.
1) on teacher salary you had very nice net worth
2) Most of the people going broke and have to work for their ex wife all their life. You had 2 ex. And they provide by them self. To be honest i'm little jealous on this part. Is really hard to find women this days that will build the house not put it down :)
Cheers
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Kammekor
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Re: Why I do not feel any guilt being rich

Post by Kammekor »

kocdim wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:51 pm
Kammekor wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 7:23 am
newkidontheblock wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:18 am
Kammekor wrote:If Cambodians ask for money you can always just say no, don't you?

And about the concept of savings - Cambodians are very aware of that but they just have a different concept than you. Ever noticed the amount of gold the average Cambodian is carrying around? Those are their savings.
Difficult to say no when they are now related to you. It’s always the indirect ask, never to you, always to the missus. Either give me X, or I take the family land to the bank to borrow. Also seem to pawn gold and jewelry at an alarming rate. Sometimes unable to buy back the jewelry and then ask to borrow money to buy replacement jewelry. Thank goodness no cows, just chickens. The incessant rooster at 4 AM, noon, and other ungodly hours is quite enough.


Sometimes you just have to be a cheap ass. When shit hits the fan, like when a flooding damages the house, I step in and support repairs for a part, but when the old motorbike needs to be replaced by a new Honda Dream 2018 I turn into a cheap ass. If they want to pawn gold or land, I let them. It's their gold and land, not mine. Relatives are adults too, you know, and they have done it their way before me and they will do it their way after me. I've found out it's pretty useless to try to convince them do things my way, they simply can't or don't want. So be it.
Just a personal question. How deep this relative thing goes? Just the sisters and brothers? Or 1st and 2nd cousins?
I guess it's up to you. Setting straight borders in the beginning will be of great help later on....

I support my wife, her child and occasionally her parents (both in their early eighties now). I guess I spend about 800-1000 USD per year on her parents. That said.... Might sound very generous but my wife's mother comes to our house in the cashew nut season every year and she collects the nuts on our land sells those by herself, so no free ride. Provides her with about 500-600 in two months time with 2-3 hours of work every day. She's still capable of doing that. Add occasional donations and it's 800-1000 a year.
Her brothers and sisters are young enough to take care of themselves, although the younger brother always begs for money to buy beer, ricewine, or a new honda dream. Might be different for others though. I find it a bit silly to support a thirty something year old healthy guy.
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kocdim
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Re: Why I do not feel any guilt being rich

Post by kocdim »

Kammekor wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:18 pm
kocdim wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:51 pm
Kammekor wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 7:23 am
newkidontheblock wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:18 am
Kammekor wrote:If Cambodians ask for money you can always just say no, don't you?

And about the concept of savings - Cambodians are very aware of that but they just have a different concept than you. Ever noticed the amount of gold the average Cambodian is carrying around? Those are their savings.
Difficult to say no when they are now related to you. It’s always the indirect ask, never to you, always to the missus. Either give me X, or I take the family land to the bank to borrow. Also seem to pawn gold and jewelry at an alarming rate. Sometimes unable to buy back the jewelry and then ask to borrow money to buy replacement jewelry. Thank goodness no cows, just chickens. The incessant rooster at 4 AM, noon, and other ungodly hours is quite enough.


Sometimes you just have to be a cheap ass. When shit hits the fan, like when a flooding damages the house, I step in and support repairs for a part, but when the old motorbike needs to be replaced by a new Honda Dream 2018 I turn into a cheap ass. If they want to pawn gold or land, I let them. It's their gold and land, not mine. Relatives are adults too, you know, and they have done it their way before me and they will do it their way after me. I've found out it's pretty useless to try to convince them do things my way, they simply can't or don't want. So be it.
Just a personal question. How deep this relative thing goes? Just the sisters and brothers? Or 1st and 2nd cousins?
I guess it's up to you. Setting straight borders in the beginning will be of great help later on....

I support my wife, her child and occasionally her parents (both in their early eighties now). I guess I spend about 800-1000 USD per year on her parents. That said.... Might sound very generous but my wife's mother comes to our house in the cashew nut season every year and she collects the nuts on our land sells those by herself, so no free ride. Provides her with about 500-600 in two months time with 2-3 hours of work every day. She's still capable of doing that. Add occasional donations and it's 800-1000 a year.
Her brothers and sisters are young enough to take care of themselves, although the younger brother always begs for money to buy beer, ricewine, or a new honda dream. Might be different for others though. I find it a bit silly to support a thirty something year old healthy guy.
Thats not bad at all. I think is ok to support the parents. Thanks for the feedback.
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