Guilty Pleasures and Expensive Toys

The Gaim conference is in full gear and yet another of Bernie Madoff’s boats is up for sale. Given as further evidence that not only the poor and downtrodden go to repo auctions, the fiscal elite is converging around the leftovers of the Madoff family ruins.

As the 90-footer some have called “one of the fastest ever built” is being offered for a paltry $4.3 million I thought we could have a little fun and make our own market on luxury items. After all, “The Bull” is the single most worthwhile item from Madoff’s personal fortune to be auctioned off so far. Next to personal jets, boats are generally the most expensive toys of the ultra rich.

I remember watching The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous as a kid and listening to Robin Leach guffaw over gilded trinkets. As I grew, I became quite the item whore myself. If I actually stopped to think how much money I spent on gaudy useless shit like rims or custom leather seats I would probably host a pimp slapping party with myself as the only guest invited.

Today when I see a luxury car or expensive toy pass by, I can't say I don't appreciate them...but I can definitely say that I no longer desire them. Then again I have conspicuously found myself asking myself the vaunted question more and more:

whatever happened to fallin' in love with a ***** with a bus paaaass?!

I recall a day trading buddy of mine back in the eternal bull market days paying for one of those Master P boughetto album cover type murals to be painted on his brand new Hummer.

It was a lavender/silver blend ith splashes of money green dollar signs and his nickname all behind a glossy bust of him. The paint job was hideous and ridiculous. The best part is that it cost almost as much as the car. You can imagine his unpleasant shock when people started coming up to the car in broad daylight asking him when his mix tape was dropping.

Any of you guys had a chance to make an audacious purchase, yet? Know of any guys in the industry that have? I always wonder what stupid, useless trinket other people are dreaming about throwing their money away on? After all, we couldn't have pleasures if some of them weren't guilty.

 
alexpasch:
jack_donaghy:
It's nothing earth shattering but I bought an Audi the same week I started the job. I hope to gift myself a Maserati convertible this year for Christmas.

Spending your entire bonus on a quickly depreciating asset might not be the best move there bud...

I agree with alexpasch.... you never know in what situation you'll be next year.,,, why not buy something that will INCREASE in value, especially if you have a nice Audi..

 
Midas Mulligan Magoo:

Today when I see a luxury car or expensive toy pass by, I can't say I don't appreciate them...but I can definitely say that I no longer desire them. Then again I have conspicuously found myself asking myself the vaunted question more and more:

Is it cause you can afford it yourself or have you no more desire in such mundane items?

 
jack_donaghy:
I thought this was wallstreetoasis, not some high school janitors forum. "pay off a mortgage?" Do you really work these hours to pay for a mortgage, or do you not work in finance and just troll these boards?

If I'm going to forgo having a normal balanced life then I'm gonna drive a badass car to work.

Well said
I Got a dollar and a dream...
 
jack_donaghy:
I thought this was wallstreetoasis, not some high school janitors forum. "pay off a mortgage?" Do you really work these hours to pay for a mortgage, or do you not work in finance and just troll these boards?

If I'm going to forgo having a normal balanced life then I'm gonna drive a badass car to work.

I don't "work these hours". I don't work anywhere near the hours that most of you lil monkeys work (or will work). I've already been there done that. I've also "been there done that" as far as blowing money on frivolous shit. I guess some people have to learn the hard way I guess...

I'd rather retire at 35 with 7 or 8 figures than have to keep working well into my 50s because my hatred of my job/life forces me to buy "happiness" via frivolous consumption...

 

My only guilty pleasure is 2006 Porsche Boxster ( not even the S version!). And it leaves me with almost empty 3BR apartment and very low savings. But I'm the happiest broke person alive! :-D I planned to upgrade for Used 2008 Porsche 911 C2. My gf don't even knows what to say anymore.
Guilty pleasure can be done if you do it on cash basis. Its a relative term. My guilty pleasure is used Porsche, your guilty pleasure might be tht USD 5 mil boat. Sometimes you need to hv the guilty pleasure in order to keep your sanity intact.

Oil & Gas monkey
 
leveredarb:
you go retire at 35, and tell me how depressed you are at 36.

Haha what makes you say that? Whether married or unmarried, retiring at 35 with a sizeable piggybank can do nothing but further your happiness.

And if you do become unhappy, it will have nothing to do with having retired, but other factors that would have happened anyway...

 
alexpasch:
leveredarb:
you go retire at 35, and tell me how depressed you are at 36.

Haha what makes you say that? Whether married or unmarried, retiring at 35 with a sizeable piggybank can do nothing but further your happiness.

And if you do become unhappy, it will have nothing to do with having retired, but other factors that would have happened anyway...

Because you will be bored out of your mind, have no purpose to your life etc...

M&I put it quite well.

Just observe some of your freshly retired relatives.

Unless your idea of retirement is continuing work at a lower intensity for an NGO/Government/IMF

 
Best Response
leveredarb:
alexpasch:
leveredarb:
you go retire at 35, and tell me how depressed you are at 36.

Haha what makes you say that? Whether married or unmarried, retiring at 35 with a sizeable piggybank can do nothing but further your happiness.

And if you do become unhappy, it will have nothing to do with having retired, but other factors that would have happened anyway...

Because you will be bored out of your mind, have no purpose to your life etc...

M&I put it quite well.

Just observe some of your freshly retired relatives.

Unless your idea of retirement is continuing work at a lower intensity for an NGO/Government/IMF

Haha that's what happens to boring people. I'm sure I can derive my purpose from managing my own money, playing guitar, playing golf, hanging out, etc.

Just because you're not "working" doesn't mean your life loses all purpose, though that does happen to some people.

Honestly, I think by the time I reach that point, I'll be enjoying myself so much that I won't want to retire, but it's a totally different position to HAVING to work because you need the money. That was my point...

 

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Oil & Gas monkey
 

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