my friend has a new house..... help!! wealth & friends

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>I dont know whats so weird about it, but I think wealth or thinking you have wealth changes people SO MUCH. A friend of mine's (Not very close, just friends) parents bought a new house for about $600,000. The dad is a technician of somesort in the oil industry and the mother is a civil engineer for the city, respectfully. Before they used to live in a quiet neighbourhood, $150,000-$225,000 homes, regular folks. Now they took up a loan (i'll tell you how i know) and bought this house in a middle class neighbourhood. He printed pictures of it off the realty website and started showing off to everybody, telling us all unnecessary crap about the house ($400,000 loan,5 bdms,5 bthms, etc.).</p>

<p>It really is his house, hes not lieing, good for him.</p>

<p>but hes starting to annoy everybody but nobody wants to say anything, even his closest friends. I feel like I should say something, but what should I say when I approach him?</p>

<hr>

<p>why are people like this? hes not the first one ive seen behave this way once things turn up good? I mean, i come from a family whose grandfather lived on a rooftop after finishing college (finance major, btw), whose great uncle barely finished Highschool when he moved to this middle eastern country (hint: GCC country) and opened a small commercial agency (a small storefront office and a typewriter)</p>

<p>Now my grandfather and his brother (^great uncle who "barely finished highschool"), 50 years on, head the billion dollar company in which they both own as a partnership. </p>

<p>Im not showing off, even though our net worth is above the billion mark (havent told anybody except my closest,dearest, and bestest(?) friend). I dont go around school showing everybody my house or my grandfathers estate, or any of my family members homes. I go to a public school.</p>

<p>how should I handle this?what should I tell him?</p>

<p>P.S. in the middle east, parents share all their wealth with the children, but not spoil them. we arent "rollin up" in Rolls Royces or ferraris, though we could....:D MUAHAHAHHA! jks</p>

2

<p>I would not call someone wealthy if they have a $600,000 house. Well-off, but not wealthy. My old house in Arlington, VA sold for $550000 in a week, and it has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms and I don’t flaunt my wealth to a HUGE degree</p>

3

<p>i understand, but hes calling himself that. What im worried about is that he might be offended and think that im showing off my family wealth by telling him to quiet, hurting our relationship</p>

4

<p>Maybe he’s just excited about his new house? Just let him be and it’ll die down in a few weeks.</p>

<p>But if you really want… Joke around when he mentions and be like “no one cares” and then laugh it off. It works for me, but then again I’m a girl so…</p>

5

<p>Quite frankly as I read your post it sound like your jealous about his excited bragging. </p>

<p>Sounds like you want to stop him by saying “I am better than you but you just don’t know it, so let me tell you, and put you in your place by telling you”. - Not very nice.</p>

<p>Let it be…</p>

6

<p>In my opinion, a $600,000 house is not wealthy. My parents’ house is $1.5mil and we’re sure as hell are not wealthy. </p>

<p>In any case, maybe he’s just excited about moving, in general. I’m sure it will wear off eventually. If he’s still behaving this way several months after moving, then you might indeed have a problem. </p>

<p>Just steer clear of him for awhile until he chills out.</p>

7

<p>Agreed, 600,000 isn’t wealthy at all, my house is around 1.5. I’m middle to uppermiddleclass, not a big deal. Like others said it’ll probably die off eventually, he’s probably just excited. If not just jokingly tell him to shut up, he’ll take the hint sooner or later.</p>

8

<p>@PlattsburghLoser
I remember you saying your family had multiple homes plus they’re paying for your apartment in new york city and I would assume they’re paying your tuition as well.
I would say you might be on the rich-side.</p>

9

<p>No, we’re not.
Donald Trump is wealthy. He would probably kill himself if he had what anyone on CC has.</p>

10

<p>lol that’s true. Isn’t he like a billionaire?</p>

<p>Sorry to hijack</p>

11

<p>Wow, in my area 600,000 is not a very big house! I always forget how different house values are. (And no, I’m not wealthy myself, but my area is, and my mom is a real estate agent so I’ve seen a fair amount of houses.)</p>

<p>I agree though, on the bragging front, I just think it’s not necessary. Why brag? Why does everybody need to know every detail of your families financial investments?</p>

<p>I always just avoid people like that, or when they bring it up, I don’t feul the fire of the conversation. If you don’t act extremely interested, your friend will get bored and move onto the next person.</p>

12

<p>Everybody thinks they are middle class. There’s always someone richer than you but if you have more than 99% of the population you are wealthy. With a 1.5 million home you are either rich or in the top of the upper middle class, depending on how much of it is debt.</p>

13

<p>^That. If you have a $800,000+ home esp. in this economy, that’s wealthy in my book, and I live in California. You’d probably be upper middle class or rich, like lockn said. Wealthy isn’t Donald Trump. $5-600,000 is pretty much middle to lower middle class where I live, but in other states and neighborhoods it could mean upper-middle class.</p>

14

<p>I think there needs to be some recognition that these interpretations of what constitutes “wealth” are all relative based on a person’s own experiences.</p>

<p>Just because one person thinks $500,000/home is lower-middle class doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fact in other people’s eyes, nor should it be treated as such.</p>

15

<p>

</p>

<p>Donald Trump is extremely wealthy. If you have a $1.5 mil house, you are wealthy. It’s not a bad thing.</p>

<p>The average household income in the U.S. is about $65,000, if that much. People on here need some perspective.</p>

16

<p>If your household makes over $200,000, you are in the top 2.5%. If that is “middle”, then someone who makes under $2,500 must also be “middle”, because that is the bottom 2.5%.</p>

17

<p>If you say so.</p>

<p>I can’t say that my opinion has shifted.</p>

18

<p>This thread has been crazy hijacked. Poor kid doesn’t know how to solve his dilemma still.</p>

19

<p>Ignore him, he’ll stop after a while.</p>

20

<p>He should rob his friend. Then he’ll be the lower-upper-middle class friend.
Solved!</p>