4 ms·

There's no such thing. You're always going to have to be nice to someone - even if you're Mel Gibson.

johnrob 16y ago
There is a such thing as not having to be an employee anymore, and I think that's the general consensus here as to what FU money is.
jacquesm 16y ago
Agreed, it's a weird term, but since it was used in the original I figure I'd keep it, but I did add a clarification as to what it means to me. In fact, the people that have 'fuck you' money (that I know) tend to be pretty rude to people that are simply trying to make their lives a little easier, such as people waiting tables or running a store. You can instantly tell from the way they treat those 'below' them in stature (if there is such a thing anyway, my grandmother used to say about such people that they smell just the same on the toilet) whether they're nice or not. As a rule, if people are rude to others that are in a 'lesser' position to them then you can do without them just fine.
- wizard_2 16y ago
  Meet some more people. I've saved 20+% for about 5 years now, I have over a year of FU money, and probably closer to 3 or 4 if I actually payed closer attention to my spending and cut back. I'm not rich, I just save before I spend and prolong the time before I give any of my money away (purchases, bills etc - its my money!) It hasn't affected me much, I still work, I'm still kind to strangers and waitresses. You're rule is good, but something tells me those people you know would be the same in any situation.
  - jacquesm 16y ago
    > but something tells me those people you know would be the same in any situation. That's exactly why the rule is good, it allows you to pick out people like that. In other situations they will be the same (they can't help it) but it won't stand out so much. Some people try to impress others by bossing people around or showing they can afford to be rude, for me that's a total turn-off. The really interesting thing here is that the really wealthy are usually quite modest (at least, those that I've met, which is not a very large sample).
- nostrademons 16y ago
  "In fact, the people that have 'fuck you' money (that I know) tend to be pretty rude to people that are simply trying to make their lives a little easier, such as people waiting tables or running a store." The people I know with FU money have generally been really nice - there was this one kid in college who was an asshole, but he's the exception, not the rule. Most will go out of their way to help people, and are always polite to waitstaff etc. Maybe I've just been lucky. I've found that the comment someone made in the original thread holds pretty true. ("Whatever type of person you were before FU money, you'll be more of afterwards. If you were a jerk beforehand, you'll be more of a jerk afterwards, while if you were a nice person beforehand, you'll be a nice person afterwards.)
dieterrams 16y ago
My concept of FU money isn't that you get to be an uninhibited jerk. Rather, if someone's a jerk to you, you can say "FU" and not worry about whether you're going to be able to pay the bills. The sort of thing you can't do if you're dependent on your employer to maintain your lifestyle.
- nostrademons 16y ago
  But that's the case with nearly everyone who has >~3 months of savings. If it's just one isolated person that's being a jerk to you, quit and find another job. Hell, you can do that with no money in the bank if you find the other job first and then quit.
  - dieterrams 16y ago
    In each of these cases, you still have to find another job, which means you still have to worry about paying the bills. It also doesn't have to be your employer: it can be anyone you're financially tied to in some way.
    - nostrademons 16y ago
      Right, but finding another job is typically not a problem for people with the skills to make FU money (through means other than the lottery and inheritance, at least). If your boss is an asshole and you're not, and you're skilled in any reasonably competitive field, you shouldn't have trouble finding another job where the boss is not an asshole.
      - dieterrams 16y ago
        That might be true, but I've gotten the impression that a lot of people who've made FU money aren't necessarily super skilled, but happened to do the right thing at the right time. I can't give a comprehensive survey of everyone who's made FU money, but take Tim Ferris for example. He's not a whiz at building websites: he just knew to cash in on selling brain supplements online when that stuff was taking off. Edit: I should point out that I don't think FU money is exclusively about being able to say "FU" to a jerk. I emphasized that aspect just to invert the comment I was responding to. FU money can also just be about ditching a career you're not that interested in (but may be highly skilled at, and otherwise locked into).

There is a such thing as not having to be an employee anymore, and I think that's the general consensus here as to what FU money is.

jacquesm 16y ago

Agreed, it's a weird term, but since it was used in the original I figure I'd keep it, but I did add a clarification as to what it means to me. In fact, the people that have 'fuck you' money (that I know) tend to be pretty rude to people that are simply trying to make their lives a little easier, such as people waiting tables or running a store. You can instantly tell from the way they treat those 'below' them in stature (if there is such a thing anyway, my grandmother used to say about such people that they smell just the same on the toilet) whether they're nice or not. As a rule, if people are rude to others that are in a 'lesser' position to them then you can do without them just fine.

wizard_2 16y ago
Meet some more people. I've saved 20+% for about 5 years now, I have over a year of FU money, and probably closer to 3 or 4 if I actually payed closer attention to my spending and cut back. I'm not rich, I just save before I spend and prolong the time before I give any of my money away (purchases, bills etc - its my money!) It hasn't affected me much, I still work, I'm still kind to strangers and waitresses. You're rule is good, but something tells me those people you know would be the same in any situation.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  > but something tells me those people you know would be the same in any situation. That's exactly why the rule is good, it allows you to pick out people like that. In other situations they will be the same (they can't help it) but it won't stand out so much. Some people try to impress others by bossing people around or showing they can afford to be rude, for me that's a total turn-off. The really interesting thing here is that the really wealthy are usually quite modest (at least, those that I've met, which is not a very large sample).
nostrademons 16y ago
"In fact, the people that have 'fuck you' money (that I know) tend to be pretty rude to people that are simply trying to make their lives a little easier, such as people waiting tables or running a store." The people I know with FU money have generally been really nice - there was this one kid in college who was an asshole, but he's the exception, not the rule. Most will go out of their way to help people, and are always polite to waitstaff etc. Maybe I've just been lucky. I've found that the comment someone made in the original thread holds pretty true. ("Whatever type of person you were before FU money, you'll be more of afterwards. If you were a jerk beforehand, you'll be more of a jerk afterwards, while if you were a nice person beforehand, you'll be a nice person afterwards.)

dieterrams 16y ago

My concept of FU money isn't that you get to be an uninhibited jerk. Rather, if someone's a jerk to you, you can say "FU" and not worry about whether you're going to be able to pay the bills. The sort of thing you can't do if you're dependent on your employer to maintain your lifestyle.

nostrademons 16y ago
But that's the case with nearly everyone who has >~3 months of savings. If it's just one isolated person that's being a jerk to you, quit and find another job. Hell, you can do that with no money in the bank if you find the other job first and then quit.
- dieterrams 16y ago
  In each of these cases, you still have to find another job, which means you still have to worry about paying the bills. It also doesn't have to be your employer: it can be anyone you're financially tied to in some way.
  - nostrademons 16y ago
    Right, but finding another job is typically not a problem for people with the skills to make FU money (through means other than the lottery and inheritance, at least). If your boss is an asshole and you're not, and you're skilled in any reasonably competitive field, you shouldn't have trouble finding another job where the boss is not an asshole.
    - dieterrams 16y ago
      That might be true, but I've gotten the impression that a lot of people who've made FU money aren't necessarily super skilled, but happened to do the right thing at the right time. I can't give a comprehensive survey of everyone who's made FU money, but take Tim Ferris for example. He's not a whiz at building websites: he just knew to cash in on selling brain supplements online when that stuff was taking off. Edit: I should point out that I don't think FU money is exclusively about being able to say "FU" to a jerk. I emphasized that aspect just to invert the comment I was responding to. FU money can also just be about ditching a career you're not that interested in (but may be highly skilled at, and otherwise locked into).