I had no idea that my friend is a multi millionaire!!

[shockedpuppy]

Been friends for 35+ years. Both from "normal" working class backgrounds. I found out today, that her DH's business turned over £100 Million last year. Yes, One Hundred Million, it's not a typo.

They have a nice house in the South East, worth maybe £700k. There are no obvious signs of such wealth. They are not big spenders. We were at a party with them last month, and they were (as usual) quite slow to get the drinks in when it was their turn. We definitely got in more rounds. Gifts at Christmas are especially frugal, I normally receive something that has obviously been recycled as it's so bizarre, or it's obviously a freebie with another purchase.

I had been feeling quite good recently about money, as we pay off our mortgage later this year (house worth about £340k for context), and we will have a reasonable amount in savings. Now I just feel a bit Meh, as we will never attain anything like this. Just one million would do me, lol. I know comparison is the thief of joy, but I feel absolutely positively green with envy.

They will be able to do things for their 3 daughters when the time comes, like buy them homes outright - something we can't do.

We are all in our 50's, if that's of any relevance.

for what it’s worth i’m the same as your DH, if I go to a beach specifically to sunbathe and there are loungers/parasols for hire I'm taking the hit and hiring them. Forget lugging a massive brolly 2 km in the scorching sun. These days i need a respite from the sun so a parasol is necessary abroad. Bonus if i can order food and drinks 🍷

sorry wrong thread!!!

My friend has a £4 million house, while mine is 200k. She’d swap everything she has for the kind of love I have in my marriage. Money isn’t everything. Yes it is nice to have financial freedom but it brings its own problems. Better to forget it.

Get over it.
That's life !!!!!

What a bizarre thread!
First of all we have the OP who is jealous of a friend's wealth & is looking them up to check what they have.

Then along come people saying £20m net means nothing and the OP's friend is probably on the bare bones of her arse which seems highly unlikely.

Then along come people claiming they are super rich "on paper" with their huge house, business, whatever, whatever but are actually quite poor really don't you know

Mind. Blown.

Turnover and profit are very different, as is their wealth.

It's a bit naff if they aren't paying for their share of rounds but beyond that it doesn't seem hugely relevant

I have friends who scrape by on benefits and friends who have at least 10x your friend's net worth.

We mainly just hang out and chat about books or gardening or go for a nice walk so it never feels particularly relevant one way or the other.

I never strove for wealth so I can't begrudge those who worked to obtain it

Two of my siblings are about to become millionaires through inheritance. I don’t begrudge them the money as it’s their family money but as my contract ends and there’s nothing on the horizon, while they’re exited chattering about buying big houses and we’re putting ours on the market to downsize (and our house is tiny) it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

one sibling would bend over backwards to help and get the rounds in etc the other won’t be seen for dust.
Money changes many people. I’d rather be poor but happy

I happened to stumble over the accounts for a well known jeweller on Companies house last night OP. Their turnover in their last accounts was something like £114 million. Their net profit at the end of the year was around £7.5 million. A LOT of money. But minuscule in comparison to the turnover figure. So what if they were a bit slow to get the drinks. You sound very jealous and bitter to be honest. Their frugality might be a clue as to why they’ve been so successful. If they were my friends, I would be happy for them. And don’t forget, money isn’t everything.

Bizarrely I knew which thread you were replying to 🤣

Wow so many virtue signalling mnetters here claiming they've never been nosy.... I call bullshit

Never nosied at your neighbours /friends house when it goes on rightmove? Nosied on someone's linkedin or other social media? Companies house accounts are just public records. It's no different to idly speculating how much your mate paid for her new house, everyone I know looks this stuff up all the time. When Facebook first came into existence everyone did massive amounts of Facebook stalking nosying into how old friends were doing now, noticing holiday pics to posh destinations, wondering how much that old uni friend paid for the shiny new flat they'd posted pics of!!

Human nature is to be curious, and if you reckon you are never nosy then you are just less honest about it than other people haha!!!

All wealthy people aren't stingy - it's a complete myth.

The majority are sensible with money and recognise it's worth which is significantly different to being tight.

its fine to be nosey - the information is publicly available on Companies House. The problem is when the OP doesn’t actually understand what she has seen and draws her own conclusions. Her friend lives in a relatively ‘normal’ house, but OP has decided she’s a multi millionaire.

This ^

Not everyone is nosy, it's not a happy trait and lots of people just don't waste energy thinking about other people's business in that way.

Is he the sole owner of the company?
That had a net profit of £20m last year?

Its got absolutely nothing to do with you...

And this ^

If your turnover is £100 million but your costs are £99.99 million you aren't necessarily a "multi-millionaire"

I love how in MN nobody cares about their friends, nothing is ever anybody elses busienss, nobody is curious or anything.

Noe, 100M turnover ia not the same as profit but they're unlikely to be poor. Of course it is shocking to find out your friends are multi-millionaires when you had no clue. Do they owe op anything? Nope. But of course a lot of of would check the info if someone mentioned how successfully their company was.

We have this friendship group and one couple is very obviosuly wealthy and we are so curious how it has come about. But we are not asking. I know here we would be considered bad friends cause we wonder about this but I feel like it is quite natural to wonder about it.

My uncle was a self-made millionaire. You would never have known it. He lived in a fairly ordinary bungalow. His only concession to wealth was a Bentley, which he rarely drove, preferring to travel in a white van he used for his businesses. Still met his friends in the working men’s club, still had a week in Benidorm in October, every year.

Exactly what I was about to put!

There is NEVER any excuse to be slow to get your round in if you are out, and to allow friends buy more than you do.
No excuse EVER, unless explicitly discussed.

Their money is irrelevant.
Mean is mean and I studiously avoid these types.
No second chances.

If you drink, you buy your round. End of.

Yes this - their overheads could be massive

I was feeling good today, sun is shining, sat in the garden with the dog and a wine.

Then I googled J-Lo’s net worth and now I feel shit.

She will be able to buy multiple houses in the Hollywood hill for her kids and I can’t.

As multiple posters have said: comparison is the thief of joy.

Give your head a wobble. Would you rather they flaunt their wealth in your face? They sound like decent people.

And you will be able to do more than a great majority of the country. It’s how it is.

And why would they have told you? It sounds you are jealous.