He died from cancer at 45, never having had the chance. He told me before he died that he recognized the hubris of how he had chosen to live, and I take that to heart.

No, even Warren Buffett is not the richest man on Earth. In all likelihood, Putin has a far, FAR higher net worth than he does. And even on the “legit” lists, Bill Gates and Amancia Ortego outranked Buffett on the last recorded list (2016).

My mom even went so far as to get me diagnosed with a rare disability (fake, but that’s a manchausen’s(sp?) by proxy story for another time) so that she could play the sympathy card, even trying to sign me up for the Make A Wish foundation.

Did you actually take out your own life insurance policy? I see no reason to do so, not having children, etc. Zero reason to pay premiums for that.

Well, the whole $1,000 in gifts is beyond gross alone. I hate the whole idea of Xmas gifts, period. I don’t know why any kid (or adult!) should think they deserve a gift for Jesus’s birthday. Fuck that.

Wow — do you know how much you’re worth dead? :)

Somehow I think that, if Beyonce had Little Blue dishing out dinner at the homeless shelters and such, it would be all over the entertainment news wires.

I am child-free by choice, but I always feel that, if I WERE a parent, and a wealthy one, I would be the mom dragging my kids to volunteer at the homeless shelters and making them work as early as possible and sitting them in front of the news to see the harsh reality of the world, etc.

Ohhh, that is gorgeous — and I’m not even a beach person. But, yeah, beautiful!

Ha, I am from Massachusetts — I know ALL about Martha’s Vineyard!

One thing that is great about NYC, too, of course, is that you save a TON of money by not needing a car. I literally have not been behind the wheel in 16 years (this is for the best — like a lot of people who live here, I am not a gifted driver).

Many of us are worth more dead than we are alive — given life insurance, liquidating retirement accounts, selling homes, etc.

You shouldn’t! It sounds like you get to live somewhat of a wealthy lifestyle without actually being wealthy (I’m assuming, at least in comparison to most in your area?).

I don’t know if Blue Ivy understands yet that her family is “special.” She is a very little kid and has lived a rarified existence, so it’s likely that she thinks everyone lives this way. I imagine it’ll be quite some time before she understands the broader world and her family’s place in it.

Ha, ha! But seriously — Tracy Flick would be Dern’s power player character, full on.

Yeah, that is actually very reasonable (less than what I pay in fucking Brooklyn, another largely stooopid place to live).

A part-time bookkeeper at that! I guess she’s probably renting the place, but I imagine that rent would be insane — honestly, it’s a pretty cute pad, WAY nicer than my Brooklyn apartment (Brooklyn being another stupid place to live ;)).

No, I think Laura Dern’s character is more like Tracy Flick. Would Tracy Flick EVER be a full-time mom?!

Yeah, she’s looking better now, isn’t she? Although the hair looks super fake/like a wig in this. I guess she’s at least wearing some extensions.

They did the same with The Slap when it became a TV show.