Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

I hope the title is clear enough.

Basically I pose this question to the 30+ crowd who have grown up with friends before jobs, careers and income were ever issues.

Do people eventually stray from each other as incomes/net worth get progressively further and further away from each other?

Example of mine. I'm 26 right now and I've grown up with the same group of friends since basically grade school. Now that we are mostly all done school and somewhat settling into our careers and such, its becoming obvious that some are going to be rich, and some are not. My friends can be pretty competitive, especially the ones on the lower end of the spectrum and I can already detect some resentment / jealousy from them to the higher incomes.

I'm about in the middle so I can easily relate to both groups, but I could see a gradual dispersion in the future. I mean, the rich people want to do balla things and hang out with other rich people, it only makes sense. The poor ones feel stupid, left out, etc and get mad.

I then looked to my parents life for similarities. We aren't rich, we aren't poor. My parents don't have any rich friends, and they don't have any poor friends. This may be just a coincidence.

Is this just how life ends up? Are people really petty enough to let income / net worth affect who they spend their time with?

Re: Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

I think it's mainly you start hanging out with the people you work with and they are prolly all in the same income bracket as you.

Re: Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

[ QUOTE ]
I think it's mainly you start hanging out with the people you work with and they are prolly all in the same income bracket as you.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, this is basically it. Your friends in college aren't necessarily going to be your friends for life.

Re: Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

eh, i dont think its a matter of pettiness. but if you want to go eat at an awesome upscale restaurant with friends...you'll obv need a group of friends that can afford it. and so on with most 'balla things.'

Re: Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

I could hang with either crowd because I don't spend money on flashy things, but I save a lot and invest in pretty conservative avenues.

But if I go out with people "with money" to eat at a nice place or go see a theater performance or something else expensive I would do it.

Your lower-income friends shouldn't let it get to them. If they can acquire some discipline, they can easily, EASILY, end up with a higher net worth than your buddies pulling high salaries. A lot of youngish people with a high salary have absolutely zero clue as to what to do with it.

Re: Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

I imagine that wealthier people want to do more expensive things, and will thus need more wealthy friends. I'm only 20 and this is already apparent when my broke ass friends can't find enough change to catch a movie

Re: Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

OP, I've started to see the same thing. Not sure how to "deal" with it.

Re: Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

OP - You're right, but it depends on the people.

I consider myself doing average for my age, maybe a little behind, and definitely find myself jealous of my friends that have become very successful.

There's no doubt that people prefer to be around people in their peer group / class.

It's kind of like the idea that you love to see your friends succeed, just not more than you.

Re: Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

I dont see varying income brackets coming between my friends and I. Then again we have been friends since we were tiny.

Surely your real friends should remain so no matter how much you are or are not earning.

Acquaintances are different, and usually depend on common denominators

Re: Staying friends with people while net worth / income diverges
 

[ QUOTE ]
OP, I've started to see the same thing. Not sure how to "deal" with it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Old Nate tha' Great thread on a similar topic.

-McGee