Stuff

My firm settled a nice sized case last week, and I celebrated the way I usually do: I went out and bought myself a little something. It came in the mail yesterday, and I showed it to wifey. "Look sweetie --I bought myself a new Rolex --best one they sell. No, I mean it's the title to a new Lambourghini." Wifey just smirked. She knew me.

It was the confirmation of a tax free municipal bond, a vanilla investment that pays 5% per year and comes due in 2035 --quite possibly after I come due! This is the type of large purchase I tend to make.

I have friends who love expensive toys. One fellow, not a wealthy guy, has a $50,000 dollar collection of motorcycles, that his wife thinks is worth less than 1/2 that. Another guy I know who has made a lot of money HAS bought over $1/2M worth of cars --including a Lambourghini. One of my office roommates buys $5,000 suits, and has a watch collection worth nearly $1M.

I don't know --I never was much into stuff. My sister says I collect people instead.

By 1992 Wifey and I were starting to make some money, and we bought a nice house, and filled it with some nice furniture. Hurricane Andrew came along and literally blew it away, like the big, bad wolf. I took it as a sign that caring too much about tchotkes, as my father would have called them, is inherently silly.

Now, that said, I do own 5 cars --one for each of us, and my one toy --a 2002 Ford T Bird, which I drive on weekends. I paid about $30k for the car, and I've had it 5 years. It has less than 9000 miles. MY plan was to keep it 20 years, and see if it became a collectible. So far --no dice. I checked online the other day, and the car is worth less than $20k. So much for my financial acumen with collectibles.

There is one thing I do savor collecting: memories. I know the problem with that is that senility will be the Hurricane Andrew of those someday.

In the meantime, when the sun rises, I'm taking the T Bird out for a spin --about the same time my in laws come over today. I'll drive it around to do "errands" while they make their visit. Sometimes material possessions DO have real value!