“Do rich people have it easier than the rest of us” is a question that many of us often wonder. The lifestyle of a multi-millionaire is definitely quite different from someone that makes an average living. But is their life any easier than ours? Maybe, maybe not. Just because you’re extremely wealthy doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have to face any obstacles. Sure, you can afford to have a nice home, drive a cool car, and pay for all of your expenses, but rich people do face problems like the rest of us. However there are a few things that only rich people can get away with, as their vast net worth gives them a stronger safety net. So what exactly are they? Here are five things that rich people do and can easily get away with.
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
5. Buy a Private Island
Vacations to tropical islands are easily the most popular travel destinations in the world, but the cost of owning one is just so high and impractical for the average individual. That’s certainly not the case if you’re extremely wealthy. Owning a private island is the ultimate luxury, but one that comes at an extremely high price. Many dream of owing their own island one day, but only the extremely rich can actually make that dream a reality.
Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
4. Go on Big-Game Trophy Hunts
The recent story revolving around Cecil the lion and how an American dentists paid $50,000 dollars to go on that hunt has sparked a global debate. The thing is, rich people have been doing this forever. There are plenty of places in Africa where you can pay exorbitant amounts of money to hunt animals like wildebeests and lions. For example, a Texas oil baron by the name of Corey Knowlton once paid around $350,000 dollars to purchase a permit that would allow him to hunt a black rhino in Africa. He received extreme amounts of criticism and even a few death threats, but ultimately would go on a hunt where he killed a rhino. Some argue that the proceeds from these expensive, big-game hunts are put towards helping protect these animals. But many still argue that they are wrong. Either way, it’s still one activity that you can only really do and get away with if you’re rich.
Photo by Sandra Mu/Getty Images
3. Pay as Little Taxes as Possible
Another thing that you can only really do (and get away with) if you’re rich is paying as little taxes as possible, or avoiding them altogether. While paying taxes might be our “civic duty”, I don’t care what your views are, no one likes paying taxes. But we still have to pay them. If you’re really rich, you can come up with ways to avoid this. The extremely wealthy people of the worlds can afford to hire a team of expert accountants and lawyers that can come up with all kinds of loopholes and tricks to avoid paying taxes. You know, things like sending money to offshore bank accounts and what not. For the average individual, this is something that they cannot realistically do.
Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images
2. Actively Participate in The Fine Art Market
The buying and selling of artwork is one industry that is quite interesting, and realistically a “hobby” that only rich people can afford. Over the years, the worldwide art market has grown exponentially, seeing billions of dollars collectively spent on on sales each year. The thing is, art is a weird thing to put a price on. What makes one painting “better” than another? It’s all subjective. But one things for certain, it’s expensive to buy art, specifically rare pieces from legendary artists. Paintings can easily fetch for millions of dollars, meaning that only the super wealthy can actually buy them.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
1. Prepare For The Apocalypse
While we will most likely never see a nuclear holocaust or a zombie apocalypse, that doesn’t keep people from preparing for these unrealistic events. There are a few rich people out there than have poured thousands, if not millions of dollars into creating super-safe fallout bunkers or apocalypse shelters. The sheer costs of installing a bunker hundreds of feet below your home and then stocking it with food, water, and weapons is only something that rich people can do. While it’s definitely absurd and they exhibit paranoid behavior, some people still spend absurd amounts of money to make their mansions into military-esque bases.
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
