can you live on $300K a month?

[private_ryan]

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/richiediv1.html

[bif]

1. I could live on $300 a month

[RebelOne]

2. Quite well.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

3. She sounds like Anna Nicole...

when she went into court trying to get her share of the cash from her dead "husband's" estate. She was whining about how she only got 100,000 for Christmas one year, because it's just so expensive "to be" her.

[LuLu550]

4. my mortgage alone is

three times that!

[prolesunited]

7. Your mortgage is $9,000 a month?!?!

:wow:

[Skittles]

8. ok

that is just plain f***ing SAD

[SoCalDem]

15. 3 x 300 is $900

You got an extra zero in there..:)

[chimpy the poopthrower]

16. You must have missed the "k"

And the link. ;) That's $300,000, not $300. And not $3,000 either.

5. I'm not sure, can I try?

Pleeeze?????

[AndyP]

Shit like that makes me sick

How she thinks she is entitled to ANY of that money I'll never know. She's done nothing for since meeting him probably, he was the one that made all the ching. I'm not saying she should get nothing, but 300k are you kidding me. Take a house, 300k a year, and quit your bitching. Jeez. :wtf:

[LynneSin]

6. I checked over my fiances and I'm not sure I can swing it

I'll need at least $75K/month for Abbie's Catnip habit and another $50K for his grooming. And I spend probably about $48k on cat food, $35k on new toys for Abbie (he gets bored so quickly) and about $22k a month on gifts that Abbie likes to give out to the other cats. I mean, I need some money for my own personal needs you know!!

:shrug:

[Zero Gravitas]

9. I could scrape by on that

I guess, but it would be tough to do.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Susang]

52. You deserve your mouth washed out with soap

For calling a woman you don't know a "bitch" on DU!

[Vittorio]

63. Got that right.

[private_ryan]

11. if I was a judge

she'd get enough money for 2-3 years and tuiton to a school of her choosing. After that she's on her own. No doubt Lionel would've been just as good without "her support". She's used to the lifestyle? Too fucking bad.

He told her to sell her store, stay at home and she listened? Too bad. Now you have three years to get back all the wonderful things you gave up to "support him". This is getting crazy. I know it's hard to be her with only 9 maids but still. That's why marriage really sucks. Gays should be careful what they wish for.

[TXlib]

12. For one of her requested monthly payments

he could make her disappear permanently, with nothing pointing to him.

[private_ryan]

13. Chris Rock says that what made OJ go crazy

:). He was half joking but was saying that "she needed $4,000 a month for food". He's like "WTF was she eating for 4 grand a month? I gotta get some cheese on my whopper."

Meal tickets are wrong. You are married, you enjoy all the benefits. When you get divorced, the party is over. I'm sure all these women married for love and everything :), but that's no excuse. Go to fucking work and make your own money just like us.

[Susang]

50. Please don't tell me you sympathize with OJ

Perhaps you wouldn't mind explaining that last post just a bit?

[bleedingheart]

93. I would like to point out that there are a lot of men who do the same

thing...

and there are also a lot of men and women who have stood by their spouses and helped them to reach the pinnacle of success and they deserve to share in that success.
For example the fellow who owned 84 Lumber here in PA left his wife of over 40 years for a bimbo who was in her early twenties...his ex-wife had helped in the business...she deserved her share.

[bleedingheart]

94. I would like to point out that there are a lot of men who do the same

thing...

and there are also a lot of men and women who have stood by their spouses and helped them to reach the pinnacle of success and they deserve to share in that success.
For example the fellow who owned 84 Lumber here in PA left his wife of over 40 years for a bimbo who was in her early twenties...his ex-wife had helped in the business...she deserved her share.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

14. She was with him for almost 20 years.

Sure, she could get by on far less. So could he. What difference does it make that he "earned" the money? Marriage is a financial partnership. I know nothing about their marriage or why it ended, but you people saying she should just walk away with peanuts after devoting the better part of her life to this man make me sick. If he didn't want to enter into a financial partnership with this woman, he should have thought about that 20 years ago. And who is to say that her support didn't contribute to his success?

[private_ryan]

19. "She was with him for almost 20 years"

2004 - 1996 = 8 years. No doubt she'll get the money because the laws are that way. However, that doesn't make it right.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

22. But they started dating in 1984.

"According to Richie, she began dating the pop star in 1984, when they met at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles (she was an 18-year-old dancer)."

I actually misread and did think they were married soon after they started dating, but it doesn't really change anything. She did give him the better part of her years. And I do think it is right for her to get a large share of the wealth. Marriage is about commitment, and part of that commitment includes finances. No one forced him to marry her.

[private_ryan]

24. "But they started dating in 1984"

so what? You dating, you aren't entitled to anything! Apparently she was paid and supported very well for whatever she provided to him whiel dating. The 50-50 starts the minute you get married. He was stupid enough not to sign a prenup (unless we don't know) but sitting at home with 9 maids and unlimited credit is not the same as working. Spin it however you want.

[SOteric]

31. I agree, regardless of the time they actually married.

Though, seven years is not really a 'quicky' marriage, and it looks as though she didn't just stumble onto him and decide he'd be an easy mark.

Courts tend to regard the fairness of a financial split in terms of supporting a spouse (either gender) "in the style to which they have become accustomed."

However extravagant this seems, it's her life and she's been lead to believe she can live that sort of life.

It's probably important to note, however, that it's not uncommon for a crafty lawyer to ask for exhorbitant, unlikely amounts of money in hopes of negotiating down to something reasonable rather than to ask for reasonable amounts of money and be negotiated down to a pittance.

It would be cruel to cast her aside and let her scrabble for a living at Walmart at this point; her opportunities for education and a career of her own have likely been sacrificed.

[MissMillie]

17. just barely!

(kidding of course)

[northernsoul]

18. oh, I think I could find a way

jeez, Lionel ain't made of that kind of money! Though he is easy like Sunday morning.

[SoCalDem]

20. It seems excessive, but like someone else said

a long marriage is a partnership.. a bit of a crapshoot too.. Everyone goes into marriage (when you are young) hoping to be successful and to eventually be rich ..Some actually manage to do it..

Look at the flip side.. If a couple runs up massive debt or gets into trouble with the IRS..and then divorce..she is "entitled" to half of that debt..and sometimes ALL of it..

Guys who make a lot of money and get married, need to be ready to divvy it up if the marriage faile.. ditto for wealthy women..

If someone is so emotionally needy that they fall prey to a gold digger, then they have only themselves to blame.. Marriage is not somoething you do because there's nothing else to do and you happen to be in Vegas.:)

[SOteric]

21. I don't know. Send it to me and I'll try.

[radwriter0555]

23. LOL! My kid's school is named in that pleading...

hmmm......

[latebloomer]

25. What is she, Ilsa the she-wolf?

A thou a month for hair removal???

[jmowreader]

45. Yeah, I was wondering about that too...

If you laser off a thousand bucks' worth of hair a month, eventually you will be completely bald, all over your body, and it's never coming back. So some of this is not necessarily going to be "permanent" costs.

[DoNotRefill]

26. No....

I'd quickly run out of space to pile the cash.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

27. Any divorce lawyers or knowledgeable others who care to add something?

I feel like I'm (almost) all alone on this thread. The point is not whether she could still live a comfortable lifestyle on a lot less money. You could just as easily say the same thing about him. He entered into a financial partnership with this woman. Now that the partnership is ending, it is time to divide up the assets. How it will be divided up will depend on a number of different factors, including state law, whether there was a prenup, how long they were married, and other factors. But you can't simply say that the assets are all his because he earned them by himself. They earned them together. That's how partnerships work. If he didn't like those terms, he shouldn't have gotten married. He had access to the best lawyers and financial advisors money could buy at the time. It's not as if he was tricked into anything.

[private_ryan]

28. "They earned them together"

whatever "they" (she worked really hard) earned during their marriage. What he earned before and after should not even be in question.
Also, just because the law is on her side, it doesn't make it fair.

[DoNotRefill]

30. You're right.

After all, when a person gives everything she has to a man for 20 years, and he decides he's tired of her and wants a "younger model" or "trophy wife" that hasn't aged, he should be able to throw her to the curb and keep all his cheese. Who gives a shit if she ends up working at Wal-mart? After all, it's the MAN that's important...

</sarcasm>

[private_ryan]

33. what did she give him that she wouldn't have given to a

construction worker if she had never married Lionel or anyoen rich?

If she wants to be treated like a prostitute, then she should set a price and calculate how many times they had sex, or a discounted nightly rate.

[DoNotRefill]

35. Nice attitude.

Lionel signed up for it. They were together 20 frigging years. She helped him, he helped her, and they had a partnership.

She didn't marry a construction worker. She married Lionel.

You seem to have the attitude that women are just whores, and should be "paid" based upon the going rates of whores.

Well isn't that special.

[private_ryan]

40. she is the oen who has that attitude

I actually believe that she can make it on her own after some initial help. See the difference?

[DoNotRefill]

44. Sorry...

You're the person saying she doesn't need the money. You're the person with the attitude that she's a leech. You're the person who suggested that she be paid based upon how many times they had sex.

[private_ryan]

46. you misssed the "if"

but whatever.

[private_ryan]

47. on the leech part:

leech: One that preys on or clings to another; a parasite.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=leech&r=67

[chimpy the poopthrower]

32. Well, he apparently thought it WAS fair...

...since he assumed that risk when he married her.

[latebloomer]

34. I agree that she should get her fair share

but it is totally nauseating if you read the 9-page document to see how much money she throws away on BULLSHIT!! And she HAS to keep consuming, consuming, consuming like that for the rest of her life. $800 a month on computer lessons? $15,000 for clothes? A thou a month for 8 kids' birthday parties? A $40 million house? She admits that she and her husband lived an "extraordinarily extravagant lifestyle", spending $300 thou a month, but after divorcing him she expects to keep up the exact same level of spending??

She sounds like a vain, self-centered, entitled, shallow female dog, and that's what people are reacting to.

[private_ryan]

36. the worst part: it's money earned because of HIS talent

she wants to milk dry even after the divorce.

[Susang]

51. There's the irony

Talent and Lionel Ritchie used in the same sentence. He left any talent he had behind with the Commodores.

[private_ryan]

58. hey

apparently enough people think he's talented.

[Susang]

59. Apparently

Many people also think Fabio is talented. Same with Vanilla Ice, Danny Bonaduce, Mancow, Jay Leno, and Milli Vanilli, just to name a few. How many people does it take to think someone is talented to make it true anyway?

[private_ryan]

79. do you realize that what is talented to you might not be

to another person, me and vice-versa? I have news fo ryou, I don't even think I ever heard him sing, not do I have any desire too. But, for him to afford a wife with that attitude, and a $40 mil mansion a lot of people must think he's talented.

[DoNotRefill]

29. One point:

I'd think it would depend on his income stream. If he's bringing in 900K a month, and she a)gave up her career, b) stayed at home, c) had and raised his children, and d) gave up other opportunities to be with him, I don't see 1/3 of his monthly "take" as being outrageous. If, on the other hand, his income is $315,000 a month, 300K is too much.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

37. Why do some DUers lose all rationality whenever big $$$s are involved?

Whether it's someone suing a big corporation, an athlete negotiating a big contract, or a spouse divorcing where a great deal of wealth is involved... suddenly some people think basic rules of fairness don't apply. Are humans so envious by nature that we can't stand to see anyone get a lot of money? Remember that the corporation being sued, the team owners who pay the salaries, and the rich spouse who is being asked for support are all already wealthy. Why are those same feelings of envy not directed equally toward them?

[latebloomer]

39. as I said earlier

I personally am reacting to the obscene waste involved. I know rich people who live fairly modestly and give of their time and money to worthy causes. She is apparently not one of them.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

41. And how do you know...

...that he isn't living just as extravagantly? He apparently hasn't objected to her spending that much all these years.

[private_ryan]

42. because they were together

is that hard to figure out why? Now they aren't.

[Susang]

61. You do realize that he has a history of abuse with her?

That might very well be the reason they are no longer together, you must admit. At the very least, it most likely contributed.

[private_ryan]

70. she should sue him in civil court for abuse, separate from this

I don't know about the history or why they're divorcing.

[Susang]

77. Exactly

So why do you presume to judge or comment on their finances when you don't really know anything about it? Or do you really believe that you know what the two of them think and feel about their lives together?

[Vittorio]

78. How do you know he beat her, then?

Even you posted that someone "wouldn't find it anywhere"?

[Susang]

81. See my post below

n/t

[private_ryan]

82. first

I just wasted a good 10 minutes on Google and found nothing on it. Granted, unlike you I can't afford PIs to investigate so I have to rely on news stories.

Abuse and alimony are SEPARATE. If he beat you up, call the cops and /or sue him in civil court. She probably might need the evidence you gathered on this.

[Susang]

85. My point was not about MONEY

Which is all you seem to be concerned about. My point was regarding your speculation about why they were no longer together. Unlike you, I don't care about their divorce settlement. Since he didn't bother with a prenup in the nineties, he obviously wasn't too concerned himself.

You may have wasted a good ten minutes on Google, I have wasted far more time trying to discuss marriage and finances with you and other like minded men on this site. You seem to believe that this woman (and other women in similar marriages) bring no other contributions to the union than sex (thus my offense to the abbreviated version of the Chris Rock comment) and child rearing.

In this thread, I have heard women called bitches, golddiggers and many other colorful and offensive names. They've been accused of trying to steal men' hard earned money, of needing to be put in their place by being forced to work at Wal Mart, among other indignities.

I'm sick of it and I've had enough for one night. Enjoy your thread, you all have earned it.

[DoNotRefill]

86. Hey Susang....

ALL men in this thread are not subliterate cretins who think women are just out to steal their cheese....

DNR

[latebloomer]

43. good point

He may well be a shallow wasteful bastard as well. Tho it says he didn't want the $40 million house-- she had to talk him into it.

[DoNotRefill]

38. WoW!!!

I never knew there was this much anger towards women lurking at DU... Reminds me of the "He Man's Woman Hater's Club"...

[chimpy the poopthrower]

48. I agree

It's pretty sad, isn't it? :(

[Susang]

53. There's a lot going around here lately

I'm getting a little weary of it all. I think it may be time for a DU time out if this keeps up.

Unfortunately, if I feel that way, and I've been here three years, I worry about how a lot of the newbies might be feeling. When did this drift start to occur? Was I just not paying attention?

[private_ryan]

71. sorry, I'll make it up

All women good. All men bad.
All women good. All men bad.
All women good. All men bad.
All women good. All men bad.
All women good. All men bad.
All women good. All men bad.
All women good. All men bad.
All women good. All men bad.

now watch me get all these PMs and "you're so sweet" posts.

[bleedingheart]

95. Its that old ogre the "stereotype"...

"all women are gold diggers"

and you are right there is a lot of anger towards women here on DU sometimes and it is sad.

[Crowdance]

49. Only if I give up cable

nt

[FDRrocks]

54. To para-phrase Chris Rock:

She's accustomed to living extravagantly? I'm sure Lionel is accustomed to having sex with her 4 times a week, but he isn't gonna get that.

[Susang]

56. Lionel was also accustomed to beating her, wasn't he?

I don't think he'll be getting that either. But then again, neither will she.

[FDRrocks]

57. No clue...

Don't really give a hoot about what those two do.

[Susang]

60. You cared enough to post a sexist quote from Chris Rock, didn't you?

Hmmmm?

[FDRrocks]

62. Hah.

HMMMMM. I posted cause I felt like it, thanks.

edit: Where'd the beating his wife thing come in, btw? I find no mention of it after searching TSG or Google.

[Susang]

72. It's an interesting story

And probably not very publicized.

Ritchie actually was beaten by his first wife (the one he had his daughter Nicole with). Allegedly, he continued the pattern by becoming the abuser with his second wife. You probably wouldn't find it on google since I doubt it actually made the news.

[FDRrocks]

73. Where did you find it?

[Susang]

80. I used to know someone

Who was tight with the family. It's one of those not-so-secret stories that people like talk about but ignore. Unfortunately, there's a lot more domestic abuse in the entertainment business than most people know.

[Nevernose]

64. The real, not-quite-as-sexist quote:

(paraphrased)"His wife was getting a million dollars a month so she could continue living the life that she was accustomed to. WTF is accustomed supposed to mean? When I'm a at a restaraunt, I'm accustomed to eating. So when I leave the restaraunt, can I sue them, claiming that they have to provide me with free food for the rest of my life?"

Lionel used to be married to this woman. She's entitled to half of what he's got, and maybe even a little something to take care of her for a few months or even a year. But is he supposed to take care of her for the rest of her life because they used to be married? Isn't that just one of the many side-effects of getting a divorce?

[FDRrocks]

69. The quote I meant is

"If she's accustomed to a way of living, what about men? Your honor, I'm accustomed to f*cking her four times a week!"

from Bring the Pain

[Susang]

74. Thanks

I like Chris Rock and I appreciate your quoting him accurately.

[private_ryan]

76. actually

he mentioned the f-ing thing too. He said that a man should pull that to a judge. Something like "I don't mind paying her the alimony but I want p**** payments"

[private_ryan]

75. why is it sexist?

don't just throw labels at people. Explain it. Why is that sexist, provided that they had sex 4 times a week?

[Susang]

83. It's really sad you have to ask that

BTW, I called the Chris Rock comment sexist. That was, of course, before the entire quote was posted.

So perhaps you should curb your knee jerk reactions and calm down just a bit. The comment in full, was not sexist. The blurb-mat version that had been posted before was. Hopefully, you can see the difference.

[private_ryan]

84. not sad at all from where I'm sitting but it's all relative

if you heard it on his show, those two quotes are connected. One was for her being "accustomed to this and that" and the other part was the guy being "accustomed to f-ing her 4 times a week".

The moral of the story was that once it's over it's over, and it should apply to both parties!

[Vittorio]

55. What a (insert name of female dog here.)

This is why I'd sign a prenup before I get married. I don't want my wife taking ANY of my hard-earned money just because she needs money for expensive shoes and accessories. Nuh UH!

If she wants money, then she works. You can hate the way I think if you like, but I'm entitled to my own opinions. I saw my mom screw over my dad when they got divorced. It pissed me off. This pisses me off, too.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

90. It's not HIS money.

The document references income expected from an album that was created while they were still married - in other words while they were still a financial partnership.

And as long as we're throwing out personal stories, my parents are still together and both work, BUT if they were to divorce and my Dad didn't provide my Mom with support payments, she would be in a terrible situation. My Dad's earning power is far more than my Mother's and that is partly because of decisions she made throughout the marriage, such as working to support my Dad while he was getting advanced degrees. No, their situation is not exactly like the Ritchies, but neither is your families. If you marry someone, you commit to sharing your finances with them (unless their is a prenup or something). The reason for one spouse having to support the other spouse after a divorce has to do with the fact that they might have made decisions detrimental to their own earning power for the benefit of the other.

[bleedingheart]

98. And my husband's dad screwed over his mom in the divorce

after she put him through law school...

[Nevernose]

65. Why did she quit her job again? It wasn't the kids...

Turn to page eight. They go to a boarding school in Colorado? And she spends $15-$20,000 a month on her clothing, and $750 a month for both kids combined. I was never a believer in the "maternal instinct."

[Vittorio]

66. Yep. It shows she doesn't give a shit...

about her kids.

[Nevernose]

67. I wouldn't put it quite THAT way

To be a little more polite, I might say, "She's raising her children differently than I have chosen to." And then I would snicker.

[Vittorio]

68. Well....what was said is true.

No need to be polite about it.

[radwriter0555]

91. Actually only one child goes to boarding school, the other is still at a

local LA private school that only goes up to 6th grade.

Sadly, the private schools in los angeles beyond 6th grade REALLY suck, not so much for girls (We have Marlboro and Archer) but definitely for the boys.

The most prestigious and allegedly 'best' private school in Los Angeles is known as the blow job school, so I don't blame her for sending Miles to a decent out of state school.

She's actually at school often looking after the youngest.

[slack]

87. no, not enough

300k?
no way. ;)

[ComerPerro]

88. See! These people NEED massive tax cuts

[Zech Marquis]

89. 300,000 a MONTH?!

oh hell yeah! Pay ALL my blls off first, and still have close to 235,000 left after getting rid of my student loans too. A MONTH yousay? I wouldn't be living like P Diddy with a gold ceiling and shit, but I'll be fine. My own house, a decent car--a new Nissan Maxima, in black :evilgrin:--definiteely an HDTV with digital cable, tivo, and a Power mac G5 :bounce: The rest goes right into the bank.

[Sparkle]

92. Is this the woman that Lionel's first wife caught him with?

I'll bet she's laughing her ass off.

[bleedingheart]

97. Yup

[bleedingheart]

96. Its all relative...the more money you make the more stuff you

buy the more money you need to maintain all the stuff...its like the old Carlin joke..

3,600,000 a year ... is what it calculates out to be...and to be honest if you are living a lavish Hollywood lifestyle that isn't that much money...

Remember its all relative.