View Full Version : Wealthy self help guru only owns 15 things (article)
I enjoyed this article about James Altucher, who donated all of his belongings except 15 things.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/07/fashion/james-altucher-self-help-guru.html?_r=1
flowerseverywhere
9-25-16, 10:39pm
It seems wierd to me. Nowhere does he equate his life to self satisfaction or happiness.
ToomuchStuff
9-25-16, 11:08pm
Doesn't mention why he and his wife divorced, or anything about visitation. Wondering since he "floats" between friends and airbnb's, how that affects it, or how a judge sees it.
I read his book. His thoughts are all over the place. I loved parts of it and felt like I was talking to a snake oil salesman in other parts. He has unflagging optimism - which is very appealing to me in this world of sadness and pain.
Exactly how is he considered wealthy? No stocks, no assets, just the income from the internet? Money sitting in a bank is bleeding worth daily. Not a well written article but a fluffy, feel-good one that may be the purpose of that piece. Interesting to read though to see how another is thinking.
I enjoyed this article about James Altucher, who donated all of his belongings except 15 things.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/07/fashion/james-altucher-self-help-guru.html?_r=1
I actually have been following Altucher for a while. I even have his book Choose Yourself. His blog entries are all as predictably wacky as he is.
He is probably an entrepreneurial genius--his self-help bit is to be an idea person. To just generate idea after idea, writing them down in a notebook. As you can probably tell from the article his own ideas are extremely scattered and diverse. Reading this, he doesn't seem that emotionally stable, frankly. He takes everything to extremes. So you get burnt by the stock market and then you write a book proposing that the whole stock market is a scam? You blow millions of dollars on expensive real estate and then your reaction is to get rid of everything except for 15 things?
I agree that he may not be the one to teach us about happiness. I like him because he's entertaining reading and he's an idea man. But if I want advice on how to live my life, I'll stick right here with you guys.
I think he is less wacky than Suelo, who lives in a cave in Moab and doesn't believe in money. Of course none of us are going to go to either extreme any more than we are going to build a house of stone like the whacky Nearings. What I did appreciate is his example of living on (much) less after exploring the American dream of wealth and finding it doesn't work. He actually does list his four pillars of happiness and they are rather simple, but is more realistic than some smiling new age type self-help gurus he categorizes rah-rah positive thinking high fivers with forced smiles. His promotion of entrepreneurship as an alternative to traditional education and jobs was refreshing. He seemed to me like a promoter of one aspect of simple living and I appreciated the fact that he is promoting it and appears somewhat popular.
I guess I took these positive things as my items of interest. Maybe I caught more of the grain and less of the shaft than others.
I think he is less wacky than Suelo, who lives in a cave in Moab and doesn't believe in money. Of course none of us are going to go to either extreme any more than we are going to build a house of stone like the whacky Nearings. What I did appreciate is his example of living on (much) less after exploring the American dream of wealth and finding it doesn't work. He actually does list his four pillars of happiness and they are rather simple, but is more realistic than some smiling new age type self-help gurus he categorizes rah-rah positive thinking high fivers with forced smiles. His promotion of entrepreneurship as an alternative to traditional education and jobs was refreshing. He seemed to me like a promoter of one aspect of simple living and I appreciated the fact that he is promoting it and appears somewhat popular.
I guess I took these positive things as my items of interest. Maybe I caught more of the grain and less of the shaft than others.
No, I agree-as I said, I've bought his book and I get his emails, and I love his ultra-creative approach to life. And yes, you can say the Suelo and the Nearings are wacky (as are most visionaries and creatives), but the article portrayed him as having extreme reactions to life events, as opposed to acting out of a core belief that's steady over time--that's all I was saying.
ETA: Actually, the article did him a disservice in a way. I went back to the book Choose Yourself, and it does have some very interesting things to think about.
Teacher Terry
9-26-16, 1:03pm
I would think he would run out of places to stay for free. That is using your friends.
I would think he would run out of places to stay for free. That is using your friends.
I'm sure he could just stay at a hotel, with his money. Or cruise ships.
while Scott Nearing also irritated me(way he treated Helen, holier than thou attitude) , the way the Nearings chose to live was pretty awesome, and they built two houses (first in Vermont, second in Maine) and forged a farmstead around their beliefs, which included the balance of work and play that Catherine mentioned, as well as music, a strong social life, and a commitment to vegetarianism, all of which appealed to me.
I can't understand how you build a life around an Ipad, but I know that may people do, and then blog about it, and have lots of followers. So I guess dreams and aspirational lifestyles change over the generations.
Ultralight
9-26-16, 1:59pm
Owning 15 things is probably do-able under a variety of circumstances.
But I think this dude has since disavowed minimalism...
ApatheticNoMore
9-26-16, 2:05pm
In what circumstances in which you actually cook and eat is it doable so one pot that's one thing, a plate that's a thing, a fork and maybe a spoon, and maybe one cutting knife and then we're up to 5 already - only 10 things left - one days clothes will get one a pair of pants, a shirt, underwear, shoes, only 6 left, if we have two days of clothes (which unless one is doing laundry daily ...) we're down to only 3 more things. And I'm even assuming we aren't wearing socks (I don't' always wear socks). Some people don't wear underwear either so I guess that is one way (heaven forbid one is female and has to add a bra to the list of things).
Ultralight
9-26-16, 2:18pm
Well, there are lots of raw foods one can eat with just one's hand. But I have a sporknife at work. It is a spoon, fork, and serrated butter knife all at once. It does almost anything!
If you worked a job where they did not care what clothing you wore then you could get away with have very few clothes, if you lived in a place with a decent climate -- not Alaska.
I would think he would run out of places to stay for free. That is using your friends.
He also seems completely unprepared to help himself or others in troublesome circumstances. I mean, he doesn't even own a bandaid to deal with so much as a papercut.
So he's ultimately relying on others for his entire life support system.
Good luck with that.
...the way the Nearings chose to live was pretty awesome, and they built two houses (first in Vermont, second in Maine) and forged a farmstead around their beliefs, which included the balance of work and play that Catherine mentioned, as well as music, a strong social life, and a commitment to vegetarianism, all of which appealed to me.
I can't understand how you build a life around an Ipad, but I know that may people do, and then blog about it, and have lots of followers. So I guess dreams and aspirational lifestyles change over the generations.
Some good points. I would like to think that the iPad lifestyle isn't necessarily a replacement for the Nearing route, but just another path to a more simple lifestyle that isn't so reliant on money and traditional work-for-the-man until you die. I'm not sure exactly what has happened to the back to the land movement, although I think about it. The Nearings were a part of it, but tend to think they were among the pioneers of something that has matured to state that is more practical for the masses. Now small scale and organic farming are common, and you can belong to a CSA or even buy organic in the supermarket chains. And even an iPad based lifestyle can include music, the arts, and a strong social life.
I wonder about the same thing with the conservation movement, where you had the Thoreaus, Teddy Roosevelts, and Muirs that spent large parts of time living in the out of doors and now the environmentalists carry briefcases instead of backpacks. Maybe one doesn't replace the other but just builds to become better?
freshstart
9-27-16, 6:36pm
and if he's relying on others to be his support system, how exactly is he raising the kids? It's one thing to couch surf as a valid adult life choice, it's another if there are children involved. I'd like to know his visitation system with them. Assuming he has kids, it seemed like he does from the article.
freshstart
9-27-16, 6:42pm
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2012/06/i-didnt-want-to-be-a-father/
Teacher Terry
9-27-16, 7:27pm
Some things kids should never know and yet he reveals them-ugh! Some thoughts should go to the grave with you. I really, really dislike this guy.
Some things kids should never know and yet he reveals them-ugh! Some thoughts should go to the grave with you. I really, really dislike this guy.
Oh wow, I just read the link the freshstart posted.
What a lot of damage parents can do, saying these things.
freshstart
9-27-16, 8:41pm
I feel bad for the mom, he probably comes off as cool, famous, eccentric dad who for some reason can't do basic parental things: "I try to do one thing really well as a father. Since I can’t be there every day for them. Or take them to all of their events. Or arrange their schooling or playdates or anything like that. So now that I’ve learned to love them more than I thought humanly possible I try to do one thing very well.When they are here, I listen to them."
BFD, he's not working a traditional job so why can't he do all of the things he says he can't? What judge would say, "no sorry, you can't have input into their schooling or go to their soccer games,"? He'd have to have done something pretty awful, to me, it sounds like he's choosing to be the exact type of father he is. One who listens, that's great. But how about showing up?
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2012/06/i-didnt-want-to-be-a-father/
That pretty much outweighs anything positive about the guy. It's hard to understand other people sometimes, but that is unacceptable.
Miss Cellane
9-28-16, 10:33am
He also seems completely unprepared to help himself or others in troublesome circumstances. I mean, he doesn't even own a bandaid to deal with so much as a papercut.
So he's ultimately relying on others for his entire life support system.
Good luck with that.
Yes. The irony that his "15 things" lifestyle can only be possible because he knows people who actually own things, like houses he can shelter in, and couches that he can sleep on, and kitchens in which food can be prepared.
I'm not saying his ideas are all bad. But to promote a lifestyle that relies so heavily on other people doing what you say you are against--that's just weird.
Ultralight
9-28-16, 10:35am
Yes. The irony that his "15 things" lifestyle can only be possible because he knows people who actually own things...
Or if he knows people who share things. :)
He certainly does not ascribe to the Kantian categorical imperative, does he?
"Act only according to that maxim (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_(philosophy)) whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law."
Yes. The irony that his "15 things" lifestyle can only be possible because he knows people who actually own things, like houses he can shelter in, and couches that he can sleep on, and kitchens in which food can be prepared.
I'm not saying his ideas are all bad. But to promote a lifestyle that relies so heavily on other people doing what you say you are against--that's just weird.
I could re-read things, but it's not to say that he didn't repay his friends in some way. I have stayed with friends for a time. If it were for an extended period it was some offer of rent money, but more often it was some sort of manual labor.
Miss Cellane
9-29-16, 8:58am
I could re-read things, but it's not to say that he didn't repay his friends in some way. I have stayed with friends for a time. If it were for an extended period it was some offer of rent money, but more often it was some sort of manual labor.
He could even be paying them with all the two dollar bills he is carrying around with him. I'm not saying that the friends don't get anything out of the deal.
Still doesn't change the fact that someone has to own/rent the roof he is sleeping under, the couch/bed he is sleeping on, the kitchen where his food is prepared. That *someone* could be a friend, or the owner of a hotel.
If all his friends opted for his lifestyle and gave away everything, where would they all sleep? Sure, he apparently has the money to rent a hotel room, but his entire system is based on the fact that other people own things and are willing to share them. And that could be a friend with a sofa to sleep on, or a hotel with a room to rent. So while his system might work for him as an individual, on a larger scale, it would seem to fall apart.
Still doesn't change the fact that someone has to own/rent the roof he is sleeping under, the couch/bed he is sleeping on, the kitchen where his food is prepared. That *someone* could be a friend, or the owner of a hotel.
I think it might be a smaller detail, but don't most people sleep in a place that is owned by someone else, whether it's the bank that holds a home mortgage or the landlord renting out a place. I don't think the masses or even a large few are going to adopt his lifestyle, so there will never be a larger scale. From my viewpoint, the guy might be a crock pot with a horrid attitude about parenting, but is putting for an example of frugal living. By getting into the media, maybe it gets people to just think about getting by on far less than they do.
Miss Cellane
9-29-16, 1:06pm
I think it might be a smaller detail, but don't most people sleep in a place that is owned by someone else, whether it's the bank that holds a home mortgage or the landlord renting out a place. I don't think the masses or even a large few are going to adopt his lifestyle, so there will never be a larger scale. From my viewpoint, the guy might be a crock pot with a horrid attitude about parenting, but is putting for an example of frugal living. By getting into the media, maybe it gets people to just think about getting by on far less than they do.
I guess I don't see him as an example of frugal living at all. He does not own enough to live on his own. He must take advantage of those who have spent their money on the things he needs, but is unwilling to spend money on. I just can't see that as frugal.
Staying at AirBnB? Might be frugal. But could everyone do this? People with kids? People who need a permanent address for any reason?
My point is that the lifestyle he is promoting is unsustainable for more than a few, because it relies on most people not following it, so that they can provide what he needs.
To me, it's like the folks who live in 75 square feet, but have a storage unit they visit frequently. Or live in a teeny, tiny apartment in the city, but have a home in the country where they spend weekends. Yes, they live in a small space, but that's not their only space. Yes, James Altucher does not have many possessions (apparently not even underwear), but he still needs to use those things he got rid of, on a daily basis. So he's not owning them, he's renting them, or borrowing them, or mooching them.
Sounds like that's your final answer. About the only other thing I might mention is that I think there is a difference between frugal living and simple living.
ApatheticNoMore
9-29-16, 2:06pm
I guess I don't see him as an example of frugal living at all. He does not own enough to live on his own. He must take advantage of those who have spent their money on the things he needs, but is unwilling to spend money on. I just can't see that as frugal.
yea but what is wrong with that, unless he is insufferable and preaching at everyone (which he might well be :)). So he chooses one side on the self-reliance, community-reliance continuum. Since it's a continuum there are many different choices. Extreme self-reliance would not combine any finances even when married (it would be all pre-nups, and separate checking accounts, and splitting the bills, all the way down). This guy chooses another side, to get by with a little help from his friends. So what? His friends may not mind (actually if they are communitarians (aka hippies) they really might not, because they don't subscribe to such a hard-core individualists view of the world - remember the western world is aberration in many ways).
Of course maybe they do mind and don't speak up, but that's kind of their fault for being pushovers unable to say "no". And if he goes to their house and lectures them on their number of forks he's just a jerk ok. The community reliance viewpoint is far more psychologically beneficial I suspect than the extreme self-reliance viewpoint. It's less focus on accumulation, owning etc..
I notice how little he has to prepare and eat food as making healthy food is very important to me. But a lot of people eat out all the time (not ideal from a health standpoint but very common). And if he's staying in AirBnB's they usually have everything you need to cook. The lack of even a bandaid could be problematic.
Staying at AirBnB? Might be frugal. But could everyone do this? People with kids? People who need a permanent address for any reason?
There's a lot of things not everyone can do. You could tell people to invest in a Vanguard IRA, but can a person earning minimum wage and supporting 5 kids do that? Almost certainly not. So probably vastly less people can be this guy than can throw some money in a IRA. Ok, but not everyone can get rich, but that doesn't stop people from writing "get rich" books. Not everyone will start a successful business but that doesn't stop people writing books about that. Not everyone can even pass college classes but that doesn't stop society saying "get a degree".
My point is that the lifestyle he is promoting is unsustainable for more than a few, because it relies on most people not following it, so that they can provide what he needs.
well it still might use less resources than if he too bought into everyone else's lifestyle. It's probably like a claim about dumpster diving food, that it is only made possible by a wasteful society that throws away food. Definitely, but the dumpster divers just make something useful out of it.
freshstart
9-29-16, 2:19pm
I'm curious as to his net worth. I think owning 15 things and staying in AirBNBs is a lot easier if you have the security of money in the bank. Suppose you were so poor, you really only had 15 things and had to sleep in the shelter, I don't think you'd feel like you are making a statement about simple living.
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