The perils of extreme wealth

[JustCurious]

This is a very tragic story...

Toronto police suspect that billionare couple were killed in their own home by contract killers.

Barry and Honey Sherman deaths a targeted double homicide, police say - Toronto - CBC News

I am not suggesting in any way, shape or form that this couple did anything wrong at all, they appear to be the victims of a horrible crime, but the moral of the story to me is the importance of "stealth wealth" to avoid making yourself a target.

 

[Meadbh]

the moral of the story to me is the importance of "stealth wealth" to avoid making yourself a target.

When your net worth is $4.7 billion, and you give away millions every year, it’s difficult to be stealthy about your wealth.

This is certainly tragic. It will be an interesting homicide case to follow.

 

[Danmar]

When your net worth is $4.7 billion, and you give away millions every year, it’s difficult to be stealthy about your wealth.

This is certainly tragic. It will be an interesting homicide case to follow.

Agree. These people were well known and respected. Pretty hard to be stealthy when you are one of the wealthiest people in Canada. Certainly not for sure it was about the money per se. He was quite litigious apparently, had family disputes, and was involved in international merger issues. So who knows. He didn’t live a particularly expensive lifestyle as far as I can see. Will be interesting but the murder may never be solved.

 

[timemoveson]

Agree. These people were well known and respected. Pretty hard to be stealthy when you are one of the wealthiest people in Canada. Certainly not for sure it was about the money per se. Will be interesting but the murder may never be solved.

Yes, this is a tragic case. Except for business competitors and distant disenfranchised family members, I have not heard any credible stories about specifically why this might have happened to them. They were visible, active business and philanthropic leaders doing what such extremely wealthy people do. No "stealth" option when you are in this snack bracket.

 

[Dawg52]

I saw this on the news the other day. Very sad. If I had their kind of money, I would have a full time security service watching my house and following me when possible.

 

[calmloki]

Something to be said for just not being that special. Tall poppies get cut..

 

[Mdlerth]

Very disturbing story. Even generous people have enemies.

 

[marko]

If I had their kind of money, I would have a full time security service watching my house and following me when possible.

I'd be surprised if they didn't. I know a lot of these types of folks don't (can't/shouldn't) drive their own cars in case they hit somebody.
Nowadays, there's parasites everywhere just waiting for you to bump into them on the sidewalk so they can fall down and sue.

Friend of mine was a 'body guard' of sorts for a well known entertainer. His main job was to keep the creeps at arms length and take the heat if someone tried to infringe on the guy's space either for an autograph of something more litigious.

 

[Nemo2]

I've always thought that it would be nice to be extremely wealthy....and totally anonymous.

(I've accomplished the second part without any effort.)

 

[medved]

It is a terrible tragedy for many reasons, including that they chose to do a lot of good with their money. They were exceptionally generous people.

 

[socca]

This thread reminded me to take a look at the Crime Mapping website, something I do every 6 months or so. I always set the date range to maximum, which unfortunately only goes back 6 months. The local areas that I have lived in - middle-to-upper-middle class - have relatively little crime (but not zero) compared to lower-class areas, which comparatively speaking look like a war zone of murder, assault, theft, fraud, rape, and drug use. Stories about the murder of billionaires get a lot of press, but the raw data suggests that it is the poor who shoulder most of the burden. Just sayin'.

 

[RobbieB]

Oh yeah.

If I was a Billionaire, I would live in a gated house with a guard shack at the gate with an armed guard inside the shack. Servants, cameras, and I would have a chauffer and a limo with bullet proof glass.

 

[marko]

Stories about the murder of billionaires get a lot of press, but the raw data suggests that it is the poor who shoulder most of the burden.

Same as it ever was.
But I don't see how it relates to this thread about a beloved couple who did a lot of good.

 

[Helen]

I saw this awhile ago. It really saddened me. I saw a photo of their house and it didn't have a fence around it. I had the feeling thet were very grounded people. I feel bad for them and their family and friends. I hope the killers are caught..

 

[Sunset]

This thread reminded me to take a look at the Crime Mapping website, something I do every 6 months or so. I always set the date range to maximum, which unfortunately only goes back 6 months. The local areas that I have lived in - middle-to-upper-middle class - have relatively little crime (but not zero) compared to lower-class areas, which comparatively speaking look like a war zone of murder, assault, theft, fraud, rape, and drug use. Stories about the murder of billionaires get a lot of press, but the raw data suggests that it is the poor who shoulder most of the burden. Just sayin'.

+1
The difference with the very poor ones, is it is usually a local neighbor. I doubt it will be that in the Billionaire case.

 

[Sunset]

I've often wondered this with Warren Buffet, how many guards does he have hidden around his house ?

 

[Totoro]

Just did a quick google, personal security costs paid by Berkshire ~400k per year. So probably a handful at any given time + backoffice security staff doing profiling and camera duty.

 

[Koogie]

Same as it ever was.
But I don't see how it relates to this thread about a beloved couple who did a lot of good.

They weren't necessarily universally "beloved"

Barry Sherman was a hardass and crossed a lot of people and made a lot of enemies. I'm sure his wife was a very nice person and they did good things with their billions but he apparently pissed off a lot of people along the way.
With dirty tricks done both for and against him.

Read the middle part of this article, for instance.

Two legacies, one dark mystery: Toronto elite reeling after violent deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman | National Post

 

[marko]

They weren't necessarily universally "beloved"

Barry Sherman was a hardass and crossed a lot of people and made a lot of enemies. I'm sure his wife was a very nice person and they did good things with their billions but he apparently pissed off a lot of people along the way.
With dirty tricks done both for and against him.

Read the middle part of this article, for instance.

Two legacies, one dark mystery: Toronto elite reeling after violent deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman | National Post

Oh, well, that changes things.

 

[Sittinginthesun]

They weren't necessarily universally "beloved"

Barry Sherman was a hardass and crossed a lot of people and made a lot of enemies. I'm sure his wife was a very nice person and they did good things with their billions but he apparently pissed off a lot of people along the way.
With dirty tricks done both for and against him.

Read the middle part of this article, for instance.

Two legacies, one dark mystery: Toronto elite reeling after violent deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman | National Post

+1

From what I’ve read I think there’s a long list of people who could have wanted to see this happen.

 

[HadEnuff]

I've always thought that it would be nice to be extremely wealthy....and totally anonymous.

(I've accomplished the second part without any effort.)

Yeah Baby!! I'm half-way there, as well!

 

[Senator]

This thread reminded me to take a look at the Crime Mapping website, something I do every 6 months or so. I always set the date range to maximum, which unfortunately only goes back 6 months. The local areas that I have lived in - middle-to-upper-middle class - have relatively little crime (but not zero) compared to lower-class areas, which comparatively speaking look like a war zone of murder, assault, theft, fraud, rape, and drug use. Stories about the murder of billionaires get a lot of press, but the raw data suggests that it is the poor who shoulder most of the burden. Just sayin'.

+1. I can show you statistics of an apartment complex that went from 540+ police calls a year to one with less than 50. And the calls are much less severe.

When they talk about location, location, location in terms of real estate, it's all about the neighbors, not the address.

 

[HadEnuff]

a few years ago my niece and her husband were invited to come along on a one week cruise off of the coast of Costa Rica, on a private yacht. This thing was pretty big, but I don't remember how big. My niece's husband told me that he was talking to the captain who said that the reason the yacht was down there was that during the previous few weeks it was loaded with heavily armed guards, escorting Bill Gates' yacht, and there was another escort similarly manned on the other side of Gates' yacht at all times.

I guess that's how you do it.

 

[Nemo2]

a few years ago my niece and her husband were invited to come along on a one week cruise off of the coast of Costa Rica, on a private yacht. This thing was pretty big, but I don't remember how big. My niece's husband told me that he was talking to the captain who said that the reason the yacht was down there was that during the previous few weeks it was loaded with heavily armed guards, escorting Bill Gates' yacht, and there was another escort similarly manned on the other side of Gates' yacht at all times.

I guess that's how you do it.

Bareboating in the Virgin Islands, circa 1983, saw a huge yacht a couple times.....Zodiac with a few personnel came ashore to pick up some gear.....we asked whose boat it was.......they said they "Weren't at liberty to say".

 

[marko]

+1
The difference with the very poor ones, is it is usually a local neighbor

Never a good idea to stiff your drug dealer.