What Demographic do You and Your Friends Fall into?

[JoeWras]

My only friends are vascular surgeons and 5 star generals. Oh, maybe an A-list actor or two thrown in.

 

[travelover]

I would be lost without my friends. All of your eggs should never be in one basket)

I know, that's why I joined Facebook. Now I have hundreds of friends.

 

[davebarnes]

I know, that's why I joined Facebook. Now I have hundreds of "friends".

Fixed it for you.

 

[razztazz]

Friends? I don't need no stinkin' friends.

Well, I actually still have two real friends. We met face to face maybe once a year or every two years, and exchanged emails perhaps once a year. Of course, we used to be a lot closer. We go back more than 40 years.

Acquaintances, I have a few more, whom I see more often than as described above.

This is good to know. So, I'm not the only one in this demographic.

 

[razztazz]

My only friends are vascular surgeons and 5 star generals. Oh, maybe an A-list actor or two thrown in.

Jesus comes over to my house every Sunday

 

[Nemo2]

Jesus comes over to my house every Sunday

"Oh no, bread & fish for dinner again?"

 

[razztazz]

"Oh no, bread & fish for dinner again?"

Scones with a little wine. It's more like brunch.

 

[CaliKid]

I feel like this thread is another way of saying "what is your income... here's mine? Or "what is your net worth... here's mine?" Or whatever similar. The bottom line is wealthy people, by and large, tend to hang out with wealthy people, middle class people hang with... middle class people and poor people with poor people. Yes, there are exceptions but generally speaking it's pretty safe to say that these guidelines apply. I recently talked to an old friend who told me how three of his neighbors are doctors to which I deduced he's doing well. Good for him!

 

[Dtail]

Depends, what time of year, they could also be a windy bunch.

Well tomorrow and for 9 more days, they will be our 80+ degrees winter weather friends.

 

[igsoy]

I've never been good at chatting up people or cultivating friendships. But I do have a "gym family" and we do socialize pretty much weekly outside of the gym. Those that hang the closest also now happen to be involved with rescuing/fostering/adopting needy animals, so we have more than just the gym in common. None of us are retired yet.

Let's see:
ex-musician
nurse
Software engineer x4
attorney
cyber security guy
teacher x2
clinical social worker
aerospace engineer x2
telecom lineman

 

[aja8888]

I think the life of a retired INTJ like me tends to be quite different from the average retiree's life. We introverts just seem to choose more "alone time" instead of parties or otherwise socializing with friends I guess.

W2R's comment above indicates to me the difference in various retirement situations for us. I would be completely lost without my circle of (male) friends and would probably try to go back to (you know where).

I certainly enjoy some "alone" time and I get a couple of big doses of that in my solo driving trips to Connecticut and other states to visit family and long term friends. But I need my interactions with the guys around here on a frequent basis.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I thought this may be interesting, from an ER perspective, where we all fall regarding general demographics, and where one's friends fall, not including family.

I was an Engineer and was pretty much hands on for over 35 years, not sure if that makes me a Blue or White Collar individual. My education Level is Masters in Engineering.

What I can say is most of our friends that we associate with now were professionals prior to ER. Here is a little cross section of some them. We have a pretty small circle of friends that we socialize with on a regular basis. Most are direct neighbors or live very close by and could be a result of where we live rather than any planning. We have lived where we do for quite a long time.

Furniture Business Owner - Sold up to ER
CNN Anchor - Retired Early
Probate Judge - Retired Early
Specialist Doctor - Still works part time
Company CEO - Sold up and ER'd
Sales VP - Retired Early
Company President - Retired Early
5 Star General - Retired Early - Spoke at the 2016 DNC Convention
GP - Retired Early
Bankruptcy Lawyer - Partially Retired, Work Occasionally
Vascular Surgeon - Retired Early
HR Director - Retired Early
Property Developer - Retired Early but still Dabbles
Nurse - Retired Early
University Professor - Retired Early but Still Writes Papers

Come on folks, we know who he's talking about with all the 5 stars and all...

I feel like this thread is another way of saying "what is your income... here's mine? Or "what is your net worth... here's mine?" Or whatever similar.

+1. Kinda confusing to me, too.

 

[Morricol61]

Most of my friends are retired and include a former truck driver, a couple of nurses, a business owner, an army veteran and a couple of teachers. We don't talk about our income levels too much but some of the above live solely on the aged pension and some are self funded retirees.

A couple of the single ladies are over 60 and unemployed. One is a carer for her 97 year old parent and the other was a kept woman (SAHM) until her violently abusive husband left her for another woman 3 years ago. At 63, her health issues mean she will probably never work. Her husband arranged his affairs so that he doesn't have to contribute to her support, but she is happy despite the poverty.

 

[Koogie]

I think it would be horrible to be surrounded by a bubble of people in the same "socio-economic" clique since I abhor "groupthink" and snobbery. What a stale life.

My friends range from a plumber to a government worker to an UHNW individual. Always something new coming from one of them. I like "characters"

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Come on folks, we know who he's talking about with all the 5 stars and all...

Some of you folks can be real nit pickers sometimes, shhhhhhh. What do I know about US Military, I am British. 4 stars, 5 stars, a natural confusion for a non US national, who knows nothing about the US Military, and does not really care about the details anyway. And who really cares anyway?

A high ranking US General, happy now..... Get Over It!

 

[Nemo2]

A high ranking US General, happy now..... Get Over It!

O.K. O.K. will you settle for Private First Class?

 

[Moemg]

We have a bunch of friends . My SO is a retired lawyer and I was an Rn .Our friends are lawyers,nurses ,teachers , business owners and every other profession and some we have no idea what they did and really do not care as long as we enjoy our time with them.

 

[Golden sunsets]

OMG Shock Wave Rider. After reading these responses, are you self aware enough to realize that the majority of the posts are "calling you out"?

 

[Dtail]

O.K. O.K. will you settle for Private First Class?

Isn't it "Would you believe Private First Class"? Get smart Nemo2......

 

[Corporateburnout]

That has been one of the most facinating things to me about retirement.... at least in our circle of friends. No one gives much of a hoot about what you did while you were working.

When I look at my golf group it includes former painters, loggers, retired USN air boss, retired US Army senior officer, a builder, insurance claims examiner, bank president, bank CFO, a couple college CFOs, Big 4 CPA, private company chief accountant, plumber, service manager, meteorologist, county sheriff, and more.... a little bit of everything. As long as your interested in playing golf, being nice and not being too serious about it you are welcome... it doesn't matter what you used to do.

+1

I was in operations management and I have a couple of former co workers that I see for lunch or dinner every few weeks but the majority of my friends are on my tennis league and they come from different professions. They worked as plumber, VP finance, machinist, teachers, college professors, painting contractor, Moving company owner, software engineers, CPA firm partner.

We all get along very well and enjoy each others company regardless of former or current professions.

 

[steady saver]

Interesting article on friendship...

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/07/opinion/sunday/do-your-friends-actually-like-you.html

 

[Nemo2]

Isn't it "Would you believe Private First Class"? Get smart Nemo2......

"Missed it by thaaat much."

 

[Gumby]

What's the point of being friends with someone unless you can drop their name to impress people who aren't your friends?

 

[jcfradio]

That has been one of the most facinating things to me about retirement.... at least in our circle of friends. No one gives much of a hoot about what you did while you were working.

When I look at my golf group it includes former painters, loggers, retired USN air boss, retired US Army senior officer, a builder, insurance claims examiner, bank president, bank CFO, a couple college CFOs, Big 4 CPA, private company chief accountant, plumber, service manager, meteorologist, county sheriff, and more.... a little bit of everything. As long as your interested in playing golf, being nice and not being too serious about it you are welcome... it doesn't matter what you used to do.

+1

Sounds very similar to my golfing and curling groups. We have military commanders, police chiefs, prison services folks, accountants, real estate agents, disc jockey, teacher, engineer, and even a few former work colleagues. I enjoy meeting and learning about what these other folks did and are doing now, so there is always something new. I have found that staying socially active with people is a good way to stave off any chance of boredom. Oh, looks like it almost time for joining one of groups for our Friday afternoon visit to the local pub!

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Some of you folks can be real nit pickers sometimes, shhhhhhh. What do I know about US Military, I am British. 4 stars, 5 stars, a natural confusion for a non US national, who knows nothing about the US Military, and does not really care about the details anyway. And who really cares anyway?

A high ranking US General, happy now..... Get Over It!

Well, so sorry to try (and apparently fail) at a bit of humor. Perhaps you are upset about the news about the Royal Family from the homeland. At any rate, feel free to ignore me. It works for my wife.