Do you think you could quit?

[Alpo]

There's this movie. Made in America. This pilot gets recruited by the CIA to take pictures of suspected Russian sites in South America. While he's down there he gets recruited by the Colombians to smuggle cocaine into America.

 

He is originally from Louisiana, but the CIA relocates him to some itty bitty town in Arkansas. And because of the drug smuggling he is making bunches and bunches of money. There are three banks in the town - there was originally only one but because of all the money he kept needing to store they built two more - and he's got $10 million dollars in One bank and 15 million in another bank and 13 million and a third bank, and he's got 20 million in a bank in Miami, and he was burying duffel bags full of money in the backyard. He had Samsonite suitcases full of money stuck in the hanger.

 

And he kept doing it. He probably had 150 million in cash, and he kept running the drugs.

 

You hear about these big drug dealers from Mexico and Colombia, and they're sending all these drugs up here to America and they're making all these millions of dollars. And their main problem is where to put the money.

 

And I figure if I had 150 million, I would quit. If I can't find any place to hide my money, why would I keep making money?

 

So if you were making vast quantities of money, could you quit?

 

It would not have to be illegal either. I read one time where Eddie Murphy was paid $30 million dollars to make this one movie. 30 million dollars. I wouldn't make any more movies after that. I'm pretty sure I can live quite well on 30 million dollars for the rest of my life.

[Subdeacon Joe]

In your original scenario it wouldn't be "could you quit" but "would you be allowed to quit" or maybe "could you quit and stay alive."

In your twist at the end, people get into acting because they like the attention, or maybe like the fantasy of being someone else.  Yeah, the money is great for some, but look at how many stick with it even if at the most they get "and a cast of hundreds" or on IMDB, "John Doe (uncredited)" without even a photo.

Pick anything, and the people driven to get to that high level are driven by things other than just getting paid in money.  Look at the guys who are professional CEOs, spend 5 years here, 3 years there, 6 years somewhere else digging companies out of (or maybe into) a hole, and moving on to to do the same thing with a different company. The power, the ability to manipulate and change a huge company, and, of course, the fame and being able to hob-nob with the swells who like to be seen in each others company, fake smiles on their faces and a drink in hand.  

Heck, look at your basic contractor.  Often they could be comfortable retiring at 50, not megamillion rich, but in the "not wealthy, not weeping" range, able to do what they want, pretty much buy what they want, without having to count pennies.  But they keep working because, in spite of how much they complain, they like the work.

[Pat Riot]

I wouldn’t start to begin with. 

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

There was a guy around here that did just that. Farmed for a living. Flew in marijuana on the side. Son was killed in a plane accident involving drugs. Operation ceased. All the money was laundered, as he made it, into real estate and cattle. Relative of mine handled his legal needs. He owned land in every county in Georgia. Timber, crops, cattle, trailer parks.

And some land out of state. Leased out several thousand Holstein milk cows to farmers across the south at $1 per day. I know his wife and foreman well. Upon death worth roughly $150,000,000. Left I recollect $30 million to charity. I was there the day the wife found out and she was crying upset where they’d get that kind of money.  His two kids got $1 million cash upon his death but also got operation and rights to assets via his multitude of companies and trusts.
They all drove 10 year old vehicles lived in modest homes and looked like typical dairy farmers. That was roughly 15 years ago when he died.

Land is worth double or more now. I know he bought 4-500 acres on Lake Oconee just before he died . Lake front 3/4 -1 acre lots in developed golf communities go as high as $1 million.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

As to making a movie, and not needing the money, that might be a nice break from routine and get to have fun with peers.

[ShadowCatcher]

For some folks you do what you do because you love it.  Making more money sometimes empowers you

to make decisions different from what you'd do if you didn't have money.  Sometimes it allows you to do even more,

such as going from acting to directing.  Or supporting organizations that you believe in, even if their outside your skill set.

 

For some it becomes a matter of keeping score.  A lot of business men in high power high paying roles don't

care how much they have, but rather how they can one-up their peers - it's keeping score.  You can only have so

many mansions, yachts, fancy cars and spendy bottles of hootch, then it's just comparing who has the bigger stash.

Your measure of merit isn't what you do for the company anymore, but rather what people will pay you to do that.

 

SC

 

[Cypress Sun]

If you have that much money, it's not the money anymore...it's the thrill of not getting caught and the self deluded illusion of power.

 

There's a guy around here that matches the description in the op. Owns several tourist trap eateries, a couple of small motels and some other investments...almost all of them involve land, real expensive land these days. The longtime  locals know the rumors, I guess there just are some lucky guys that go from operating a old tub of a fishing boat to having a fleet of fishing boats real quickly. Must be a Forrest Gump kind of luck.

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

Lots of folks keep working long after they no longer need the money, because they like still being creative and productive for as long as they are able.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Cary Grant, Rick Moranis and others stopped acting to raise their kids.

[Yul Lose]

I knew a guy in Arizona many years ago and he flew drugs and money across the border in southern Arizona. Him and his wife weren’t afraid to flaunt their wealth and most everyone knew what he was involved in. He told a friend of mine that he was getting out of it because it was becoming more and more risky with the Feds new “Just say no” campaign. Well not long after him and his wife were both found dead and to my knowledge their murders have never been solved. So like Pat Riot says don’t start doing it in the first place.

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

21 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Cary Grant, Rick Moranis and others stopped acting to raise their kids.

 

Grant was 62 when he had his first (and only) child.

[Wild Eagle]

Knew a couple of guys back in the mid 70s that made a couple of drug runs and then just quit.  Made over a years pay for a couple hours work.  At least one took all of the money he made and invested it.  I think it made his life easier since he didn't have to save as much from each paycheck.  Big risk, but I guess if you get away with it the pay is good.