What do you call yourself?

[Peter_Tersteeg]

Professionally I call myself Peter. To my friends it's Pete. People are welcome to decide for themselves which it should be.

My title is mortgage broker or finance broker.

Unless you're actually living off your investments, then calling yourself 'investor' is getting a little ahead of yourself.

 

[D.T.]

Usually 'late for dinner'

 

[travelbug]

The question was what you do for a living.

If you work for wages for a living isn't that is what you do for a living?

I'm not yet "living" off my investments so I say I'm a teacher. I get paid for that so that is what I do for a living.

I also now make a living from investments but not enough to "only" live off my investments (soon).

If the conversation goes further and they ask how my husband can afford to be retired while I'm only working parttime then I would say we also earn a living from our investments.

 

[westminster]

There are so many forms which ask for your occupation. We have been known to stick down the ridiculous when asked

The only time we don't lie is on our inward/outward bound immigration forms - we never ever put drug smuggler on those

 

[wategos]

Part time Specufestor

 

[Blacky]

The only time we don't lie is on our inward/outward bound immigration forms - we never ever put drug smuggler on those

No stopped putting that on my too. I just put that I am a 'Corby' now.

When people ask me what I do in Kazakhstan I usually respond with "as little as possible", or, "oil and gas". If you work in resources you understand the first one (day rater). And unless you you are in projects you wouldn't understand what I do without a long one way conversation from my part, and at the end of it you still won't really understand what I do. I know this, because most of the time I'm not sure what Im doing either.

Blacky

 

[Blacky]

I'm surprised no one else has, so I will...

I don't usually call myself... But when I do it's always engaged.

 

[Beanie Girl]

I'm surprised no one else has, so I will...

I don't usually call myself... But when I do it's always engaged.

Ha, ha, good to hear that you're so actively engaged with 'nefarious' activity and pursuits, you don't have time to take calls from yourself!

Blacky: Hello, is this Blacky?
Blacky: Go away...I'm uhh uhh engaged!
Blacky: Engaged with what?
Blacky: Uhhh, you know
Blacky: Oh, righty-o then! Catch you later, mate?
Blacky: I wouldn't bet on it if I were you.
Blacky: I am you so I won't

I thought of a name. How about 'passive income developer'?

 

[Dazz]

This topic has been covered on the forum previously....but it is still relevant.

From experience, whatever you do, don't say you are retired !!

That just opens up a flurry of extra questions, and you never want to go there in a social setting. Even if you answer truthfully, half the room will think you're a Grade A *****, and the other half of the room think you're a complete and utter ********.

You're on a hiding to nowhere.

Doubly especially don't mention you're retired if you aren't grey and wrinkly and bent over in a Zimmer frame.

I normally just go back to the very true but boring and staid "I'm an engineer". That often kills the conversation stone dead.

 

[impala67]

House Security - sit at home & look after the house.

 

[wylie]

I'm surprised no one else has, so I will...

I don't usually call myself... But when I do it's always engaged.

That made me think of the night my boyfriend (now hubby) had put on a contract on his first house, just after we met. I had a call from the agent saying he needed to act quickly to secure it. I knew the agent personally, so knew this was true.

No mobiles back then... I kept calling him for probably an hour, cursing and cussing when his line was continually engaged. Finally I realised in my panic I was ringing my own number... DOH!!!

 

[attrill]

If people ask me what I do I say: "Anything I like" which is true, but then they look at me like I'm a tosser.

I can then try and convince them that you are not defined by your occupation, and that every other species on the planet makes a living by 'living' and not by 'working' but by then they are usually backing towards the door.

These days I just say "engineer' which is what I did until I left the conventional work force 26 years ago, but it makes for easy conversation with someone I will probably never see again.

Good to hear that others on here run into the same problems..

 

[D.T.]

That made me think of the night my boyfriend (now hubby) had put on a contract on his first house, just after we met. I had a call from the agent saying he needed to act quickly to secure it. I knew the agent personally, so knew this was true.

No mobiles back then... I kept calling him for probably an hour, cursing and cussing when his line was continually engaged. Finally I realised in my panic I was ringing my own number... DOH!!!

Queenslanders....

 

[Liberator]

I'm surprised no one else has, so I will...

I don't usually call myself... But when I do it's always engaged.

I sadly call myself quite regularly - whenever I can't find my mobile and have to locate it by figuring out which room the ringing is coming from!

 

[Brady]

Those that are solely property investors I find it so sad that can't actually say what you're without the crap following. I would love to know more about how and what If I ever ran into one, but by the sounds they will likely say something else

Found out after meeting a friends uncle a few times that he is a property investor that quit the rat race in his 40's, but it did take a massive night out on the town for it to come out. Was great chatting with him, from what I can remember. Now each time we catch up at functions with family friend we are always jumping aside and talking property.

 

[nhg]

I say project manager. Even on the business cards.
It is pretty standard stuff and could mean anything really.

I find it best to downplay owning several properties, just at times I find it may lead to either overly (OTT) positive or really negative reactions from the other party.

Last week was the first time I publicly mentioned I even had a business to my outer circle of friends and acquaintances. The team had done a great job working diligently through the rain on our first commercial project and I really wanted to publicly thank them. Am still dealing with the aftershock of questions now. FML.

 

[MTR]

I call myself Mamacita and partner calls himself Papa Joe.

 

[The Y-man]

I sadly call myself quite regularly - whenever I can't find my mobile and have to locate it by figuring out which room the ringing is coming from!

Yeah I do that too, except mine is often on silent....

The Y-man

 

[Waldo]

What do I call myself?

If I'm speaking to a girl its always a Firefighter. Some believe you, many don't; but the ones who do believe you make up for it

 

[perthguy]

It depends on who is asking. If it is those pesky telephone cold callers, I call myself "unemployed"... does that matter?

If they ask about properties, I don't own any. If they ask about computers, I don't own one. If they call me on my mobile ask about phones, I don't have a mobile... that sends them for a spin!!!

But in real life, if anyone asks my job, it's "project manager". In terms of property investing, I consider myself an "amateur investor". But one day I will go "pro" and live off my investments.