Jay Leno ($13 Million Mansion and 180 Cars) Says He’s Frugal

Jay Leno is my neighbor. He’s no longer my next-door neighbor, however our small Newport, RI neighborhood is composed of round 60,000 folks. Even despite the fact that I’ve by no means met him, I listen he’s an especially great man. That’s why this can be a uniquely tricky article to put in writing.

A few days in the past I used to be studying Money Magazine and got here around the following article:

I haven’t noticed a cash/famous person article this unhealthy for the reason that well-known Men’s Health/Erin Burnett article of overdue 2007. A couple of days when I pointed it out it began to make headline information.

This isn’t as unhealthy as that one used to be, however it jogged my memory of it. (Now I wonder whether the Kylie Jenner self-made billionaire mess used to be as unhealthy.)

Let’s get started with the subheader, “The comedian enjoys the fastlane – but lives like he’s on his last dime.”

I had hassle reconciling that with this piece of reports from about 15 months in the past, Jay Leno simply purchased a $13.five million oceanfront mansion in Newport, R.I. — have a look within

Here are some nuggets from the thing in step with the actual property list:

A gated front and winding force leads as much as the property, which sits on a Nine-acre lot and options 15,851 sq. ft of residing area. The house has 12 bedrooms, 12 complete toilets and 3 half-baths, in step with the list. It’s additionally full of luxe facilities, together with a carriage area, walled lawn and tennis courtroom.

(Grrr… no Oxford comma!)

There’s extra to the outline, however a $13.five million house tells you all you wish to have to understand. Using same old estimates on upkeep of a house of one% of annual value in line with 12 months, he’ll spend about $135,000 a 12 months simply to stay it as it’s. Maybe it’s much more with the in depth landscaping.

Jay Leno’s “last dime” will have to be Scrooge McDuck fortunate one.

Originally, I assumed that the on-line model of May 15, 2018 used to be sooner than he purchased the mansion, however it used to be after.

The Money Magazine article above additionally mentions that he has round 350 motor automobiles. That contains one he purchased in 1999 for $800,000. That’s over 1.2 million in inflation-adjusted greenbacks lately.

I discovered just one factor within the article that led me to imagine he’s frugal. Leno says he doesn’t spend a lot on garments.

Leno does make an try to hold forth just right monetary behavior. He says that he by no means purchased anything else sooner than he may just manage to pay for it, by no means purchased anything else on credit score, and that money is king. Unfortunately, those are all issues that Paris Hilton may just say once she used to be sufficiently old to speak. While Leno made his fortune himself, it’s doesn’t imply he’s frugal. Those monetary behavior are really easy to observe… when you’ve got a internet price of $350 million.

The Money Magazine article completed up with a quote of “I live pretty frugally.”

If a $13.five million house and a $70 million automotive assortment*, resides frugally then, you too, may also be frugal!

I’m having numerous issue in looking to stretch that to be frugal… even in famous person phrases. I haven’t noticed his automotive display, but when anyone is creating a display to sing their own praises dozens of tens of millions of bucks of your purchases… you’ll’t say you “live pretty frugally.”

I’m virtually having numerous hassle attempting to determine what feels worse to me about this. Should or not it’s:

1. Jay Leno himself – I if truth be told suppose that Jay Leno may deserve the least blame. He’s simply pronouncing such things as they’re for him and giving slightly background in his previous.
2. Jay Leno’s publicist – Shouldn’t his publicist check out this and say, “Ummm, Jay, this comes off like an alcoholic claiming he isn’t one because he rarely drinks tequila. Instead he only drinks 2 liters of vodka by noon each day”?
3. Money Magazine – Shouldn’t an editor at Money Magazine check out this and say, “We lose numerous credibility once we blindly equate spending dozens of tens of millions of bucks with being frugal. Only Larry Ellison** can relate when he reads this. The remainder of our target market goes to jointly suppose WTF“?

I’m additionally at a loss for words about why Money Magazine would recycle this interview from a few 12 months in the past now. I wonder whether they ran out of manufacturing time and briefly edited one thing outdated as filler.

I’m going to go away the ones questions as much as you, the reader to reply to. Let me know your ideas in feedback.

And if I’ve been slightly harsh to Jay Leno right here and he’s studying it, confidently he has a humorousness ;-). I’m no longer just about as unhealthy as John Oliver used to be slightly over per week in the past:

* This is estimated by way of including the 50 extra automobiles discussed on this interview to the $50 million discussed at that hyperlink.

** Larry Ellison is one in all my different wealthy “neighbors”.