KISS legend Gene Simmons discussed making ‘millions’ of dollars in 2016, and losing $400,000 after lending it to a friend in a new This Is Money interview.
Have you ever been paid silly money?
Yes. There was a royal event I had to speak at for an hour and they paid me millions of pounds. It is not proper to say which royal family it was, but they just wanted me there. God knows why. I did not even perform, I just spoke.
What was the best year of your financial life?
It was 2016. I made millions of pounds, but I have made millions every year for more than 40 years.
What is the most expensive thing you bought for fun?
I do not buy diamonds, gold or go on luxury vacations. I have an expensive comic book collection comprising lots of the original Marvel comics.
But I did not put together that collection just for fun – it is an investment worth two or three million pounds.
What is your biggest money mistake?
The biggest was lending $400,000 to someone I thought was a friend. I never saw that money again.
The best money decision you have made?
Staying in the US. I could not make the kind of money I get anywhere else in the world. America is where the action is.
Do you save into a pension or invest in the stock market?
I save quite a bit into a retirement fund and I do play the stock market. I would urge everybody to as long as they spread their risk.
