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Five of the World's Most Expensive Foundations

New York

We’re all members of society, members of our families, and members of our communities. In the social aspect, memberships are almost natural, but there are people who are willing to pay a load of money to become members of certain exclusive circles. There are many exclusive groups, clubs, foundations, and organizations out there that charge people money for entitlement to member benefits. Take your usual YMCA membership, for example. It may cost you $100 per month to be able to use their facilities and have access to their programs. However, $100 is nothing compared to how much some of these groups charge. You’ll have to decide for yourself if the price tag is worth belonging to one of these places. Here are the five most expensive foundations in the world.

5. Trump National Los Angeles - $193,000 membership fee

If Trump knows one thing, that would be money. He knows how to make it, and he knows how to spend it as well—luxuriously. This particular club in Rancho Palos Verdes in California will give you access to some of the finer things in life. The club is entirely social, public, and affordable according to the standards of this list. Once you pay up the membership fee, you won’t have to worry about any monthly dues.

4. The Yellowstone Club - $250,000 joining fee

Having a home in the vicinity is another requirement in order to be a part of this group. But just know that once you’ve made it in, you’ll be in the same circle that the likes of Bill Gates and Bill Frist run in. Once you’ve paid up the joining fee, you’ll have to keep up with annual dues of $20,000. If you want to up the ante a little bit further, you can upgrade your membership status to “worldwide,” which means that you can travel to any Yellowstone facilities globally. This upcharge will cost you $2 million. Of course, don’t forget that you have a to have a home in the area first. That alone will cost you anywhere from $5 million to $35 million.

3. Loblolly Pines - $275,000 estimated fee plus referral

In this particular club, your money is just part of the negotiations. You’ll need to have another member vouch for you before you can be part of this lesser known community in Hobe Sound, Florida. If you’ve ever been to Hobe Sound, you’d know that the small city doesn’t seem like it’s got too many things going on. However, the Loblolly community has plenty of membership benefits that targets families and younger demographic. The community hopes to create a solid foundation for those looking to establish roots in a positive environment. Too bad it costs $275 to take part in all of it—plus the referral.

2. Big Horn Golf Club - $325,000 initiation fee

This facility in Palm Desert, California is actually just a small part of a larger community. If you want to play golf at Big Horn, you’d have to pay up the fee. However, before you can even do that, you need to be a part of the Big Horn community—you have to own a house right there on Big Horn. Owning a house there doesn’t mean that you can play golf. It just means that you have enough money to be part of that group of people. If you can afford to have a house there, you certainly should be able to afford access to the club, which is probably one of the best ones around. The club is not only for golfers; they have all sorts of non-golf amenities that will appeal to the rest of the family.

1. Liberty National Golf Club - $500,000 initiation fee

For half a million dollars, you can have access to golf in one of the most exclusive courses in the entire world. The course itself is located in Jersey City and boasts some of the most stunning views of New York City and the Statue of Liberty. The star at this place is the golfing; all other amenities are probably better somewhere else. What you’re paying for here is the social circle. You can guess that only a select handful of people can afford to pay up the initial fee just to be able to hit 18-holes. And the fact that the initial fee doesn’t cover the monthly dues of $25,000 is just plain crazy.

Garrett Parker

Written by Garrett Parker

Garrett by trade is a personal finance freelance writer and journalist. With over 10 years experience he's covered businesses, CEOs, and investments. However he does like to take on other topics involving some of his personal interests like automobiles, future technologies, and anything else that could change the world.

Read more posts by Garrett Parker

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