Wealthy Man, Thrifty Habits

A young Mitt Romney with his father, George W. Romney, who instilled the value of work in his children.

By MICHAEL BARBARO and ASHLEY PARKER

Published: December 10, 2011

BOSTON — Soon after Mitt Romney handed out eye-popping bonuses to top performers at his private equity firm in the early 1990s, a young employee invited him to ride in his brand-new toy — a $90,000 Porsche 911 Carrera.Mr. Romney was entranced by the sleek, supercharged vehicle: at the end of a spin around downtown Boston, he turned to the employee, Marc Wolpow, and marveled, “Boy, I really wish I could have one of these things.”