A Sugar Daddy Reveals What It’s Like to Pay for Companionship

Carl Foster is a father of six, a 60-year-old business owner, radio host, and television personality.

In addition, he is a sugar daddy.

Foster became a sugar daddy in the same manner that most people do in any relationship: following his divorce, he joined some dating apps. But he wasn’t happy with the traditional possibilities, so he tried Seeking Arrangement – an app that connects potential sugar babies and daddies to make “arrangements” — and found it to be far more appealing.

He enjoyed it so much that he was asked to speak on a panel at the Seeking Arrangement Sugar Baby Summit in April in New York City. INSIDER was at the event and spoke with Foster about the common misconceptions regarding sugar daddies. And, as it turns out, there are numerous misunderstandings.

Being a sugar daddy doesn’t always mean paying for sex.

Foster thoroughly screens everyone who sends him a message through the app. He does this because he wants to find something “genuine” — not necessarily a committed relationship, but something that at least resembles the characteristics of traditional dating.

“You can tell a lot of the time when you receive responses that they’re just searching for a way to get paid for sex,” Foster told INSIDER. “And that’s something I don’t want. I’m seeking for a genuine connection that could lead to something more with no strings attached.”

Seeking Arrangement drew Foster in because he thought the higher sense of honesty it provided was worth the price.

Not every daddy is looking for someone who’s significantly younger than them.

When the term “sugar daddy” is mentioned, a mental image of a gray-haired Lothario leering over a fresh-faced woman who could be his daughter comes to mind for many people. Foster, on the other hand, isn’t convinced by that vision.

Foster told INSIDER, “I don’t go very young.” “I couldn’t date someone under the age of 21 because I have a 21-year-old daughter. In any case, I’m not sure I could relate. I don’t date people in their 40s because I don’t date people based on their age. Instead, I date people based on their hobbies, occupations, and other factors.”

Of course, a 60-year-old dating a 40-year-old isn’t exactly progressive.

It’s not a good idea to get into sugaring specifically for the gifts.

It’s easy to imagine the sugar baby lifestyle as a quick track to designer handbags, high-end clothing, all-expenses-paid holidays, and possibly a way to quit your day job. That, however, is unlikely to be the case for anyone dating Foster.

Despite the fact that he was a featured speaker at a convention for an app that helps people make money from the people they date — sometimes through specific gifts, sometimes through Venmo payments — Foster remained tight-lipped about what a sugar baby may gain out of a relationship with him.

For some people, it’s simply the best way to start a relationship.

Sugaring isn’t for everyone, as is usually the case with any type of dating. But it appears to be working for Foster, which could be attributed in part to the ethics he follows when using the app.

“It’ll start with money,” Foster told INSIDER, “but it might grow into something much more.” “And it may be something great if you appreciate the other person and treat them as a human being.”

Is this a re-enactment of the Golden Rule? Sure. Nonetheless, if you think about it, very much anyone — sugar baby, daddy, or anywhere in between — may profit from following his counsel.