How do rich people actually act like?

[Zenchick101]

I don't want to go to into detail about it, but my husband has a wealthy (VERY wealthy) friend who he knows through a shared hobby. I've met him twice and the first time if my husband hadn't told me after who he was, I wouldn't have had a clue because he was wearing scruffy (but clean) jeans and a shirt. My husband was competing and I happened to be standing next to that guy and we started chatting. He'd obviously seen me with my husband earlier because he asked "Are you X's wife? I'm 'John'" and we just chatted away.
My husband told me afterwards who he was, just as another friend of my husband's (we'll call him Y) ran up to me all "Do you not realise who that was?! What was he saying to you? What were you talking about?" Y is a massive a-licker of anyone he thinks is well off or well connected. Quite full of tit. He's not my favourite person.

A few months later there was another event and I happened to be there (I don't go that often, only if the weather is nice to be honest ) My husband had wandered off and I was just watching everything that was going on when suddenly I spotted X being cornered by Y. He caught my eye and winked, I heard him say to Y that he'd see him later and he came over to me saying he hoped I didn't mind, but he had to get away from Y. My husband came back and the three of us were chatting and he said within 30 seconds of meeting someone like Y he knows if they're just talking to him because of who he is. He said he knew when I met him the first time that I didn't know who he was and I said I didn't have a clue and he replied with "But when you found out who I was, your personality didn't change and you didn't change the way you were being with me".
He said he knew I was genuine when I was going to get a coffee and asked him if he wanted one, despite the fact that he is literally a multimillionaire.

He's in business with his brother (who is much better known and much more recognised) and apparently his brother is a very nice down to earth guy as well. My husband's met him, I haven't. They weren't born into wealth, their family wasn't very well off when they were growing up, all of their money is from hard work, but because they weren't born into wealth they've always been down to earth and it's never gone to their head.

Apologies for going a bit Mumsnetty there with X & Y and the mysterious hobby. I promise it's not cycling

Oh and he bought the coffee, and a tasty slice of carrot cake too.

Thanks for sharing! that's a good anecdote. Nice to know he doesn't look down on the poor now that he's rich

I think with aristocrats* it’s less about cash/ money. I don’t think they think about money too much because they are so privileged that it’s just there, always, and same for everyone they know.

my family had modernised and were making the most of their assets but loads of Aristos are devoid of any business sense and just keep chugging away at minimal return because money just doesn’t really matter that much.
But also, when you have so much you’ll never worry about money it’s just absent.

also, the money wasn’t earned- it was just taken via gifted land. So it brings a different kind of stress- the family legacy and not being the generation that duck it all up.

*aristos are obv very different from just rich people who work though

such a foreign concept.. but fascinating. by chugging away at minimal return do you mean only putting money in savings account and not trying to grow it into more investments?

 

[Lanavalentine]

I don’t know anyone super duper crazy wealthy, but I do know and have known people who are millionaires, both self-made and from family money.

I agree that they’re as diverse as any other type of person. I will say that in my limited experience, the people I know who are self-made are more generous than those with family money, but I don’t think that applies across the board necessarily.

I honestly don’t know anyone who buys all that tacky, flashy designer stuff or hires private jets and glam cars to drive in. The rich people I have known are more likely to be collectors of art or antiques, or are passionate about keeping horses or renovating classic cars. Hobbies where you need time and money, basically!

Genuinely don’t know any rich people who wear branded or obviously designer clothes. Lovely clothes, yes - high quality cashmere and linen, beautiful leather, silk, that kind of thing. I am of the opinion that people who flaunt their designer hauls on Instagram usually aren’t as rich as they attempt to appear.

 

[Zenchick101]

I don’t know anyone super duper crazy wealthy, but I do know and have known people who are millionaires, both self-made and from family money.

I agree that they’re as diverse as any other type of person. I will say that in my limited experience, the people I know who are self-made are more generous than those with family money, but I don’t think that applies across the board necessarily.

I honestly don’t know anyone who buys all that tacky, flashy designer stuff or hires private jets and glam cars to drive in. The rich people I have known are more likely to be collectors of art or antiques, or are passionate about keeping horses or renovating classic cars. Hobbies where you need time and money, basically!

Genuinely don’t know any rich people who wear branded or obviously designer clothes. Lovely clothes, yes - high quality cashmere and linen, beautiful leather, silk, that kind of thing. I am of the opinion that people who flaunt their designer hauls on Instagram usually aren’t as rich as they attempt to appear.

love it thx!

 

[Eltonjohnsflorist]

Thanks for sharing! that's a good anecdote. Nice to know he doesn't look down on the poor now that he's rich


such a foreign concept.. but fascinating. by chugging away at minimal return do you mean only putting money in savings account and not trying to grow it into more investments?

No they usually have a lot of land and property so things like renting it out for farming but never increasing the rent and so on

I don’t know anyone super duper crazy wealthy, but I do know and have known people who are millionaires, both self-made and from family money.

I agree that they’re as diverse as any other type of person. I will say that in my limited experience, the people I know who are self-made are more generous than those with family money, but I don’t think that applies across the board necessarily.

I honestly don’t know anyone who buys all that tacky, flashy designer stuff or hires private jets and glam cars to drive in. The rich people I have known are more likely to be collectors of art or antiques, or are passionate about keeping horses or renovating classic cars. Hobbies where you need time and money, basically!

Genuinely don’t know any rich people who wear branded or obviously designer clothes. Lovely clothes, yes - high quality cashmere and linen, beautiful leather, silk, that kind of thing. I am of the opinion that people who flaunt their designer hauls on Instagram usually aren’t as rich as they attempt to appear.

you only have to look to the UAE to see rich people flaunting with every fibre of their body

 

[Kim Mild]

Some rich people's money is family money or they are rich in terms of owning property, I don't think they all have a lot of spending money, so to speak .

 

[Lanavalentine]

you only have to look to the UAE to see rich people flaunting with every fibre of their body

Yeah I guess so, I’ve never really paid much attention to people like that so I don’t really know how it all works.

I do actually know one woman who hangs with that kind of crowd and shows off a lot on Instagram she is definitely nowhere near as rich as she attempts to make out, a LOT of lies. I suppose I’m (unfairly) basing a lot of my opinion on her?

 

[PenelopePitstop]

If that's what they thought about Asda I wonder what they thought about people she shopped at Aldi or Lidl

Hey I shop at Aldi mainly because people arrive there dressed in actual clothes not pj’s and rollers a la Asda style

 

[265]

Don't like Rich people, they look down at people like me, like something that just fell out of a dogs a.

 

[littlepup]

Don't like Rich people, they look down at people like me, like something that just fell out of a dogs a.

I'm sorry but how do you know who is 'rich' or not and who are 'people like me'? You're putting yourself in a category. I know people who are supremely wealthy and those who haven't got a pot to piss in and you absolutely would not know from their behaviour how much money they have.
Maybe you don't like people who look down on others, behave in a superior manner, are ostentatious, want people to think they are rich, but not rich people, you can't possibly know.

For what it's worth I don't know anyone who's actually properly wealthy that would behave in the way the 'influencers' do. That's just nouveau riche and buying things they think signal wealth. It'd be considered crass and the epitome of money not buying taste. "Money shouts, wealth whispers"
Someone like FleurdeForce is how wealthy people behave, not anyone from TOWIE. The below is spot on.

I agree that they’re as diverse as any other type of person. I will say that in my limited experience, the people I know who are self-made are more generous than those with family money, but I don’t think that applies across the board necessarily.

I honestly don’t know anyone who buys all that tacky, flashy designer stuff or hires private jets and glam cars to drive in. The rich people I have known are more likely to be collectors of art or antiques, or are passionate about keeping horses or renovating classic cars. Hobbies where you need time and money, basically!

Genuinely don’t know any rich people who wear branded or obviously designer clothes. Lovely clothes, yes - high quality cashmere and linen, beautiful leather, silk, that kind of thing. I am of the opinion that people who flaunt their designer hauls on Instagram usually aren’t as rich as they attempt to appear.

 

[265]

I'm sorry but how do you know who is 'rich' or not and who are 'people like me'?

In my line of work, that's easy.

 

[Scorpihoe]

Don't like Rich people, they look down at people like me, like something that just fell out of a dogs a.

Quite a broad statement to make.

Im sure you’d like people to respect you and treat you fairly, maybe you shouldn’t assume all rich people look down on others.

 

[memoii11]

I don't know if you'd class me as 'rich', but I doubt you'd know how much money I have if you saw me or my husband in the street. We have literally falling apart cars, that are driven until they stop, no designer bags, don't spend much on clothes and shoes, have a normal house, not even our families know how much we have. We paid our mortgage off at 30 and like a couple of holidays a year and don't have to save for anything, but we're frugal with a lot of stuff. Shop at Aldi as it's good quality. I don't look down on anyone (apart from the Inghams- if you know, you know )

 

[HockyRorror]

I will give a different POV from an experience I had in a previous job and it is me stereotyping but I guess that’s down to the experiences I had and I do realise it is more to do with their selfish attitudes than their wealth but:

Rich people (again, just the ones I dealt with) were either very selfish or very oblivious to others needs for money. There were plenty of people on less than minimum wage, often from poorer countries, who had to fight tooth and nail to receive money they were owed through back wages. Each rich person could easily afford it ten times over. Some expressed anger when made to pay, as though it was a big hassle to them and not in any way a hassle to a poorer person who hadn’t been paid for working full time for six months, but most expressed surprise that a poorer person needed the money they were owed for working for them full time for the last six months, as though the thought of paying them simply hadn’t crossed their mind. They were very selfish and oblivious to others needs.

 

[Eltonjohnsflorist]

This “money shouts wealth whispers” crap is just snobbery. So it’s ok for a middle class hedge fund manager to have a huge house, designer items, travel all the time, children in private school etc and they’re classy because they don’t tell you about it (but you know, don’t you?)
But a working class estuary or northerner into some money flaunting it is distasteful to you

we know why it’s distasteful. Because the working class person should know their place.
And the worst thing is, it’s not even rich people saying this most of the time. It’s OTHER WORKING CLASS people.

 

[SassyShetland]

Don't like Rich people, they look down at people like me, like something that just fell out of a dogs a.

Perhaps that’s because you clearly hold a similar stereotype of dislike towards them? People are people, there are good and bad

 

[JoeBloggs]

I know a few relativity rich people and one couple are so lovely, you know they are rich as she always wears a twin set and pearls but they are very kind people.

Others are very normal, people to me you wouldn’t second glance at on the street. The general give away to me is the car. Whereas I know people not so well off who are so try hard with designer labels etc.

I don’t think there is a set behaviour or look rich people have.

 

[Eltonjohnsflorist]

I know a few relativity rich people and one couple are so lovely, you know they are rich as she always wears a twin set and pearls but they are very kind people.

Others are very normal, people to me you wouldn’t second glance at on the street. The general give away to me is the car. Whereas I know people not so well off who are so try hard with designer labels etc.

I don’t think there is a set behaviour or look rich people have.

This is often said but I don’t get it. When you see someone in a £200k Lamborghini is your first thought “ah obviously not rich! If they were rich they’d be in a beat up Volvo estate!”

 

[JoeBloggs]

This is often said but I don’t get it. When you see someone in a £200k Lamborghini is your first thought “ah obviously not rich! If they were rich they’d be in a beat up Volvo estate!”

I'm talking more £50-80K Mercs and range rovers not Lamborghinis etc.

 

[Eltonjohnsflorist]

Ah ok. I think they’re fairly normal cars tbf.

 

[onmylunchbreak]

I know two very, very wealthy people. One is very unassuming, still comes across working class and if you didn’t know he had money, you wouldn’t know from meeting him. He’s just a nice guy.

The other is also fairly understated. He looks put together and clean and wears fairly expensive clothes but they aren’t ostentatious. He is a total fool. Real nasty piece of work... like one of those people who is a definite narcissist.

Both of these people are generally ‘new money’, the second guy came from a comfortable family but not old money. I’m too common to know any generationally rich people!