What Are the Tell Tale Signs of 'New Money' People?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Painted fingernails

+1

Not to mention gold teeth.

These are excellent for chewing pasta salad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being really negative and weird about stuff that UMC/UC don’t give a single shit about, like pasta salad

huh?

[Anonymous]

Most people, including posters here, tend to assume some sort of superiority in old money. In truth, a lot of old money people are cash poor, living on their trust funds, dependent on grandparents' money so their kids can go to the same private schools they did, and carrying and air of superiority because of handed-down club memberships while having nothing of their own in the way of accomplishments to show for all the privilege that was handed to them. They tend to group together and look down on people who actually earned their money. I'm not in favor of ostentatious wealth. There are tacky people everywhere, and money can't buy class. But the obsession with the "whispering" of old money is tiresome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well no hope for me. My nails are purple and I had pasta salad for dinner. 😟

No no, new money hates pasta salad because it might give them away as former LMC. Old money doesn’t care if someone eats pasta salad.

pasta salad is delicious, and none of this makes sense to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Old money absolutely does talk about money, but they say they don't, because one isn't supposed to (but they do).

In mixed company, only in oblique ways. For example, you can discuss the stock market.

Yes and only among their family and tight social circle.

Old Money is quiet, refined and classic whereas New Money is loud, brash and flashy to gaudy.

Old Money is lazy, broke, and entitled whereas New Money involves people who worked really hard.

There, fixed it for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Old money absolutely does talk about money, but they say they don't, because one isn't supposed to (but they do).

In mixed company, only in oblique ways. For example, you can discuss the stock market.

Yes and only among their family and tight social circle.

Old Money is quiet, refined and classic whereas New Money is loud, brash and flashy to gaudy.

Old Money is lazy, broke, and entitled whereas New Money involves people who worked really hard.

There, fixed it for you.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Simplest answer: subtlety to the outside world.

The oldest money family I know — 5th Avenue penthouse, Hampton summer home, generations of New England boarding schools — might drive by in their 15 year old Jeep Grand Cherokee (but it’s immaculately clean inside), or go to an NYC restaurant in well-worn boat shoes and a generic polo shirt. The mom and dad might be flying first class to London but they walk out to the street to hail a cab themselves to get to the airport. They occasionally hire a gardener at their weekend home but take pride in potting plants and pruning roses themselves.

Whereas my real estate agent who came from nothing but now makes a killing isn’t caught dead walking around New York in anything less than “horse-bit” loafers and branded belts, and takes black cars everywhere. And he wouldn’t dream of getting his hands in the dirt. He actually doesn’t care what plants are in the garden, as long as they’re “nice.”

What else do they have to take pride in? They didn't make the money themselves.

Ha! Pride in potted plants and worn boat shoes. What a life!

[Anonymous]

They have nicer homes, cars, clothes, and vacations than you do. So you seethe and post tedious threads on DCUM about “new money” like you’re J. Pierpont Morgan lamenting turn of the century industrialists. So lame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most people, including posters here, tend to assume some sort of superiority in old money. In truth, a lot of old money people are cash poor, living on their trust funds, dependent on grandparents' money so their kids can go to the same private schools they did, and carrying and air of superiority because of handed-down club memberships while having nothing of their own in the way of accomplishments to show for all the privilege that was handed to them. They tend to group together and look down on people who actually earned their money. I'm not in favor of ostentatious wealth. There are tacky people everywhere, and money can't buy class. But the obsession with the "whispering" of old money is tiresome.

I completely agree. I have a few friends who are from or married into old money families and behind the veneer of perceived comfort and ease, their lives have been surprisingly challenging. Complex in-law dynamics that you can't just cut off or ignore, DHs with low expectations of themselves but high expectations of others, no direct ownership or control over family resources, lots of expectations for and meddling into family/parenting decisions.

Would rather be a self-made "new money" family any day.

[Anonymous]

Old money people are always wearing those giant sombreros. New money people have terrible gas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Simplest answer: subtlety to the outside world.

The oldest money family I know — 5th Avenue penthouse, Hampton summer home, generations of New England boarding schools — might drive by in their 15 year old Jeep Grand Cherokee (but it’s immaculately clean inside), or go to an NYC restaurant in well-worn boat shoes and a generic polo shirt. The mom and dad might be flying first class to London but they walk out to the street to hail a cab themselves to get to the airport. They occasionally hire a gardener at their weekend home but take pride in potting plants and pruning roses themselves.

Whereas my real estate agent who came from nothing but now makes a killing isn’t caught dead walking around New York in anything less than “horse-bit” loafers and branded belts, and takes black cars everywhere. And he wouldn’t dream of getting his hands in the dirt. He actually doesn’t care what plants are in the garden, as long as they’re “nice.”

What else do they have to take pride in? They didn't make the money themselves.

Lol. You know nothing.

Old money folks aren't busy spending inherited wealth. They are busy growing it. Which takes knowledge and effort. They are also busy with charity work and creating foundations -- is that not something to "take pride in"?

They have financial advisors for this.

Sure.

Do you have someone who cleans your house? Do they clean it the way you would? Not even close, right? If you want something done right, you either have to do it yourself, or stay on top of the people who do it.

If you have a lot of wealth, to a certain extent you are directing the "financial advisors" ... not the other way around. And they aren't really "financial advisors" they are investment banker types, and often an actual member of the family. But whatever.

No, you're not "directing" the investment bankers. You hire them because they're better than you and have expertise and talent in investing. Even Bill Gates (who is pretty smart) hired someone and he has a family office.

[Anonymous]

A lot of people on this thread don’t have a clue

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Simplest answer: subtlety to the outside world.

The oldest money family I know — 5th Avenue penthouse, Hampton summer home, generations of New England boarding schools — might drive by in their 15 year old Jeep Grand Cherokee (but it’s immaculately clean inside), or go to an NYC restaurant in well-worn boat shoes and a generic polo shirt. The mom and dad might be flying first class to London but they walk out to the street to hail a cab themselves to get to the airport. They occasionally hire a gardener at their weekend home but take pride in potting plants and pruning roses themselves.

Whereas my real estate agent who came from nothing but now makes a killing isn’t caught dead walking around New York in anything less than “horse-bit” loafers and branded belts, and takes black cars everywhere. And he wouldn’t dream of getting his hands in the dirt. He actually doesn’t care what plants are in the garden, as long as they’re “nice.”

What else do they have to take pride in? They didn't make the money themselves.

Lol. You know nothing.

Old money folks aren't busy spending inherited wealth. They are busy growing it. Which takes knowledge and effort. They are also busy with charity work and creating foundations -- is that not something to "take pride in"?

Fun fact, a private foundation is often an estate planning tool. Like someone makes a CLAT and uses it to fund a family foundation. Because having a family foundation is honestly super fun, but they could also have just given that money directly to an existing charity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most people, including posters here, tend to assume some sort of superiority in old money. In truth, a lot of old money people are cash poor, living on their trust funds, dependent on grandparents' money so their kids can go to the same private schools they did, and carrying and air of superiority because of handed-down club memberships while having nothing of their own in the way of accomplishments to show for all the privilege that was handed to them. They tend to group together and look down on people who actually earned their money. I'm not in favor of ostentatious wealth. There are tacky people everywhere, and money can't buy class. But the obsession with the "whispering" of old money is tiresome.

I completely agree. I have a few friends who are from or married into old money families and behind the veneer of perceived comfort and ease, their lives have been surprisingly challenging. Complex in-law dynamics that you can't just cut off or ignore, DHs with low expectations of themselves but high expectations of others, no direct ownership or control over family resources, lots of expectations for and meddling into family/parenting decisions.

Would rather be a self-made "new money" family any day.

Wait a minute, this is just describing people who inherit money. That’s not “old money!” That money could be from the 80’s, for goodness sake!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well no hope for me. My nails are purple and I had pasta salad for dinner. 😟

No no, new money hates pasta salad because it might give them away as former LMC. Old money doesn’t care if someone eats pasta salad.

pasta salad is delicious, and none of this makes sense to me.

It makes sense to me. People who spend a lot of time worrying about things that might make them look downscale tend to be of lower SES status (in a relative sense). People who spend time thinking about whether an item or behavior makes them look the right or wrong class generally don't actually belong to the class they are aspiring to look like. People who are secure in their class just choose what they like and don't give it a second thought.

Most people in the US are new money. I'll give what I see to be a common separation of UMC vs rich. UMC people wear what they think looks like "luxury travel" while traveling, whereas rich people tend to dress a bit down for travel. This is true of both airport attire and then actual tourism outfits.