Signs someone grew up rich

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 7 mil, 3 homes, a nice trust and a Bal Harbour condo worth a ton when my Dad passes as well as more in stocks options. I roll around in my late brother's 2004 Honda Accord and could give a darn about impressing anyone. I know no one will ever believe me if I told them. They are already flabbergasted I own 3 houses in Clarksburg that I rent out and live in one that I absolutely love. I am just thankful to be alive and love surprising people with nice gifts and sweet treats from time to time.

Only 7m? You’re not rich.

This. We have 7m and still work.

Good for you but that was not the point. The point he made was that he drives a modest car not a flashy one.

I know many people with less money who drive much more expensive cars.

That’s hardly a point. Our hhi is around 5.5 million a year and we live in a neighborhood where a $10 million dollar house is normal. Only the help drive Hondas

You're new money. That's fine, you're still rich, but new money tends to drive flashy cars. Old money does not.

I'm 45 and I'm on the third car I've ever had. The one I got at age 16 was my dad's for 7 year before I got it. I kept it for 8 years. The next car I had for 10, this car I've had for 11. I could afford a new car every year but it would offend me to spend money on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never had a crappy job (waitress etc), summer house in Hamptons, kids at private school but they don't seem to care at all about the cost (because they aren't paying out of their salary).

Actually the wealthy sometimes have little jobs in prestigious places, like chalet girl in Courchevel when they’re 22.

Those jobs may be little (similar to being a counselor at the sleep away camp in Maine they went to) but they aren't crappy.

+1

One of my richest friends growing up was the hostess at a very exclusive LA restaurant. Not the same thing as being a hostess at TGIFriday's. Context matters, but people who don't understand the difference between Olive Garden and Spago think being a hostess is being a hostess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don't know how to do basic things like:

- change a tire
- change the oil in your car
- replace a light fixture

This might apply to UMC too.

I grew up poor and don’t know how to do any of those things. My brothers probably know.

Same + I do not know any women who can do those things either.

I grew up rich and I know how to change a tire, change the oil in my car, and replace a light fixture. I didn't HAVE to do any of those things growing up but before I went to college I knew how to do that plus cook (even though we had a cook so I didn't need to do it at home), do laundry (even though we had full-time help so I didn't have to do mine growing up), go grocery shopping (even though we had people who did it for us), etc. I learned how to scrub a toilet even though I still haven't done it (I've always had a cleaner).

I do think the distinction between old and new money is important. I grew up around old money but I've encountered new money since then and there are definitely differences. So while both are rich, they aren't the same. I also think geography plays a role, even between the old money crowds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They keep domestic staff and they also know how to retain domestic staff. These are the people who will take the contact address of that woman who can cater dinner for 4 in short notice, the person who makes lovely flower arrangement in your house, the person who can take in your pants, the bartender for private parties, the woman who puts together the dessert table, the guy who hangs up the Christmas lights...

They love to have a directory of service providers through word of mouth recommendations.

This is pretty spot on. We used to have our Christmas trees delivered and set up and I thought that was totally normal. After college when I went to go get my first tree with my now husband he thought I was crazy and had never heard of that before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up with money and definitely lacked the understanding that everyone did not go to college or vote when they turned 18. I began to understand this when I was 17 in 2000 and had conversations with classmates who were eligible to vote but didn’t in the 2000 presidential election. I went to “elite” private schools through 10th grade when I rebelled and told my parents that I refused to go back to the school I was at because it was full of terrible bullies and drug addicts. I finally convinced them to let me attend a large public high school and it was extremely eye-opening.
I was raised to know how to behave in any social situation. I attended a state dinner in my mothers place and an inaugural ball when I was 14. I was raised to participate in volunteer work from a young age and my family is on the board of a number of organizations. In my 20s and early 30s I have been asked to participate in high level volunteer positions in elite institutions, which has lead to board service at several of them. I’m by far the youngest board member in those cases.
We had a nanny/housekeeper and a pt gardener when I was a child and both were treated like members of the family. I was taught to cook (by my mom, who had learned from her parent’s chef), and how to clean and do laundry properly. My parents definitely instilled a work ethic in me, I worked all through high school and college though I didn’t “need” to, and now I work although my husband’s the primary “breadwinner”. I’m also the principle parent for our children and make sure that I’m able to spend quality time with them daily.
I can ride a horse well, sail, pilot a plane (though haven’t in years), play tennis & squash, whip up a soufflé, speak 2 languages fluently in addition to English, set up a campsite, appraise art, navigate my way through any place and plan a dinner party to perfection.

I think this to me is a tell. I was raised the same. My husband (who grew up MC) comments on this often. I am comfortable no matter where I am and I can interact with anyone. It's the result of being exposed to a lot of different situations from state dinners to soup kitchens and learning how to read a room and have manners.

+1. This is true. You know someone, you say hello and move on - unlike these harpies who don’t know better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They expect people to treat them well even if they don’t treat people well.

Every time.

(This doesn’t apply to people who grew up rich and who treat people well. Who do exist. I’m friends with some! I don’t hate rich people. I’ve just found that if you meet someone who is rude and expects others to be unfailingly deferential, they without fail grew up rich.)

I could show you large swaths of certain parts of American where this is definitively false...

+1. Same. Saying hello is not deferential, it is (very) old money.

[Anonymous]

Relaxed, comfortable, and gracious to one and all, until they face obstacles or consequences.

[Anonymous]

Don't equate rich with well-mannered, which is what many of the above posts are doing.

Here are the most accurate tells - but the person needs to meet at least three of these: zip code, second home, educational pedigree, career.

[Anonymous]

My college boyfriend didn't know how to use a can opener.

[Anonymous]

My brother married someone very rich. Two of the things he pointed out was that she didn't worry about eating/using the last of something, because "we can always get more." She also wasn't careful with things (cars, dishes, clothes) because they could be so easily replaced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 7 mil, 3 homes, a nice trust and a Bal Harbour condo worth a ton when my Dad passes as well as more in stocks options. I roll around in my late brother's 2004 Honda Accord and could give a darn about impressing anyone. I know no one will ever believe me if I told them. They are already flabbergasted I own 3 houses in Clarksburg that I rent out and live in one that I absolutely love. I am just thankful to be alive and love surprising people with nice gifts and sweet treats from time to time.

Only 7m? You’re not rich.

This. We have 7m and still work.

Good for you but that was not the point. The point he made was that he drives a modest car not a flashy one.

I know many people with less money who drive much more expensive cars.

That’s hardly a point. Our hhi is around 5.5 million a year and we live in a neighborhood where a $10 million dollar house is normal. Only the help drive Hondas

You're new money. That's fine, you're still rich, but new money tends to drive flashy cars. Old money does not.

I'm 45 and I'm on the third car I've ever had. The one I got at age 16 was my dad's for 7 year before I got it. I kept it for 8 years. The next car I had for 10, this car I've had for 11. I could afford a new car every year but it would offend me to spend money on that.

This is true, but it is also regional. I grew up in Greenwich Ct and it was the case. My parents drove a Toyota Corolla hatchback that they kept for years and years. My best friend drove her mom's huge blue Volvo to school. This was 100% the norm. Only drug dealers from Stamford had cars that were red.

But in Los Angeles, where I live now, people are a lot more car conscious. Tesla, Tesla, Tesla. And for the older generation Mercedes and BMWs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 7 mil, 3 homes, a nice trust and a Bal Harbour condo worth a ton when my Dad passes as well as more in stocks options. I roll around in my late brother's 2004 Honda Accord and could give a darn about impressing anyone. I know no one will ever believe me if I told them. They are already flabbergasted I own 3 houses in Clarksburg that I rent out and live in one that I absolutely love. I am just thankful to be alive and love surprising people with nice gifts and sweet treats from time to time.

Only 7m? You’re not rich.

This. We have 7m and still work.

Good for you but that was not the point. The point he made was that he drives a modest car not a flashy one.

I know many people with less money who drive much more expensive cars.

That’s hardly a point. Our hhi is around 5.5 million a year and we live in a neighborhood where a $10 million dollar house is normal. Only the help drive Hondas

You're new money. That's fine, you're still rich, but new money tends to drive flashy cars. Old money does not.

I'm 45 and I'm on the third car I've ever had. The one I got at age 16 was my dad's for 7 year before I got it. I kept it for 8 years. The next car I had for 10, this car I've had for 11. I could afford a new car every year but it would offend me to spend money on that.

This is true, but it is also regional. I grew up in Greenwich Ct and it was the case. My parents drove a Toyota Corolla hatchback that they kept for years and years. My best friend drove her mom's huge blue Volvo to school. This was 100% the norm. Only drug dealers from Stamford had cars that were red.

But in Los Angeles, where I live now, people are a lot more car conscious. Tesla, Tesla, Tesla. And for the older generation Mercedes and BMWs

I'm PP and I grew up in LA. There were plenty of Mercedes and BMWs in my private school's parking lot (I had one of them) but they were all older. Everyone I knew got a car when they turned 16. None of them were new.