Who are you talking about specifically?
Sorry, missed your question. I’m referring to close relatives, good friends that have well-paying jobs (and their brothers), friends that have inherited multi-generational businesses, plus other friends & relatives that married into new and old money.
I’m not referring to anyone on this forum.
Sometimes the people that inherited or married into
old money go
quite out of their way to look average. Here are some ways to spot them.
They might drive simple vehicles, not flashy. Like Dodge minivans, not the new ones either. But their cars are clean and without dents or rust (Unless they’re
filthy rich. Then their cars, like their personal appearance, might approach the “bum” end of the spectrum…completing the circle and all that).
If you don’t know what do look for, their clothes look casual and inexpensive but those clothes somehow just
fit better than yours do. Doesn’t hurt that they tend not to smoke or be overweight.
They also seem to have an inordinate amount of free time available to work out or for sport.
They tend not to discuss money or make money jokes. They might get quite uncomfortable if the subject comes up and will wish to quickly change it.
If the house they live in doesn’t really match up with their job, if they often go on suspiciously long vacations, and if they seem oddly unstressed by cash issues and
especially if the women are unbothered with cleaning the house and taking care of the kids (but the kids are well-cared for and the house is clean)…well, you just might know a millionaire (or far wealthier) hiding right there, basking out in the open, rubbing shoulders with you and all the other (comparative) poors.
BONUS POINTS
Do they have a passion for sailing, something involving water? What about horses? Odd or special breeds of dogs?
What about lots of volunteer work? Unpaid, naturally.
Finally, do they have separate (from you & yours) sets of
fascinating friends/relatives? People that you hear a lot about but you never quite get to meet (much less barely catch their last names)? And do these friends/relatives often accompany your friend on sort-of-unspecific, open-ended, unusual, high-altitude, or vaguely exotic vacations (but the after-action report [esp. about cost] is gauzy, hazy, detail-less)?
In short, these people may, on a very superficial level, appear to dimly resemble you. But they don’t seem to have your problems.
————
I do ok for myself, but
christ there is a lot of hidden money swimming around the closer you get to the top. And the better paying the profession the less work one tends to do (there are exceptions).
So when I hear certain people I know real well (and who I
do care for) talk about how they
just can’t afford xyz when I damn well know “afford” has nothing to do with it, I usually just clench my jaw a little and roll my internal eyeballs up to the ceiling.
All this while I glance away and become suddenly very interested with something off in the middle distance.