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Money might not be the most important thing in the world that you should chase, but financial stability is still vital. Having plenty of resources grants you lots of freedom to do, well, whatever you want. So much so that seeing how some wealthy individuals live every day can be a mind-boggling experience.
Internet users went online to share their run-ins with the super-rich. They spilled the tea about the behaviors they saw that are proof that the wealthy practically live in a different reality than the majority of humankind. Scroll down for their experiences.
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#1
I’ve been watching a 34 time convicted felon on the news for almost a year, lining his pockets while oppressing the people of his country. It’s also speculated that he’s hurt children. No criminal repercussions at all… seems like the obscene rich are above the law.
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#2
Backpacking Australia after graduation and met up with a college friend from there when I got to town. Normal guy.
He said my parents are in town they want to meet for dinner. I said sure but I'd like at least a shower and change first. No worries. He gets us 2 rooms at the literal Ritz.
Later he's banging on the door of my room because the 'shop down the street' has brought some clothes. On a rolling rack is 5 outfits for me to choose from including whatever I need for the next couple days while I'm in town. It was totally out of the movies. I was utterly dumbstruck for days.
#3
I was at a conference with the owner of our company. She was on the phone with a neighbor. The neighbor was upset because she was having a party and her Maria was sick. She tried to borrow a Maria from a friend, but that Maria was busy. So our owner offered to loan the neighbor her Maria.
They were talking about their housekeepers - none of whom were actually named Maria. They just...called them that.
I was horrified.
Kim Kermes 10 hours ago
The English once did this. Too lazy to learn new names, or thought the name was too exalted for a servant.
You can’t choose what family you’re born into, but you can take responsibility for your actions as you mature. Being lucky enough to be born into great wealth is actually a double-edged sword. It matters for your development how you’re raised, what values your family imparts, how self-sufficient and self-aware you are raised to be, and how much empathy you are encouraged to have.
On the one hand, growing up rich, you have access to a huge amount of resources, great education, top-tier medical care, quality food, constant support, etc. On the other hand, your upbringing can either leave you humble yet confident, and ambitious but charitable, or quite the opposite: entitled, greedy, and lacking true independence.
Entitled individuals are usually incredibly ungrateful, think the rules don’t apply to them, and think that the world owes them something. They believe that they should get special treatment because of who they are. In short, they see themselves as superior.
#4
I had a friend that then became a roommate who was raised with maids. She could not clean up after herself. Never has been made to wash her own dishes. Had no clue how to share a space with someone and never needed to before then. Also the way she’d spend money on us. She’s just blindly cover the entire bill without even thinking about it.
That being said our friendship wasn’t the same after living together.
#5
I worked at a luxury car dealership and watched a guy buy a $200k Bentley because his wife didn't like the color of his current one
The dude literally said "she thinks the blue clashes with her purse" and just casually dropped 200 grand like it was a McDonald's order.
#6
Having the doctor come to the house to give me a cortisone shot. I was working at this beautiful old school mansion and my Achilles tendon was screaming at me . Homeowner asked what was wrong and he says I will call the doctor and have him check you out. 20 minutes later I am sitting in the parlor getting a cortisone shot. No appointment, no driving to and office to wait 1½ hours with a bunch of sick people. It was awesome and made me realize they live in a whole different reality than regular people.
WebMD stresses that entitlement is a narcissistic personality trait that can develop due to a variety of social factors. These include things like the environment in which the person grew up, how their parents and authority figures treated them, and whether adults solved all of their problems for them.
In the long-run, living with entitlement is likely to harm you. It leads to unhappiness, disappointment, and depression, introduces more conflicts in your relationships, and negatively affects your career.
If you’re not careful, you can get caught in a loop of entitled behavior. Over-the-top expectations lead to dissatisfaction, anger, and feeling like you’ve somehow been cheated. This leads to distress and reassuring yourself that you deserve everything that you wanted. And this, in turn, leads to even more entitled behavior.
#7
Someone told me they didn't get why people get student loans. They wondered why people didn't just borrow the money from their parents, that way they wouldn't have to pay it back with interest.
#8
Their idea of following dreams is wild.
When I moved to a big city for a film job and then got laid off a year later, I would use my free time to network. But if I ever vented about needing to go back home because I was running out of money, a few people told me
“I don’t get it? You don’t want to move so why move? You’re into film, why not just make a movie and sell it? Why not wait it out?”
Like they had zero concept of having no one to bail me out if I ran out of money. They had no idea why I wouldn’t have money to fund projects while being unemployed.
#9
A friend was the nurse for a rich elderly patient. The patient liked her so much she had the son invite her to a Christmas get together in Vail. My friend said she couldn’t find reasonable airfare for the dates so they sent a private jet to get her. They were giving guests a gift bag that included a digital camera worth over $1000 at the time.
She had a magical time.
To be fair, it’s not just the rich and powerful who can be entitled. In fact, if you’ve grown up deprived of many things, you might think the world owes you something for all that you’ve been through. Anyone can develop narcissistic traits, no matter their background or financial situation.
Verywell Mind explains that entitled individuals fundamentally believe that they always deserve more than they currently have. “They expect to elevate their lifestyle above that of others without putting in the effort needed to do so.”
Entitled folks put their needs above those of others while, ironically, demanding that everyone else set their needs aside. Aside from lacking gratitude (they think they have a right to everything, so they don’t value anything), they also tend to be incredibly melodramatic, have a victim mentality, and need constant praise. A lot of these points are about secretly being insecure about not having enough admiration, resources, or support.
#10
When I realized that the richest man in the world has 14 kids and there's no Elon Musk wing at St.Jude children's cancer research center. Or, a Jeff Bezos wing either.
Oliver 6 hours ago
A lot of wealthy people donate their money anonymously and wouldn’t have a wing but you better bet those a******s would. McKenzie Bezos (Jeff’s ex-wife) is a really interesting example. She has been donating money about as fast as she can and still has more than she started with. She’s a truly incredible person.
#11
I was walking into a coffee shop in Aspen. A dude pulled up in an orange Lambo, pulled too far forward in the parking spot, scraped the HELL out of the front bumper, backed up, cracked the bumper. Got out, took a quick glance at it, gave a small, "Oh well" shrug, and walked in to get his coffee. Left like nothing had happened; totally unfazed.
That's when I was like, "Oh. It's one level to buy a Lamborghini. Totally different level to not care if you mess it up."
#12
I have a wealthy family member, worth 100s of millions in my estimation. Went to breakfast and she wanted everyone to pay her back. Okay, thats fine, I get it. Later she asked her sister why she didn't pay her back for a $2.30 yogurt. I realized that she thinks about every penny someone might owe her, and thinks she's being taken advantage of if she doesn't get every cent.
This jerk buys 100s of thousands in art every year. I buy my friends breakfast from time to time. If they shorted me $2.30 I wouldn't worry about it. I have never been able to understand it. She is part of the reason why I vilify the wealthy. She is a horrible person, and not just for that story.
Shark Lady 4 hours ago
If she wasn't already like this it could be a reaction to being taken for granted one too many times.
What do you think, Pandas? What behaviors of wealthy people have you personally witnessed that genuinely blew your mind? How do you stay grounded and humble and avoid entitlement, no matter your wealth? How much income do you think you’d need to truly stop stressing about financial security? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
#13
They treat time as the most expensive thing they own.
Instead of saving money, they pay to remove inconvenience immediately, meals, travel, errands, or problems, without hesitation or guilt, because their default assumption is that time is never worth trading for money.
#14
Shopping without having to consider the need or cost of items. Simply if they like the item, they buy it.
Purchasing services without comparing costs. Time is more important, thus quick decisions are often more important and if the expectations aren’t meant or services not rendered, they have the resources to fix the issue or sue the person.
Buying things and never using them. Clothes, jewelry, guns, homes, boats, cars, etc.
I can go on. Poor person behaviors are also a thing.
#15
I have a billionaire friend. When I landed at the airport he said he’d send someone to get me. They picked me up in a helicopter.
#16
BIL and his wife are both physicians a few years out of residency. She makes over $500k and he makes around $400k. They take the family out to fancy dinners about once a month and always spend more than a grand on wine alone. I can't fathom that kind of wasteful spending. I'd work for 10 years and retire with an upper middle class life. We try and get the family to come to our house for dinner so we can reciprocate but they always just say let's eat out and pick a restaurant we can't afford (we are both PhD scientists with high credentials but science in the public sector pays really bad nowadays). They pay for the dinners but boy I wish I could contribute sometimes.
#17
A former boss invited our group to retreat at his Napa Valley vacation home with a pool and small vineyard. I knew he came from money, and this was an obvious display of it, but it was his reaction to my innocent question that put it in perspective.
I asked if his (9 year old) kids helped harvest the grapes thinking this would be a fun, outdoors thing to do on the family farm, and he just looked at me in horror as if I had asked if they cleaned gas station toilets on the side.
He really was a lovely person, but we definitely were not raised the same.
#18
Taking a private jet to a different state for band practice. And no, not a musician who will ever perform for others. Or is it three 8000+sq ft houses in the same state two hours from each other. Or is it getting an entire street project changed in US city because they didn't like it and didn't care about safety for everyone else.
I could go on and on. They are not like us. Not even close. And they don't get what it means to be like us at all. They can try to be nice, and many do try, but they are out of touch with the reality most of us live in. And shouldn't be given power over us because us flourishing is not their concern. If it was, they wouldn't be where they're at.
#19
I had a roommate in college who flew her horses from coast to coast each semester. She lived in San Francisco and we went to college in New York, and she had her horses flown to a stable in each city depending on where she was each semester.
She also ordered takeout steamed broccoli. Just literally delivery of steamed broccoli.
She didn’t know how to do laundry so she had everything dry cleaned including her sheets and socks.
Oliver 6 hours ago
This is a solid example of how the ultra rich actually contribute a little to society. That dry cleaner and take out place (and their driver) got some trickle down money. But the economic principle of trickle down economics doesn’t work because they made more in interest than they spent on these things.
#20
Black Friday and some rich guy bypasses the whole line and when I say, "I'm sorry sir, there is a line," he says, "I don't wait on lines. Let them wait."
He was one of the investors of our store.
#21
They complain about money and their business not making enough and fears of poverty, all while having a housemaid a nanny , 2m dollar house in an affluent neighborhood, three 100k+ vehicles, a 250k+ rv.
#22
I worked at a high end retail store for awhile and would see people come in and drop thousands of dollars on clothing like it was nothing. They’d be back again a week later to do the same thing. A handful of the regulars didn’t even have jobs, just rich husbands or parents.
Meanwhile, we only made $15/hr and I wasn’t even able to make it from pay period to pay period without running out of money, and that was without eating out, going anywhere, or buying anything for myself. It was a night and day difference.
#23
They casually mentioned bringing their sailboat from Hawaii up to Seattle for the summer. I asked how long it takes to sail it.
They said they have it shipped each way for convenience.
Another tenant in the same building was having a kitchen remodel, so they decided to buy a home in the sf mission district to have someplace to go in the meantime.
If you know Seattle you might know the building.
#24
I've got friends who make huge money.
They often invite me to come on holidays with them.
They treat a international holiday as if it's just like heading to the coast for a weekend.
#25
When I told my friend my dream car was a G wagon and he told me to dream bigger…. Found out that was his first car in HS.
#26
Flying in a private jet to an event to rail against climate change.
#27
They invited me for dinner at their favourite restaurant. First clue was no prices on the menu. Then they asked if I liked lobster because it’s really good here. Did I like filet mignon because it’s really good too. They said they really liked the chicken parm. I said yes I liked all those things but I’m going to order the lasagna. They said that was good too. The waiter comes and they order everything they mentioned and more. They said we’d need two bottles of red and two bottles of white wine so bring that too. They saw the look on my face and said they really wanted me to try the dishes they mentioned so they ordered them so I could have a bite from each, just to taste how good it was. Probably cost more than I spend eating out in a couple of years. A.
#28
I used to work in cabinetry and saw a woman fully renovate her kitchen every 3 years. I sold this same woman 3 kitchens. For one house, she wasn't flipping them, I saw the blueprints with my previous notes on them. .
#29
After i said i couldnt afford to travel, rich person told me to get a job that’s only "fun money" ... i had 3 jobs at the time.
different rich person told me she didnt know there are people out there without insurance. "how do you go to the doctor?" that’s the neat part! you dont!
#30
Cut down a bunch of old trees to build a personal par 4 golf course hole, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars levelling the ground to make it flat, and then literally played on it twice in five years.
Also if you ever wonder why we have such bad inflation - the answer is here in this thread with hundreds of examples.
#31
I was once invited to a dinner party at a fancy steak house with several extremely wealthy guys (50 million+). At the end of the meal — which had to have cost in the thousands — the rich guys were quite literally fighting over the bill because each on wanted to be the one who paid it. It took me forever to realize they wanted to pay it to get points and mikes on their credit cards. I think me and 99% of the people in the world have fought NOT to be the one to pay the bill.
#32
Someone I was friends with in college blew through his entire trust fund before he even graduated. His parents cut him off, due in part to his financial irresponsibility, among other things. He couldn't hold down a job because he was unreliable af, would go on benders and miss work and quit or get fired. He had the nerve to ask people in our circle to lend him money. He paid it back sometimes, but often times he didn't.
Then he acted shocked when everyone cut him off.
#33
When I worked in glossier an 8 year old girl walked around the shop with me adding 100s of £ worth of product to her basket and I played along thinking it was all for funsies. Her total got to £1500, I told her, she goes one moment let me get my dad, dad comes over and asks how much, I show and he tapped his card like it was a tenner 😭😭😭.
Did I say that out loud? 55 minutes ago
No he didn't. The absolute limit for using a physical card for a contactless transaction in the UK is £100. For £1500, you would need a mobile wallet and it would still depend on any limits the retailer has in place.
#34
When one of the execs at work said "I'm going to The Hamptons this weekend" in a Thurston Howell voice - and that's his voice.
#37
LOL, trustafarian board member shocked the median income of our clientele was $54k/year. He paid more than that each year to send his kids to grade school-each. Very nice man, just very financially fortunate.
#38
Our neighbors are dairy farmers that both come from very rich families. They always talk about how hard running a farm is, being poor, having no time etc. (and it is, not downplaying that). Meanwhile their parents are take them frequently on expensive vacations, buy quarters of land for them, buy them vehicles and give them equipment/land/buildings to use when any sort of calamity strikes. They can farm without any risk because they will never be able to fail, yet they yammer on about how stressful farming is. They talk about it more than other farming couples we know that are legitimately operating without an unlimited safety net. It seems either really untitled or they are completely oblivious.
#39
My cousin is very wealthy. She told me one day that she was worried about running out of money about a week later she said she booked a week long cruise for $250k. I don’t know how much money she has but our definition of running out of money is vastly different.
#40
For me it was when I was a kid, maybe 5th grade. I was talking to a classmate of mine about how I was annoyed that my father and brother were using the bathroom all morning and I had to wait. We only had a one-bath little apartment in a duplex. And I had a pretty awesome childhood. I have very little complaints.
He goes “You don’t have your own bathroom?” In a very perplexed tone, as though the thought of having just one bathroom for a family was insane.
Yeah… His family sells yachts. They were loaded.
#41
Classmate in college (in the U.S., we were both American) had never even heard of the FAFSA.
#43
Standing on a dock with my secondhand kayak and overhearing a mega-yacht owner talking about the annoying problem the crew was having with her onboard dishwasher.
#44
They have no problem asking for discounts for services. They never hesitate when it comes to buying themselves something to spend any amount of money. But when it comes to paying other people, they want you to do everything for less.
#45
Friend had a new lambo, someone crashed into his at 20 MPH but it was a total with 400 miles on it, brand new. He acted like it didn’t matter and when I went to his house he had two new Ferraris and a Bentley. I asked him why and he said the dealership said if he wanted to buy the one special Ferrari he had to buy the others. I still don’t really understand it but he spent an extra 600K so he could get the one car he wanted.
#46
The story started with - “Urgh, so I had to fly first class commercial…”
To a room full of normal people. Read the room 🙄.
#47
My boomer father in law bemoaning wealth taxes despite owning 10 homes.
#48
When I was in my early 20’s, my friend asked why I was buying a used car bc it was going to break down sooner than a new one.
#49
My brother in law married into a very wealthy family. His wife's parents live in another state. They rent an apartment in our city for $6500 a month and they only use it for maybe 4-5 weeks out of the year. They bought all new furniture for it and the closets are filled with clothes they only wear when they're visiting.
#50
Flying private. Arrive 1 minute before takeoff; pull up next to the plane to load luggage; they valet park the car; no security lines; land and a driver pulls up next to the jet; driver drives all around; then repeat.
#51
My husband and I belong to a health club and we go almost daily to use the hot tub. We have gotten to know some of the regulars;
- one couple has a daughter who married an investor in a Michelin starred restaurant and were complaining (in a good natured way) that they were never invited to their daughter and SIL’s private dinner they hold every year at the famous-in-these-parts restaurant.
- The same couple has a son who married into the family of a cofounder of a well known AI tech company. I met the cofounder at one of their dinners and he was so down to earth. He said he was thinking of replacing their tennis courts with a pickle ball court then decided to just add a pickle ball court and have both.
- the husband part of another couple has been into jewelry making. We asked him if he travels to find gems. He said the have several mines across the desert that he sources for gems?? I didn’t know owning mines was a thing.
#52
My dad was doing work for a client and asked if they had plans for the weekend. He said tonight they where having dinner with friends in New York City (we live in Illinois) So reasonable response dad said hope you have a good weekend in NYC then.
Client "Oh no we will be back by tonight"
They where just taking one of their companies planes to have dinner. This was in the 80s.
#53
Driving vehicles with over 250k miles so the dont look rich.
#54
A friend of mine, went to a regular restaurant as a child and asked to see the dessert cart.
#55
I was at the vet, and this tall classy couple was there with their matching yorkies……. And even though nothing specific happened, I felt like my dogs, husband and I had just crawled out from under a rock.
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What do you think ?
Gavin Johnson 4 hours ago
EuroMillions tonight is over £106m, have a go, you too can get into a whole other world of problems that you can pay someone else to take care of.
Gavin Johnson 4 hours ago
EuroMillions tonight is over £106m, have a go, you too can get into a whole other world of problems that you can pay someone else to take care of.
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