How can you tell is someone is faking wealth?

[Teadrinker11]

When the hell is someone genuinely wealthy rather than just trying to be all flash but when in truth there's no real money behind the facade?

The very expensive black cars. I know nothing about cars, but they looked super expensive and flash.
And it was the middle of nowhere. William stopped to let me through. You don't do that if you are worried about getting shot.
I had a cheap car that did the job. According to some on here, I should have been the very wealthy one driving an old car with loads of miles on the clock.

Hmm, not showing off and not flaunting? I disagree - plenty of show off rich kids who have never grown up that live off of trust funds and are handed extra money by their parents. The source of their money doesn't make them any less rich, they walk around in flashy clothes, drive flashy cars and generally live show-offy lives. And THESE are the ones the fakes are trying to copy.

How to tell the difference? Without looking at actual finances you can't. Rich kids that spend too much can end up with nothing if parents cut them off, or if they work their way through their trust fund. A business that actually makes money or is just a show piece/hubby - you need to see the actual financials for to know.

There is a reason why banks want people to evidence their assets/income before lending them money.

The idea of "taste" determines how they show off. So yes red sports car would be considered vulgar. Ultra expensive flash black cars are just "practical".

And I will not doff my cap. So I was not pulling over when it made more sense for William to.

Round here in HE but not UHE 6 figure salary land the personalised plates are a dead give away. The really rich people don't have them, even on expensive cars. It's the new money types and the people trying to pretend they're wealthy.

I’m finding the snobbery on mn against “new money” being trashy hilarious.

I’m more impressed by someone working their way to having money, than inheritance to be honest.

One of my friends is quite wealthy (completely new money) and has a mix of primark clothes with a hugely expensive engagement ring. Nicest lassie you’ll ever meet

@Pennox

Round here in HE but not UHE 6 figure salary land the personalised plates are a dead give away. The really rich people don't have them, even on expensive cars. It's the new money types and the people trying to pretend they're wealthy.

Some have ones that have been in the family for 100 years- so not always the case

@MadameHeisenberg

Also, ‘old’ money is not ‘better’. They might have brainwashed you into thinking that’s so, but it isn’t. Much of the ‘old’ money was built on the (broken) backs of the poor and on slavery. They literally think that everyone else is beneath them and there to service them. I mean, they’re well-schooled in hiding this attitude behind a polished veneer of manners, but don’t fool yourselves, their attitudes haven’t changed since 1600. Only fools admire such vileness.

I agree with the cap-doffing comment upthread; it’s painfully embarrassing.

I do love a MN wealth thread. I'm old money, so it my husband. I don't recognise the description of our "class" or the people in it.

After 51 years I've come to a very radical conclusion and that is that cuntness is unrelated to wealth.

Oh and I'm also very aware, as the daughter of a biracial woman, that my fathers family's wealth probably was due to slave trading my mothers ancestors.

Tbh I would consider 6 figures high earning, and I also still don't really believe people earning 6 figure salaries would be on online forums especially considering the amount of people on her who claim that.. 🤷🏼‍♀️ if you earn £80k for example then you're in the top 5% of earners in the UK.. I just don't believe that the top 5% of earners in the country are all traipsing through Mumsnet

I find statements like this a bit baffling. I earn over €200k - if you’re sceptical of my claim you can do an advanced search on my posts where I’ve mentioned my job (hospital consultant) and location (ROI) many times previously, so I’m not just bluffing for the sake of the thread. I post here quite a bit and read here an awful lot more. Why wouldn’t I be on an online forum? Why on earth not? I work in the region of 50 hours a week, plus a night on call every 8 nights approx. That leaves me a lot of free time, and I like to unwind and chill by browsing here, among other things. The timing of my posts could be at any stage of the day or night, literally. I might post in the early hours of the morning if I’m on call and have been awoken by a call from work, or I might be awake due to worry about a work situation. Equally, after a busy clinic I could return to my office, make a cup of tea, shut the door and go on mumsnet for 10 mins to relax. There’s nobody breathing down my neck at work but I can guarantee you that if I waste time on mumsnet during the traditional working hours, I more than make up for it at other times.

@sammylady37

Tbh I would consider 6 figures high earning, and I also still don't really believe people earning 6 figure salaries would be on online forums especially considering the amount of people on her who claim that.. 🤷🏼‍♀️ if you earn £80k for example then you're in the top 5% of earners in the UK.. I just don't believe that the top 5% of earners in the country are all traipsing through Mumsnet

I find statements like this a bit baffling. I earn over €200k - if you’re sceptical of my claim you can do an advanced search on my posts where I’ve mentioned my job (hospital consultant) and location (ROI) many times previously, so I’m not just bluffing for the sake of the thread. I post here quite a bit and read here an awful lot more. Why wouldn’t I be on an online forum? Why on earth not? I work in the region of 50 hours a week, plus a night on call every 8 nights approx. That leaves me a lot of free time, and I like to unwind and chill by browsing here, among other things. The timing of my posts could be at any stage of the day or night, literally. I might post in the early hours of the morning if I’m on call and have been awoken by a call from work, or I might be awake due to worry about a work situation. Equally, after a busy clinic I could return to my office, make a cup of tea, shut the door and go on mumsnet for 10 mins to relax. There’s nobody breathing down my neck at work but I can guarantee you that if I waste time on mumsnet during the traditional working hours, I more than make up for it at other times.

Okay well I'm just saying, if I earned over €200k a year I could think of a lot better things to do during my downtime than trying to prove I earn over €200k a year on Mumsnet

@sammylady37

Well exactly! I’m a scientist, management level, work for global pharma in Switzerland. Also on a similar salary to you. Why wouldn’t I be on MN?!

@didshedidntshe
You’ve got some strange ideas about people! What do you think we should be doing? Quaffing champagne? Playing croquet? Don’t be silly. People on high salaries are just people. They read MN, watch Gogglebox, and surf the net like anyone else.

I guess you don’t believe that the former Potus has time to post on Twitter either, eh? Must be trying to prove he’s someone he’s not, right?

I find that people who are genuinely wealthy don’t flaunt the fact. Those that portray the rich lifestyle all over social media are the ones who seem to rent cars and air b&b’s for photo oops

Yet again the very first answer sums it up ...

In my experience a wealthy person will rarely talk about money. And do not feel the need to wear ostentatious designer brands covered in logos but tend to be more subtle with nice understated quality clothing.
My friend who is a wealthy landowner is the most down to earth person I've met, old car, normal nice clothes, hardworking and generous with his time. Another "wealthy" friend is a flash Harry who has to tell you the cost of everything.

Okay well I'm just saying, if I earned over €200k a year I could think of a lot better things to do during my downtime than trying to prove I earn over €200k a year on Mumsnet

What a strange response. I do lots of things during my downtime. Posting on mumsnet is only one of them. 🤷‍♀️

I've said this before on these threads but if you think old money doesn't shout, have you been round a stately home and thought about what you are seeing? Wallpaper that is made of silk. Gilt encrusted everything. Statues, porcelain, paintings. Go back to the 16th century and you have buildings with initials on it, huge glass windows because glass was expensive, tapestries. The "old money" were absolutely shouting about their wealth. Conspicuous consumption was basically expected of them (16th century if you are a certain rank of nobility you also need to have the income to live the lifestyle expected of you hence you get more land if you rank up).

Old money today don't need to blow money on all that stuff because they have inherited the bling houses and antiques.

@terrywynne indeed. although a fair chunk cant afford to blow the cash, theyre asset rich cash poor.

Duke of Grosvenor, richest aristocrat in UK.

And you just have to look at the giant yachts that aristocrats have to see the lie that they do not flash the cash.

@Monopolyiscrap

And you just have to look at the giant yachts that aristocrats have to see the lie that they do not flash the cash.

Which aristocrats have large yachts? Can you name any?

An aristocrat being a member of the aristocracy

It'll out eventually. A mum at the school - drives around in very expensive car (leased), long haul super luxury hols, designer gear, etc. Very snooty and looks down on most people. She works as a TA, her husband is a police constable. Doesn't add up. They live in a low value 3 bed semi (no criticism - just doesn't fit with the rest), with the lifestyle of rich people. No one was surprised when they were on verge of bankruptcy. Her DM remortgaged to clear their debt and the woman was straight out to upgrade her lease car!
In my job I get a good look at people's financial circumstances and a lot of people are in eye watering debt living champagne lifestyles.

Royal yacht

Hugh Grosvenor, the second Duke of Westminster, with Flying Cloud, a four-mast, black-hulled, white-decked yacht with a 40-member crew.

Thing is, it is also generational. The 6th Duke of Westminster was quite a philanthropist, and was in the army. The 7th has gone straight into"landowning" but to be fair he still very young.

His dad was very "old money", tweed and gun dogs etc, the 7th, not so much .

Sickens me that he is/ was the richest man in the world under 30, but because his money is in a trust that he benefits from, he didn't have to pay inheritance tax.

I think the whole low-key, don't be vulgar, thing is finally disappearing.