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?

If its new, its on view", that's all you need to know.

Nonsense.

If he goes by the name 'Simon Leviev'

I think it is the way they are quietly confident about everything in life generally. You can just tell they don't have to worry about paying a motgage etc. But they don't flaunt it.
It is more of a feeling that I can't quite explain.

I find the middle class tend to shout about their money and stealth brag and try to cement their status by flaunting.
You get 2 main types of Upper class, The type that are as tight as a crabs arsehole or the type that are so wealthy they are eccentric.

Genuinely wealthy are the ones buying value cornflakes in Aldi but the most expensive dog food.

The Queen was reported in the press as feeding Tesco value dog food to her corgis. Some of my friends who work with dogs were really angry about this.

@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 totally agree. There’s a subsection of people on mumsnet who are so deeply in awe of the wealthy that they insist on these silly stereotypes of acting like the ‘old money’ are somehow better than others, and as if it’s shameful to be ‘new money.’

@Whelmed

What is all this "genuinely wealthy people don't flash or talk about their wealth" nonsense?

I know.

Why are people on MN so disparaging about "new money"? As if it's somehow shameful that someone has worked hard or had a good business idea and has done well for themselves.

And this idea that the aristocracy who have inherited money are all salt of the earth types who wear charity shop clothes and drive old bangers.

It's bullshit.

I think someone who has earned money is more admirable than someone who has inherited it. If you inherit, it is simply an accident of birth. It is not about anything you have done.

@Monopolyiscrap

I think someone who has earned money is more admirable than someone who has inherited it. If you inherit, it is simply an accident of birth. It is not about anything you have done.

Yes but new money is chavvy and will never truly reach the levels of graceful superiority that old money just naturally has. It’s shameful for the grubby poor to be grabbing at money that rightfully belongs to the wonderful aristocracy.

Never mind that actually hard work and achievement is (or should be) admirable. Sometimes I wonder if people know what a number has been done on them that these stereotypes are so deeply entrenched that they come up on mumsnet all the time.

I think it is the jealousy of the aristocracy that other people are making money and some have more money than them. Some are even buying old estates that they think should only ever belong to the aristocracy.

A lot of rich people wear designer clothes, Rolex watches etc. Why are all the designer stores situated in the richest streets in the richest cities? This money shouts nonsense is another mumsnet myth.
I don't think it's necessarily a myth, but it becomes a caricature based on some truths.

There's some beautiful designer pieces out there that are very expensive, but unless you knew about good tailoring and kept up to date with what was in each designer's collection, you wouldn't know. Someone could pass me in a several thousand pound wool coat and I wouldn't have a clue if it was expensive designer or not. I've seen some beautiful leather bags that would have been very expensive, but if someone walked past me with one I'd just think it was a nice bag. Those in the know would identify the designer and pick up on the wealthy person code. The person in that outfit could be dressed in tens of thousands of pounds worth of clothes without screaming "look at me, I have lots of money don't you know". They're not hiding their wealth by doing the MN stereotype of battered jeans, dog slobber and wellies, but they're not going out of their way to announce themselves .

Meanwhile another person might have a designer coat, but they opt for one that has the designer monogram on the belt in a prominent place, and their bag is heavily branded, and they make sure that their sunglasses also have the brand prominently displayed. The focus is all about making sure that other people either realise realise have money or perceive them as wealthy.

The flash vs not flash thing only (in cases) signifies a difference between "posh" and "not posh", not between "real rich" and "fake rich"

Wayne Rooney is rich. So is David Beckham. So is Kim Kardashian. They are not pretending to be rich. They are rich in all their blinging glory. The mum at my DC's school with the brand new Tesla and engagement ring as big as her hand is rich.

You definitely cannot equate ostentatious displays of wealth with "fake rich".

People who are wealthy/rich don't tend to talk about how rich or wealthy they are IME

The creepiest posters are the ones who say they are ‘working class’ but trip over themselves to fawn over ‘old money’ (read white, aristocratic wealth) whilst simultaneously professing intimate knowledge on how ‘proper’
posh people are. From everything to their manners (they’re so polite, not like normal people you know, whereas anyone not of ancient ‘built on the suffering of others’ wealth is tacky and openly honest about how they’re better than you) to their threadbare carpets (they only spend on proper things you know, their adult children are still shitting in 150 year old loin cloths with the queen’s monogram on them whereas self made money has lots of new things - like clothes - how try hard!
A carpet is only a true sign of wealth if it’s threadbare having been down through generations, even better if it’s one that depicts colonial conquests)

It’s also so far off the mark that it must be some sort of fantasy borne of a) comforting oneself that like themselves, no one can truly climb higher in life and b) fapping to Downton Abbey.

@Titfortatfortit FLOL!

@LolaSmiles Totally disagree. I am not well off at all. I can still recognise well made expensive clothes and shoes. You can see it.
That is why I always say the talk about aristocracy looking like anyone else as they were old jumpers is rubbish. They wear old very expensive jumpers.

PrisonerofZeroCovid
You can't say that being ostentatious always equals fake rich, but I don't think using celebrities is a valid comparison (because celebrity land is clearly a totally different world to most people), but I do think that there's probably something to be said for the way people choose to allocate their money and how they wish to be perceived.

I know people who are wealthier than me, but certainly not rich-rich and they have a more expensive car than me, take more holidays than me, have a more expensive house than me but they're just getting on with life. They seem quite secure in themselves and don't seem to have a drive to make sure other people view them as affluent. They have what they have, live a very nice life, nobody is under any illusion that some of their things cost a lot

In contrast to that I can think of other people I know who are obsessed with having a large designer handbag collection, upgrading their status symbol car every couple of years, taking photos of themselves in various hotels and wine bars wearing heavily branded designer items. They're undoubtedly comfortable financially, but they spend a huge amount of time and effort in making sure that people see them with expensive things.
Based on the people I know, the first group are wealthier than the second group, but the second are more concerned with appearing like they have money.

I have stayed in a holiday house very close to Balmoral and see the Royals in back lanes driving around. The cars they use are clearly VERY expensive. I know nothing about cars, but I can recognise wealth.

@LolaSmiles Totally disagree. I am not well off at all. I can still recognise well made expensive clothes and shoes. You can see it.
That is why I always say the talk about aristocracy looking like anyone else as they were old jumpers is rubbish. They wear old very expensive jumpers.
I also think it's absolute tosh that the aristocracy shuffle around in battered supermarket jumpers.

It's possible to tell something is good quality vs cheap high street, decent materials vs cheap polyester, but I couldn't walk past someone in the street and identify the difference between a nice well fitting, decent quality coat and a well fitting, decent quality designer coat that costs thousands.

I could tell the difference between a plastic high street handbag, a leather lower end handbag and a well made leather bag, but could walk past someone on the street and say that their bag is a particular designer bag, worth several thousand. I'm sure someone who pays attention to handbags and knows their stuff could.

**couldn't walk past

@PrisonerofZeroCovid

The flash vs not flash thing only (in cases) signifies a difference between "posh" and "not posh", not between "real rich" and "fake rich"

Wayne Rooney is rich. So is David Beckham. So is Kim Kardashian. They are not pretending to be rich. They are rich in all their blinging glory. The mum at my DC's school with the brand new Tesla and engagement ring as big as her hand is rich.

You definitely cannot equate ostentatious displays of wealth with "fake rich".

I agree with this. OP asked about spotting fake wealth, not the differences between old money and new money. It's all money, old or new, and if someone has lots of it, their wealth will not be fake.

My ex is the type to suggest he is far wealthier and far more successful than he is. I would suggest looking carefully at the gap between the words and the reality - it is huge in my ex’s case so anyone with half a brain should be questioning it. I would also suggest understanding the industry they say they are working in, qualifications required, likely salaries, where the jobs are, professional bodies they should be a member of, industry requirements to keep up to date etc. the internet is very helpful in this regard. My ex is a con man and His industry is self-regulatory which helps him get away with it.

@LolaSmiles I do not think you can tell the difference between clothing that is inflated in price because of the label/name unless you know the brands. But you can tell the difference in quality. That is really what I mean. So an expensive suit does look very different to a cheaper suit.

Who cares?