9 Dead Giveaways That Someone Is Secretly Rich

Ramit Sethi, author of the New York Times Best Seller, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, founder and CEO of GrowthLab.com and of IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com, knows a few things about personal finance.

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A firm believer in the fact that “once you take control of money, you realize that your Rich Life is so much bigger than a number in your bank account,” Sethi recently asked in a Twitter thread, “what is a subtle sign of wealth?”

Here’s what Twitter users had to say in response.

For Twitter user @TheRyanMcRae, a subtle sign is “an unexpected charge/inconvenience doesn’t ruin the day, week or month.”

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Given the current four-decade high inflation, which is making many Americans anxious, a lot of answers revolved around that sentiment.

For example, for user @kcgott, a subtle sign of wealth is “not feeling a constant low-grade anxiety about every purchase.”

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And for @ParOsterlund, it’s “the calm confidence that comes with not having to worry about finances, while for @descopemore, it’s just “not talking about it.”

For @dohertyjf, a subtle sign is “Free tshirts from conference as their main everyday clothing.”

Several commenters talked about the importance of watches too, for example, for @corpsole2 “Could be your watch. If you’re wearing $15 Costco clothes, but sport a $15,000 Rolex or Audemar Piguet, if means you either have a huge credit limit or cash flow to pay for them.”

@KASFFC agreed, saying that a sign is a “Strong watch game, those who know watches can tell how much of a baller you are. The average person won’t.”

But for others, such as @PolemicTMM, it’s “No watch.”

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@PersianCapital thinks it’s all about having an “iPhone without a case,” while @gottlightmpls thinks it’s “when one uses fancy ketchup packets.”

 Remaining intriguing is also a subtle sign of wealth for some, such as @Jack_Raines, who wrote  “acquaintances vsguely [sic] wondering what you do.”

And finally, it’s also about sharing and spreading joy. For @BradTonoff, it’s  “Handing out the king size candy bars on Halloween.”

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Some Twitter users didn’t quite get the assignment and offered up some not-so-subtle ideas.

User @YakWeasel feels that an ostrich would be something a wealthy person would own. User @HannahPinnock agreed, adding that peacocks would be another bird a rich person would own.

@bluesledmaster took a quick jab at Bill Gates and replied “Having no clue how much a bag of tostinos pizza rolls might cost.”

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Having dental care or affording extra services like braces or veneers can add up so much that @realisticrealst, believes a sign of subtle wealth is “great teeth.” 

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It’s not just physical things that people believe show subtle wealth. Many Twitter users also agreed that the freedom to create your own schedule and not report to anyone is important as well.

As @DividendGrowth explains it, it’s “the ability to live your life on your own terms.”

And for @bandz654, “owning your time is the ultimate wealth. No asset is as precious as time,” while for @ritholtz, it’s “turning off your phone notifications.”

As for @guerrist, it’s simply that “Sunday night is no big deal.”

This is something Sethi believes in as well, saying on his website that “a Rich Life is lived outside the spreadsheet.”

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“What’s the point of all this saving and investing if you’re simply going to wait until you’re 80 to live? No thanks. I believe that once you’ve set up your finances, you’ll see that the most important part of a Rich Life is outside the spreadsheet–it involves relationships, new experiences, and giving back. You earned it,” he wrote.