Hiding Your Wealth (NOT a poll) :)

[dixonge]

All these self-disclosure polls recently made me think of a recent article I read...

The Rise Of Stealth Wealth: Ways To Stay Invisible From Society If You Have Money | Financial Samurai

I'm certainly not anywhere near that level, but I thought there were a lot of good ideas to think about in that article. Some interesting discussion here as well:

Should We Conceal Our Wealth? | Root of Good

 

[easysurfer]

Nice articles.

Yes, gets my attention and imagination only seeing one leg .

 

[RobbieB]

Total stealth baby.

My lawn is weedy and needs mowing. My other lawn is dirt.

But I'm a good guy and there is drought in CA -

 

[Sunset]

I'm so poor I mow my own lawn because it's cheaper than a gym membership.

 

[Amethyst]

Talks about living in a slummy place so contractors won't overcharge you for repairs. There is something wrong with that logic, but I'm too tired to think of it just now...

 

[MrLoco]

Which is why I feel a little "dirty" when meeting someone for the first time and they ask what I do....I always respond that I am "broke and unemployed."

Well.......at least it is only a half lie.

 

[dixonge]

I've rarely owned any sort of designer product, and that is unlikely to change, but I like the idea of owning a fancy watch or purse and then telling people it's a knock-off or fake - whispering it to them in confidence, as if you're proud of the fact. So now you're pretending to be a poor person who is pretending to be rich. Ha!

 

[pb4uski]

We don't hide our wealth... we just don't disclose it... if you were to look at our lifestyle, the cars we drive (Subaru Outback and GMC truck) and all you would think we are just another upper middle class couple... we don't work (other than volunteer work) and do belong to the local country club and golf but even the club is very modest (but nice).

 

[Ronstar]

Great articles- thanks for posting! I use the "act stupid" routine quite a bit. That and wearing jeans and t-shirts go a long way in establishing that I'm a poor person.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

It might be safer to say, "I'm unemployed" than "I'm retired."

Sent from my SM-G900V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[REWahoo]

It might be safer to say, "I'm unemployed" than "I'm retired."

Just tell them you are "post-employed."

 

[Senator]

I hide my wealth all the time. My landlord clothes consist of a pair of Dickies, in Carthart brown, with the hammer loop. A few paint spots, a few holes.

I almost 100% of the time wear a Menards t-shirt, when I feel like dressing up it's one without paint spots on it...

Even a few friends have mentioned to be when speaking about FIRE, "You really do not have a lot of expenses"...

The lawn generally needs to be mowed, and I have an old furnace, a snow plow, and a old 16-slot mailbox in the driveway. Which has major asphalt holes in it.

Of course, if I wanted to work until I am 90, I could have a better appearance.

 

[RunningBum]

Quickly browsed the first article, still open in a tab to read later. I notice it suggests to watch "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" to stay up on pop culture. I'll take my chances and pass on that suggestion.

 

[Danmar]

I don't try to hide any wealth we might have. I certainly don't flaunt it either. Probably pay more than necessary for certain things like home maintenance/repairs/ management but this isn't much of a concern to me. Pretending to be poor seems a little weird to me?

 

[Jack_Pine]

I wear jeans and sweats because that's what I like. I could care less what others know and even less what they think. If I want to do something nice that others may notice, oh well, they notice. We don't flaunt what we have but we don't go out of our way to hide it either. Enough things to concern ones self.

I guess trying to hide it to pay less taxes is another story but we don't do that either...........

 

[Greencheese]

The last thing I need is friends and family thinking I'm a potential piggybank for them.

 

[frayne]

Great article and I'm a shorts and t-shirt guy, usually with a few holes in the shirt. Neighbor lady recently complained to me about my old tennis shoes, so the next time she saw me I had them wrapped up with some duct tape just for effect.

I think in this day and age many people want to flaunt their so called wealth to impress others as to how well they are doing. There is a word in Websters for that "insecurity".

 

[audreyh1]

In Austin folks knew the young guy/gal in old jeans and t-shirt could easily be a millionaire.

 

[scrabbler1]

I drive a low-end 2007 Corolla and dress a little like a slob. To people who see me around the neighborhood a lot during the day during the week but don't know me well I must seem like an enigma. And that's just fine with me.


Like RunningBum, I'll pass on the Kardashians, too. I once stumbled onto that show for a few seconds (by mistake) and felt my IQ drop a few points by the time I got to the remote and changed the channel.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

We don't really try to hide what we have- we just don't spend a lot. So other than someone who gets a look at our accounts (CPA?) who would know? I don't have to lie about my "Diamond" earrings. They really are fake. I suspect that most of the people we hang out with make less than we do- not sure if they have any idea how much we make- or if they care.

 

[easysurfer]

I have a Mark Zuckerberg like wardrobe. T-shirts and jeans.

 

[2017ish]

We pretty much go Fuego's route, with exceptions for schooling and the house we used to have. (I don't even recognize most of the fancy brands FS mentioned in his piece.) Cheap cars, rusted truck, nonwork clothes from walmart/target.

The jobs give us away right now though, and we rarely get to really meet anyone other than work related. That will soon change and new acquaintances won't immediately tag us as "rich" doc/lawyer once we quit playing these roles.

 

[CaliKid]

We live in a nicer neighborhood which of course invites contractors to charge more and friends to say "wow" but in reality we live significantly below our means. I drive an almost 10 year old car, some of my suits are 20 years old, etc.... We also don't eat out a lot and almost never at expensive restaurants. My weak point is vacations. I often pick $300-500/night hotels, go to a nice dinner, hit a show, hit an expensive tourist activity, etc.... Travel is definitely my weak point but as long as we keep that to ourselves we can still live stealthlike in "real life." I enjoyed that stealth article btw. Thanks for posting.

 

[Danmar]

Like RunningBum, I'll pass on the Kardashians, too. I once stumbled onto that show for a few seconds (by mistake) and felt my IQ drop a few points by the time I got to the remote and changed the channel.

I love this. Actually, I feel the same way when I watch most regular TV, especially local news and anything with a laugh track. Thank goodness for PBS and Netflix.

 

[athena53]

We live in a nicer neighborhood which of course invites contractors to charge more and friends to say "wow" but in reality we live significantly below our means. I drive an almost 10 year old car, some of my suits are 20 years old, etc.... We also don't eat out a lot and almost never at expensive restaurants. My weak point is vacations. I often pick $300-500/night hotels, go to a nice dinner, hit a show, hit an expensive tourist activity, etc.... Travel is definitely my weak point but as long as we keep that to ourselves we can still live stealthlike in "real life." I enjoyed that stealth article btw. Thanks for posting.

We're like that. I have a pile of T-shirts from athletic events and company promotions over the past 15+ years and that's what I wear on top in warm weather and at the gym. I still fit into my business wardrobe when I need to look respectable. Just don't look at the pile of jewelry in our safe or ask me about our upcoming vacation to Iceland! Bonus: when you dress like a peasant a potential mugger is less likely to believe that your watch is a real Rolex.


I'm actually a bit suspicious when I see people dressed to the nines in the latest fashion or driving around in Range Rovers. Sometimes they're the ones who spend everything they have and more to keep up appearances.