Unpopular Truths About Extreme Wealth | Generated by AI
Question: What are some unpopular opinions about being wealthy?
Answer:
Here are some genuinely unpopular (or at least rarely admitted) opinions about wealth that frequently surface in private conversations among high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and online anonymous forums:
- Most inherited wealth destroys ambition and competence in the next generation. A large percentage of wealthy people quietly believe the “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” proverb is basically true and spend enormous energy (trusts, governance, therapy) trying to prevent it—while knowing they’ll probably fail.
- Extreme wealth makes authentic relationships almost impossible. Once you cross ~$30–50M liquid, many rich people feel that virtually everyone in their life has some angle—friends, romantic partners, even family. They admit they’re paranoid, but also that the paranoia is usually justified.
- A lot of wealthy people secretly envy the upper-middle-class lifestyle. Private jets and multiple homes sound glamorous, but many admit they miss the simplicity of commercial flights, neighborhood restaurants, and not having staff around 24/7. They feel trapped by their own logistics.
- Charity is often more about social status and tax benefits than genuine altruism. The “Effective Altruism” crowd is a tiny minority; most large donations are driven by gala invitations, naming rights, peer pressure, and deductions.
- Rich people are often bored out of their minds. Once financial freedom is achieved, many discover that consumption plateaus fast. They cycle through bigger boats, art, experiences, and still feel empty—then pretend otherwise on Instagram.
- Wealth intensifies personality flaws rather than fixing them. Narcissists become bigger narcissists, anxious people become more anxious with endless options, cheap people become pathologically stingy even with billions.
- Many self-made rich people look down on “old money” as soft and decadent, while old-money families view new money as crass and insecure. Both sides are usually right.
- Imposter syndrome never fully goes away, no matter the net worth. A surprising number of decamillionaires and even billionaires still worry that “everyone will find out I’m not that smart/talented.”
- Private schools and elite colleges often do more harm than good to children of wealth. The drugs, entitlement, and pressure create wrecked adults at a higher rate than public or less “prestigious” schools.
- A lot of wealthy people vote left/publicly support redistribution while structuring their lives to pay as little tax as possible and shield their kids from actual competition. Cognitive dissonance is extremely common.
These opinions are unpopular because they either (1) undermine the fantasy that extreme wealth solves life’s problems or (2) make the wealthy sound ungrateful or hypocritical—which many are perfectly aware of, but rarely say out loud.