QUIET MILLIONARES
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Quiet millionaires: 5 understated signs that whisper wealth in America — how many do you exhibit?
Aug 21, 2024
Call it a paradox of prosperity that you can be a chatterbox, or even a loudmouth, and still be a “quiet millionaire.”
We’re talking about masters of stealth wealth who shun a showoff lifestyle and don’t brag about their seven-figure stockpile. Think about it: the guy with the Porsche may be up to his neck in car payments and debt while his neighbor driving a 2012 Honda Civic — paid off, of course — has squirreled away savings and invested for decades.
The latter type is epitomized in books such as “The Wealthy Barber,” David Chilton’s classic financial planning book about a fictional hair cutter who dispenses personal finance advice. He’s the kind of guy you can easily relate to because he looks an awful lot like us: the baristas, office workers and independent contractors of the world.
So, if you’re ready to trim the excess out of your life and “get quiet,” so to speak, study up on these five less-than-obvious tips that a muted millionaire could be sitting next to you on the bus or clipping coupons in their cubicle. Maybe you’ll even recognize some of these subtle signs in yourself.
They are financially literate
It’s puzzling that while calculus is taught in high school, the calculus of financial literacy often isn’t. Quiet millionaires make it their business to learn the dangers of debt and the virtues of compound interest, as well as how markets work and why hyped investments often don’t. They’re in it for the long haul as opposed to the quick buck. After all, the S&P 500 has delivered an average annual return of around 10% over the past 20 years, assuming all dividends were reinvested, according to the Official Data Foundation. An investment at that return rate made in 2004 would be worth approximately seven times its original value today.
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They live frugally and dress modestly
Valued by Forbes at $140-plus billion, Warren Buffett could easily wine and dine on the best champagne and caviar available. But in reality, this famously frugal tycoon prefers a McDonald’s morning meal, which at one point only set him back between $2.61 and $3.17. He even uses coupons, as he did when springing for a Mickey D’s lunch in Hong Kong with fellow billionaire Bill Gates, according to the Microsoft founder.
So it is, too, for quiet millionaires who eschew the usual trappings of wealth as wasteful and ostentatious. They might pick Costco’s Kirkland jeans and thrift store finds over Armani slacks and leave the fancy logos at the door. No less an authority than Glamour magazine has noted “the stealth-wealth fashion trend — also known as quiet luxury — that seems to be pretty much everywhere right now.”
They don’t talk about their wealth
You knew “quiet” had a literal meaning, right? For a host of reasons — from the desire for privacy to an inherent sense of self-assurance — these millionaires keep their wealth details on the down low. When asked about their situation, they aren’t keen to mention numbers. They may also understand that getting into seven-digit details may cause discomfort in those they converse with, especially if that person struggles to pay the bills or is in bad financial shape.
Read More: Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
They pay for outstanding counsel
The Ramsey Show’s George Kamel notes that quiet millionaires aren’t necessarily financial news junkies: “They just get their info from better sources like financial advisers with a proven track record, lawyers with rare levels of integrity and business mentors who’ve done more than read one case study about T-Mobile in their college entrepreneurship class.”
They also know that contracting the best financial help — even if it’s more expensive — will reap many times the cost. A top-flight CPA can cost hundreds of dollars an hour to do your taxes, which may seem like a waste when your moonlighting friend will charge you just $50. But if the CPA uses their skills to boost your refund by thousands of dollars, call that higher fee a very wise investment.
They don’t overextend themselves for money
Some quiet millionaires understand that the more time you spend in pursuit of wealth, the less you have for everything else. The trend of “hustle culture,” as it’s called, has an irresistible appeal for working professionals and executives such as Elon Musk. Yet, the crushing workload it demands doesn’t allow for “downtime, personal time, moments with family or loved ones, or opportunities to engage in hobbies,” as pointed out in Leaders.com. Indeed, someone who has accumulated substantial wealth might also know how to seek riches elsewhere.
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Lou CarlozoFreelance writer
Lou Carlozo is a freelance contributor to Moneywise.
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