40+ Difference Between “Old Money” & “New Money” That Are Actually Very Intriguing

When it comes to new money, if there’s one thing that tips this person off, it’s spending lavishly on big brands. In general, the concept here is all about showing off.

Now that this person has money, they want to make sure other people know it. In this day and age, a huge designer logo is a pretty easy way to advertise that you can afford something that other people aspire to.

While using your fashion to talk for you is one way to establish a visible symbol of your wealth, there are some people who prefer a verbal approach.

In this person’s experience, people who came from new money were much more likely to be flashy and show off the things they bought. They also noticed that perspective seemed to carry over to bragging about their wealth and how much they spend.

How you carry yourself refers to your poise and general attitude. For some, you can read something about someone’s mood or even personality in how they moved.

In general, the OP noticed that people who are categorized as “new money” are more likely to peacock around. On the contrary, people who come from family money are more likely to refrain from this behavior. After all, they don’t need to prove their place.

Of course, people vary and a lot determines their behavior outside of wealth. So, what one person noticed might differ from what someone else has seen.

From this person’s experience, it’s the older money that often leads to more entitled behavior. After all, they’ve never lived on the other side of the division they’re accustomed to, so they expect a lot just by custom.

There are some things that you can fake or impersonate. However, it’s easy to get caught up in the big picture and miss the details.

This person couldn’t quite put their finger on what it is but apparently “old money” is able to recognize their kind without fail. Maybe it’s because you’d have to try really hard to pretend that you weren’t trying at all.

There are some people, most people even, that will ask you how much something costs before committing to it. It’s the nature of managing money in day-to-day life.

This person noticed that people from old money or generational wealth wouldn’t do. In the end, they’ll pay whatever they have to as long as they’re happy with the service. Those that come new money, on the other hand, try to pay as little as possible.

When it comes to what you buy, there are a few luxuries people associate with wealth. For instance, you probably picture a mega-mansion or acres and acres of land.

From what this person said, you can get an idea of whether someone is from old or new money based on the property they choose. Is it in plain sight? Probably new money. On the other hand, if you want to spot old money, look for the long driveway leading to the house with acres and acres around it.

When we think of big investments, houses are only part of the picture. People put a lot of money into their cars as well as their homes. For the wealthy, a luxury car can be a real symbol of status.

When this person sees a newer luxury car like a Porsche or BMW, it leads them to think of new money. As for old money, they expect something a bit more vintage and well-kept.

Another difference between these divisions of wealth is another automotive take. This one isn’t about how old or new your car was — but rather, it comes down to size.

This person noticed a trend when it comes to larger luxury vehicles compared to more succinct, compact sports cars. If someone is looking for space and luxury, there’s a good chance they come from family money.

When it came to dealing with people at the marina, this OP figured out the difference between people that come from family wealth rather than new wealth.

When people with old money come to the marina, a surprising number of them come in looking scrappy. Plus, they rarely have complaints, according to the OP.

People with wealth tend to hire various staff members. Who wouldn’t take the chance to not do chores if someone else can handle them without you missing the money?

This person worked as a cleaner for many wealthy people, which has given them a chance to experience regular contact with their clients. They’ve noticed that their clients of old money tend to be a bit more generous when it comes to tips and gifts than their new money counterparts.

As we’ve already seen in this article, there are some things that cleaners have noticed about old and new money when they’re on the job. Take this OP’s experience, for instance.

When working with people new to money and those who come from generations of wealth, the OP definitely noticed a difference in how they were treated as hired help. It seems those new to wealth aren’t afraid to be nasty to their staff.

This comes from another person who noticed that there was a tell in the way that people spoke to the people they hired or the staff they encountered when they were out and about.

In their experience, this person noticed that when you compare new wealth to old, people of newer wealth tend to bark orders. According to this OP, that’s not the case when it comes to clients with old money. In fact, it’s the total opposite!

At the end of the day, these posts are all based on interactions that people have had with others. So, there are certain things that these points of view might actually differ on.

As for this person, they haven’t experienced the ‘family’ vibe as a maid for older wealthy families. Given how used to home service these clients are, the ability to treat their hired help like they’re just a part of the scenery really stuck out to this person the first few times on the job.

When you go to a restaurant, you’re often helped by a waiter or waitress. These people work here and are there to serve you but they’re still people at the end of the day.

Still, too many people treat their servers lousy or downright cruelly. When it came to serving the wealthy, this person couldn’t help but notice that new money was much more likely to act like a jerk and talk to the servers with disrespect.

While the last argument might make you think that the people from old money are more generous, that doesn’t seem to always be the case — at least, not according to the story that this person had to tell.

Coming from a family in which their grandmother has money, this person doesn’t find her to be all that generous. This includes skipping out on tips after going out for a bite to eat or a manicure. The thing is, many people that work in the service industry really rely on tips.

Going to a private school, you’re likely to meet some wealthy people who come from families with quite a bit of money on their hands. Since this person wasn’t particularly wealthy themselves, they noticed some interesting things.

While their classmates who were born into wealth earned generations ago, they were kind. That is, at least, compared to the way that their classmates from new money treated them. Still, both groups astounded the OP with the things they did in their day-to-day lives.

This is something someone noticed about old versus new money, at least when it came to the monetary and social divisions in the United Kingdom.

When it came to schooling, both parties would attend pretty prestigious schools. However, they noticed that families with new money usually didn’t go to a private school with as big a name as schools that old money would attend.

It’s not often that you want to spend time listening to someone brag. Still, it seems like that doesn’t stop some people from sharing what’s on their minds — themselves and their achievements.

From the way this person’s coworker talks, they’re left to assume that she and her family hadn’t always been as fortunate as they are now. What gave it away? Well, she has a habit of making a point to show off every major purchase.

Here, we have a very different experience with a coworker from old money. By comparison to the colleague we just talked about, this one doesn’t brag in the slightest.

As a matter of fact, the OP isn’t sure they’ve ever heard her brag about anything. They even noticed that she seems grateful and very much aware of her fortune and privilege.

When it comes to projecting your wealth, bragging isn’t the only way to do it. You can silently signal your wealth based on what you do and wear.

Fashion is another thing that speaks volumes even if you’re silent. For instance, wearing a major label’s brand logo for all to see tends to speak to a wealth that not everyone has. It’s something this person has noticed a lot more with new money.

Do you remember how we said that fashion can speak volumes? This person had another theory on fashion and spotting old versus new wealth.

As for this theory, the concept is simple. If someone is wearing something older that’s held up thanks to high quality, you can probably guess that they’re old money. If you see a newer but still expensive purchase, the opposite might be true.

For some people, the biggest tell of new money is new things. That’s not about fashion, though. There are other major purchases this person tunes in on.

If they see someone who has a massive house and a shiny new car out front, they assume that they’re looking at the lifestyle of new money. On the other hand, families that have had money for a while are more likely to roll out a pristine vintage car as a point of pride.

We’ve talked a lot about bragging in these stories. However, this is more about talking about money in general, no matter the context.

In general, the OP realized that people who come from old money aren’t just less likely to brag but they’re less likely to talk about money at all, at least by the numbers — especially compared to how often new money does.

There are some points we’ve seen that have been observed by more than one person. For example, this person noticed that smaller logos are the way when it comes to old money.

When it came to both parties, though, bragging or not, this person knows either one of them could really throw their money around. No matter how new you are to it, money comes with certain privileges and powers that any wealthy person can lose sight of if they’re not careful.

This comes from another person who took issue with the thought that new money is louder and more prone to bragging than old money.

It’s not that old money won’t throw their money around — they just do it differently. This person couldn’t help but notice that people seemed to have forgotten a lot of weird, little rules that old money created to define the upper class.

If you want to tell old wealth from new, this person just had to look at the social circles that people kept around them.

In particular, the OP noticed that the older wealth tend to be very careful about who they keep in their social circle. For instance, they’re less likely to socialize or let their children socialize with someone from a lower tax bracket.

When you’re new to wealth, there’s so much you can suddenly do that it can all be too tempting. This can be a slippery slope.

According to this person, they saw that new money is typically faster to go. After all, not everyone can make it to the status of old wealth. As for families that have had wealth for generations, they’ve managed to keep that wealth for generations by not being so frivolous.

There are some manners and customs that were once the norm but we’ve since let them go. For instance, we look back at Victorian or Edwardian manners and they look odd today.

This person noticed that people from old money seem to be still attached to some customs that we left behind long ago. Maybe it’s an appreciation for the time frame that afforded them wealth or maybe it’s just one of those odd habits that have just stuck around.

This comes down more to the practicality of earning your own wealth — being really new money — or having wealth that you’re born into.

According to this person, one of the differences they noticed among those with newer wealth is more awareness of that wealth. After all, they didn’t always have money. In this OP’s experience, people have always been wealthy seem a bit more carefree with their spending.

There are some things that can become precious to a family. For instance, you may have seen or even have a wedding ring from a grandmother or great-grandmother.

The wealthier you are and the longer that your family holds onto that wealth, the more valuable these family heirlooms become. That’s something this person really started to notice. If gifted an heirloom, it meant that the family had money for quite a while.

There are some hobbies that have fallen out of fashion. Then again, that doesn’t mean that those activities are as dead as the dinosaurs.

There are still some people who partake in those activities that we don’t usually do anymore. For instance, when was the last time you saw someone play polo? This person noticed that these activities seemed to stay very much alive among those considered old money.

When you’re getting started in a field, people really stress the importance of networking. You may have heard the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

If you’re comparing the benefits of old versus new wealth, there are a few cues in their social circles. For those that are well-connected, some of that may come from generations of wealth-gaining and sharing connections with the next generation.

When it comes to comparing schools, there can be some serious rivalries. Plus, there’s a level of class competition when it comes to expensive Ivy League schools.

How they describe going to those schools can be a dead giveaway of whether they’re new to or came from wealth. This person noticed that people who were born into money described where they went by saying the name of the area — rather than the name of the school itself.

If you come from a wealthy family, odds are that you’ve never really had to hurt for money. After all, you were born into the money your family has, no matter what you do with that wealth when it’s fully yours.

As such, this person noticed that it wasn’t uncommon for people who had always known wealth to be so used to it that they lose touch with the value of a dollar.

Earning your own wealth isn’t the only way to fall into new money. This person specifically talks about how people who are newly married into money tend to stand out.

In their industry, the OP has noticed that their clients who have been wealthy for quite some time aren’t nearly as rude to them as the people who are from new money. Being that there are so many mixed experiences on this list, we’re starting to think it just comes down to the individual person and whether or not they were raised with manners.

Working in retail, you deal with a lot of different customers. After a while, some might leave a certain impression on you.

As for this person, the impression old money has left them with is that it isn’t uncommon to see them in dated, unassuming pieces. That’s because the clothes they buy are expensive and high-quality, so they’re going to last a while. So, they don’t need replacing every year.

When you offer a service to somebody, you usually have to lay out your prices pretty clearly. If someone asks for a free service, they usually want to know how much it’s going to cost them.

That was something this Redditor noticed a lot when they were originally asked to perform extra services that weren’t initially discussed. As they found out, this wasn’t a case of wanting something for free but rather, being comfortable enough to cover the extra cost no matter what it was.

Wealth is a funny thing. Sometimes, there’s a lot of hard work involved but there’s usually a bit of privilege to it too — which isn’t something everyone is willing to admit.

This person couldn’t help but notice that the people who are new to wealth seem to have more of a drive to verbally defend their status… without admitting that luck or privilege had anything to do with it. The OP made an educated guess that it could be out of guilt.

If you’re a fan of Arrested Development, you probably know that this brings to mind something Lucille Bluth would say, maybe talking about bananas to her son.

In reality, there are some people who are wealthy who seem a little unsure of how some deals even work for people with less money. For instance, the OP was shocked when they heard their boss’ idea of what things get sold for at a yard sale.

If you don’t grow up with money, you might sit back once and a while and imagine what you might do if you were to stumble into money one day.

On the contrary, if you’re born into money, you never have to really wonder what you’d do in this situation — you probably already know. That means that it comes to actually using wealth, you might see some more stereotypical uses for wealth when it comes to new money.

On the contrary, people who come from old money have a different way of showing off their wealth. Because they’ve lived it their whole lives, they don’t fantasize about anything out of the ordinary, compared to their new money counterparts.

In fact, instead of a brand new car, you might catch someone from old money enjoying their time at a country club or relaxing in their giant mansion.

When it comes to new versus old money, as we’ve seen, the way that they spend their money can be very telling to someone who has made observations like this.

To this person, the way that someone spends their money speaks volumes. If they were to buy a bunch of new and expensive stuff, it’s probable that they’re from newer money. Older wealth seems to be more drawn to the vintage and irreplaceable.

There are some instances when you have something and you find that there comes a time to replace it. The item has just reached the end of its lifespan.

That is, unless you have the money to fix it. If you do, you may try to extend the life of your objects through refurbishment. After all, how else would those heirlooms and vintage pieces stick around for so long?

When it comes to new wealth or old wealth, this person has noticed some differences but, in the end, they’ve found that the result is often the same.

At the end of the day, there are a few things that you can’t put in one camp or the other. It’s a spectrum of behavior that they see but it all comes down to one simple adjective to this person — insufferable.