Introduction
Stealth wealth has been the up and coming trend recently in 2023 and I decided to further explore this topic.
In our society that often equates wealth with flashy lifestyles and material goods, a counter-cultural movement known as “stealth wealth” has emerged.
Stealth wealth advocates for a discreet approach to financial success.
Individuals prioritize financial freedom and minimalist living over flaunting their riches.
This week, we will explore the concept of stealth wealth, why we should embrace this, how to do it, and my personal thoughts on this trend.
By choosing stealth wealth, we can unlock a path to financial independence, personal fulfillment, and a more intentional way of living.
What is stealth wealth?
For a start, stealth wealth have other similar terms like
quiet luxury,
silent money,
the poor-rich man, or
low-key rich life.
Stealth wealth is both a mindset and a lifestyle choice that centers around accumulating wealth while maintaining a low-profile appearance.
People who practices stealth wealth prioritize long-term financial stability, personal fulfillment, and freedom from the pressures of consumerism.
They consciously blend into society without drawing attention to their financial success, opting for a minimalist approach to life and avoiding flashy displays of wealth.
Social media has played a significant role in defining the current status of wealth, like people driving luxurious cars and flaunting designer clothes.
To me, these are traps to attract middle class people like us to spend more.
Wearing designer clothes do not make us rich, it only makes us look rich.
In times of recession, practitioners of stealth wealth tend to be more prominent because their lifestyle do not change in times of recession, which leave those “fake rich” middle class people clueless, and thinking
“why do they still have so much money?”
“shouldn’t we all start to live a bit more frugal now?”
Stealth wealth is not about hiding your wealth, it it about being conscious of your money.
Why choose stealth wealth?
Here are some benefits to why we should choose stealth wealth:
💓Build genuine relationships
People who practices stealth wealth do not place great emphasis on materialistic possessions and do not see wealth as a status symbol.
They value relationships and experiences, which makes conversations more meaningful, building deeper bonds between individuals.
Also, when people are not flashy with their lifestyles, there would be no “power distance”.
They is less judgement and everyone can be more open in their conversations.
🤑Eliminate “money” or “profiting” conversations
When people meet, what are the main topics we are chat about?
As a guy, my conversations with my friends usually revolves around the standard few…
money, career and love!
When people know you are rich, there is a possibility that they want to learn profit from your money.
I don’t say everyone is ill intention, but I am saying that stealth wealth people would avoid such “people” as nobody knows they are rich.
😈Better sense of privacy & security
By being low key profile rich, you reduce the risk of being attacked by scams, and other unwanted attention.
This protects not just your financial well being, but your sense of comfort and security in your day to day life.
Those famous rich people who we see in our social media pay a lot of money to get that private security guards just so they can move from point to point.
We might never reach their level of rich, but being the “poor” rich men avoids unnecessary attention and allows them to sleep in peace!
🌟They prioritize real important stuff
Simply put it, they don’t value the new trends or luxury goods.
Over time, stealth wealth people developed a mindset to focus on what truly matters to them.
This refers to deepening relationships, being there for the people they truly care for and living life through building more experiences like travelling the world.
Their have a strong sense of core values that they live by and those values are something we can all learn from!
How to stealth wealth
There is the “stealth” and “wealth” part to this.
In this article I am writing, I want to focus more on the stealth part as building wealth has been talked rather frequently in most social medias out there.
To provide a quick sharing of building wealth, the top guidelines are usually:
- Spend less than you earn
- Invest your money/start a business
- Build skills to increase your income
Being stealth with wealth is something less discussed, so below are more elaborated points 😊
Go for quality and comfort
Instead of focusing on luxury brands and new trends, choose quality products and you are comfortable in wearing. Choose a home where you feel comfortable in living and a reliable car that has enough space and brings you from point to point.
Dress appropriately
Dress right for the occasion and not dress so extravagant that you become the star the attract all the attention. For example, when attending a wedding, the main stars are the bride and groom, don’t overdress them by putting on all the “blink blink” jewelry.
Experiences over possessions
We can never buy enough of anything but investing in experiences bring lasting memories and personal growth.
Focus on enriching your life rather than acquiring material goods.
Be Humble
Stay grounded and maintain a humble attitude towards your wealth. What we have now might not be forever. Continue the learning journey and work on self improvement.
Foster Genuine Connections
Build relationships based on shared values and interests rather than material wealth.
Surround yourself with people who appreciate you for who you are, not what you possess.
Genuine connections can be more fulfilling than superficial associations based solely on financial status.
Signs of stealth wealth in Singapore
In Singapore, there are some tell tale signs that someone is stealth wealth!
👮A retired civil servant
🌉The one who travels overseas a few times every year, and to Europeans countries
🧙Retired before 50
My experience with stealth wealth
Back in my NS days, I do have a guy who takes public transport back and fro to camp and whenever we eat out, he would budget his meals properly so that he have enough to spend on his NS allowance.
He is a very friendly person, helpful and fun to be with! 😃
One day, we were invited over to his house for a gathering, that is when we all knew he is the real deal!
There is a basement for entertainment room, a rooftop swimming pool and even a lift!
Though the “richness” came from his parents, the humble welcome from my friend and his family reaffirms that it is never about the money, the attitude and character of a person is what truly matters.
From that day onwards, everyone has been disturbing him non-stop about how rich he is and how he could do so much with the money his parents has!
Now when I am writing this article, this feels like his parents stealth wealth him! 🤣 🤣
Conclusion
Stealth wealth is like a transformative approach to personal finance, enabling individuals to achieve financial independence and at the same time, not be stressed about it by living a more intentional life.
Embracing stealth wealth allows more pros in the non-financial side like having more genuine relationship, a better sense of security and the mindset to focus on what truly matters.
There are even better articles around this topic, you can check them out here by better articles to check out too by Ramit Sethi and Financial Samurai.
Quote of the week
What we achieved inwardly will change our outer reality
– Plutarch
Cheers,
Eugene Loh