The richest 1% have more wealth than the bottom 95% of the world's population put together. That’s according to an Oxfam report released last year. Al Jazeera has also reported that there are at least 58 million US dollar millionaires walking the earth, or sailing the seas, or private-jetting the skies. Or all in one day... The rich really are in a class of their own, and too often it seems they aren’t learning much when it comes to how the majority of the global population lives. Money can’t buy brains. And it certainly can’t buy awareness.
When someone asked, “What’s the most out-of-touch thing a rich person has said to you?” the replies were astounding. From the downright ignorant to the plain old rude, you’d be forgiven for wanting some of these folk to take their private jets and go inhabit a planet far, far away. Bored Panda has put together a list of the most bizarre statements to come out of the mouths of those with a golden spoon. A few might make you want to gag. We also spoke to WalletHub's financial writer and analyst Chip Lupo to get some tips for those who'd like to build some wealth of their own.
#1
I am a retired Captain of an International Airline, I was behind the counter at the departure gate printing last minute paperwork, the flight was making the final call, a golf cart pulls up with this lady yelling to hold the plane, she must have had 5 carryons, all Gucci bags, she had sunglasses on (it was 23:00), the high healed shoes, the hair, the nails, the overwhelming perfume, you get the picture … she throws her boarding pass at the agent, swearing and carrying on that the f#%king plane better still be there, she looks at me over the top of her sunglasses and points at her bags on the golf cart and says
“carry my bags, and be careful with the small one it’s fragile”
The agents looks at her and says “ma’am that your captain”
She says “I don’t care, I could buy him in a minute, I told him to carry my bags”
I walked down the bridge, over my shoulder I said she’d better hurry up, the door was closing.
I didn’t see the hissy fit she proceeded to have at the gate, but she was denied boarding and did not make the flight.
Turns out she was the daughter of a billionaire, loves to throw her weight around, loves to tell people who she is, she has pulled that stunt numerous times and was essentially banned from flying our airline.
Honey if daddy’s worth that much, get your own damned plane, I’m not your Sherpa.
Image credits: CptDawg
#2
The price to shoe a horse was 50 bucks back in 1970, now it's 120-150? I told him I'd shoe his horse's for 70s prices if he sold me some of his property for 70s prices. Shut him up real quick.
Image credits: PrizedMaintenance420
#3
An ex landlord of mine rocked up to the house inspection driving a Ferrari. I said wow that is beautiful, I’m very envious. He said if I worked as hard as him I could have one one day. He inherited the houses he rents out from his dad.
Image credits: HeyKillerBootsMan
Being financially literate is a good skill to have, especially in these trying times. While you by no means need to go for broke to become one of the world's billionaires, knowing how to build wealth will help you and your family in the long run.
Bored Panda reached out to Chip Lupo for some tips and tricks on growing a nest egg. He's the financial writer and analyst for finance platform WalletHub and has a wealth of experience (so to speak) on the topic.
Focus on living below your means by budgeting and saving consistently, advises Lupo, adding that it also pays to invest early and diversify your investments to take advantage of compound interest.
"Additionally, you should maximize employee-sponsored retirement accounts, manage your debt wisely, and explore possibilities for multiple income streams," he told Bored Panda.
"Invest in yourself through learning and skill-building, while also minimizing your tax burden and protecting your assets with insurance and estate planning. Staying patient, disciplined, and regularly reviewing your financial goals can lead to long-term success."
#4
A rich girl speaking about her teens, "I was raised very well, I was never spoiled. My dad bought me a Seat car. Which wasn't even a sedan and already 4 years old. I didn't get Mercedes like spoiled kids"
She then stormed off and got mad at us for laughing at this. 🤷🏽♂️.
Image credits: MegaIlluminati
#5
Guy who owned the business I worked at a few years ago tried to tell me if I’m “smart with money, you’ll have $100,000 by the end of the year”. I said “By getting a second job? You’re only going to give me about $30k after taxes”.
Image credits: Bshellsy
#6
Talking about people in less developed nations, I hear a lot of rich people say things like "They don't have much, but they're happy." Like they don't want more than they currently have.
Image credits: Deathexplosion
We were curious to know whether there's really a way to "get rich quick" - without winning the lottery. And we hate to break it to you, but according to Lupo, not really.
"While the idea of 'get rich quick' is appealing, it’s generally unrealistic and risky," he says. "Most opportunities that promise rapid wealth typically involve high risk, scams, or short-lived trends."
Lupo adds that true wealth-building requires time, consistency, smart decision-making, and long-term strategies. "While there are rare cases of quick wealth, such as winning lotteries, inheritances, or sudden business success, these are outliers, and relying on them can lead to financial instability," he explained. "Building wealth is a gradual process that thrives on discipline and patience."
#7
"Why didn't you just work over the summer to pay for college?" Because yes, tuition has definitely stayed the same since 1975 🙄.
Image credits: GandalfTheJaded
#8
Owner of my company, a very stereotypical boomer, asked me what I thought if the Maserati Quattroporte, and if I thought it would be a decent "Florida car" (He keeps a Mercedes here in WI for the when he's in town.)
Ironically enough, his son (42 year old guy) runs the company now, and did a bunch things I can only imagine pissed his dad off, like $10k raise for every salaried employee and $5/hr for the hourly employees, created a 3 week paternity leave program (Created explicitly for me, when my wife was pregnant,) unlimited pto for salaried employees and increased hourly to 3 weeks, paid the full time salary for a year of a sales rep who had to leave for cancer treatment and ultimately died, and some other things that most boomers would flip their kids.
#9
At the beginning of the pandemic my boss made comments like “just stop spending money” whenever people would voice concerns about their financial outlook. Gee thanks dude we were struggling to make ends meet before this s**tshow even started but yeah I’ll just start saving money now, why didn’t I think of that.
Image credits: FantasticServe5665
So if you were able to put away $100 a month, what should you do with it for maximum impact? "Consider investing it in a low-cost, diversified index fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the stock market," suggests Lupo, adding that it offers the potential for long-term growth through compound interest. A Roth IRA is also a good option if you qualify, he says, as it provides tax advantages for retirement savings.
The experts adds that ideally, people should aim to invest funds for at least 10-20 years to ride out any market fluctuations and maximize returns. "Consistency is key, and automating contributions can help you stay disciplined. Over time, even small, consistent investments can grow significantly."
#10
American person living in my third world country where people mostly use cash:
"I can't believe the highest banknote is just 25 USD, that's nothing, it's so annoying to need so much cash to pay for things"
Saying this in a country where people back then only made like 200 USD a month sounded extremely rude and stupid.
#11
One of my acquaintances truly believes that everyone’s parents give them $2k a month to supplement their income. My jaw hit the floor after that.
Image credits: skyedot94
#12
Not me but my mom. We were farmers. A woman told her, "I don't understand why you people work so hard grow food, when you can just go to the grocery store and buy it.".
Image credits: emmettfitz
We often hear about generational wealth but it's not easy to get to that point from scratch... Or is it? We asked Lupo to provide parents with some tips and tricks to ensure their child has a million dollars by age 21.
"Invest early in a custodial account or 529 plan which focuses on high-growth assets like stocks or index funds," he replied. "By consistently contributing a small amount each month and taking advantage of compound interest with an average annual return of 7 to 8%, it’s possible to reach the $1 million mark by the time your child turns 21."
Lupo says that automating contributions and teaching financial literacy along the way will help ensure steady progress and set your child up for long-term success.
#13
I asked for a three dollar raise, as I’m a single father of three boys. This b***h looked me dead in the eyes and said “I have bills too ya know?” Meanwhile she was retired and lived in a multi million dollar house on the lake. Husband owned multiple properties and a real estate business. But f**k me for asking for an extra couple hundred bucks a month.
#14
Not rich, but solid middle class. She scoffed at me for not having saved enough for a deposit for a house yet.
Her Dad gave her 40k towards her first place. Supposed to be a loan but she never started paying him back then he died so she didn't have to.
Image credits: anon
#15
I was working at a car dealership and saw the owner pull up in a $250k Porsche GT3. Told him how much I loved the car and dreamt of owning one someday. Owner looked at me confused and said "what do you mean? We sell them right here you know?" Totally blew my mind that he didn't realize his employees couldn't afford the cars they were selling.
And finally, there's no point making money if you don't know how to keep it. We hear time and again of people losing everything after being super successful at some point in their lives.
"People tend to lose their money after becoming rich because of poor financial decisions, overspending, and excessive lifestyles," reveals Lupo. "People new to wealth may make impulsive investments, fall for scams, or take on excessive debt, leading to financial instability. Some also fail to diversify their assets or protect their principals with proper safeguards, making them vulnerable to market downturns or unexpected events."
#16
My friend is rich.
He said 12k is enough to buy a house.
We live in California.
Image credits: Bamboopanda101
#17
"Well $800,000 a year might sound a lot to you, but I'm hardly rich."
Image credits: Dildo-Gankings
#18
Just save up a thousand euros every 2 months and you can afford anything.
Image credits: MessedUpVoyeur
The expert adds that failure to plan for taxes, putting off estate management, and not adapting to changing economic circumstances can quickly erode wealth. And on that note, we leave you to go get the bag. Just don't become out of touch with reality like some of the delusional people featured in this listicle!
#19
Me - I can't afford that.
Her - Just put it on a credit card.
This from a young woman whose father owned a couple of car dealerships. She clearly had no understanding of money management. Or having to earn your own money.
Image credits: txmikey51
#20
A guy that was in post-secondary seemed to think that everyone’s parents had some kind of speedboat or yacht. Someone actually had to explain to him that most people don’t.
He loved dressing kinda shabby to “fit in”, but it was rich person shabby. We all could tell.
Image credits: CryStamper
#21
A woman said "chop chop" to me at my job. I've certainly had much worse things said to me than that, but I would describe this as the most cartoonishly out of touch. Never actually heard this in person. Only from Mr. Burns or similar characters in movies made pre-1960.
Image credits: More_Asbestos
#22
We had a division president tell us a story that included a little side story about his dog. Well he apparently buys a whole salmon every week that is portioned out for the dog's meals. My teammates were all making decent money, but we could not afford to eat as well as his dog.
#23
The other night at the beginning of the Presidential Debate, CNN asked about inflation. "What used to cost $100.00 at the grocery store now costs $125.00."
Yeah, I f*****g wish.
Image credits: nolotusnote
#24
Them: "I am not reliant on my scholarship to pay for university."
Me: "Then why did you even apply instead of possibly allowing someone in need of the money to get in?"
Them: "Because my grades were good enough to score it."
Me: "Think that might be because you can focus on your studies unlike people who struggle with work and federal grants because their parents can't afford it?"
Them: "I guess they'd just have to study more.".
Image credits: Lepmuru
#25
Was talking to client about having to drive to Lubbock from Austin(6-7hrs) for a weekend wedding and she recommended taking a helicopter because it would be easier… I am a hairstylist.
Image credits: Hateful-homo
#26
Within 5 minutes of meeting someone he started showing me pictures of his Aston Martin sports car.
Any time he mentioned it I'd always say something about poor mileage, or 'you might as well have a kia because you can't drive over 70 anyway' to wind him up.
#27
*I don’t understand why ANYONE would eat that c**p!*
—Boss referring to fast food before going out to eat at an expensive restaurant 95% of people couldn’t afford to eat at more than once a month that he frequents.
Image credits: BrotherAmazing
#28
"We have to have a maid. My mom works."
His mother was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
Image credits: rockeye13
#29
“You hate your job? Why don’t you just go back to school”
Me married with two kids and a mortgage mid 2009 recession.
Image credits: _fwhs_
#30
"why don't your parents collect you in their car?" Not everybody was raised by parents who could afford a car.
#31
I will go first “I have no hair on my body! You should have your husband take you to get laser hair removal! It only cost me $10,000”
…maybe in my dreams
She was the Mayors daughter and I was catering her dogs birthday party.
Image credits: BoobsOffRed
#32
"It's easy to get a job!"- was given a do-nothing job at their dad's law firm.
#33
I called their family rich
She responded “my dad isn’t rich he just knows how to take care of his money”
The conversation we were having was about their dad building their second Washington home after buying their Hawaiian vacation home.
#34
"Well you know I don't like to talk bad about anyone but they Rent" a woman referring to a neighbor who she thinks is lower class.
Image credits: hughscott5
#35
“You’ll just have to buy an iPad”. in 2011. my boss and landlord to me when my laptop couldn’t connect to the wifi where I was living and working for him.
Image credits: Alright_So
