It’s not unheard of for well-off people to flaunt their wealth. But not every member of society who has plenty to flaunt feels the need to do that.
This redditor’s cousin didn’t, despite being basically set for life. The netizen’s wife, however, liked to tell everyone just how much she makes and make sure everyone knew that she made it. Apparently, the woman didn’t know about her husband’s relative’s wealth, and when she learned about it, she blamed her husband for “embarrassing her.” Scroll down to find the full story below.
Some people don’t like to flaunt their wealth, while others use every given opportunity for that
Image credits: wavebreakmedia_micro / Freepik (not the actual photo)
This man’s wife blamed him for “embarrassing her” for not telling her that his cousin was extremely wealthy
Image credits: milanmarkovic / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Agitated-Turnip4724
A large share of people say they know a thing or two about how to handle their finances
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
Handling money is not easy, whether you have a lot or a little of it. So it’s important to make sensible decisions when it comes to personal finances, even though what is considered sensible can differ quite significantly from person to person.
According to a Pew Research Center survey, more than half (54%) of US adults say they know a great deal or a fair amount about personal finances. Though roughly a third say they only have some understanding of the matter, while 13% admit to knowing little or nothing about it.
The survey carried out in 2023 delved even deeper into personal finance and found that more than seven in ten people feel extremely or very confident in their ability to find their credit report. Somewhere between 50% and 60% say they are also confident in their ability to create a monthly budget or a plan on how to pay off their debt, as well as in their ability to save money. (Roughly a quarter of respondents say they’re also able to create an investment plan that can help them build wealth.)
Many of the ultra-wealthy set at least some of their money aside for charitable purposes
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
According to last year’s data, quite a large share of people are indeed good with saving money. A 2024 survey found that in the 12 months leading up to it, nearly 57% of people globally were able to set aside some money for one purpose or another. The percentage rose to 67% among people with a high income and went down to nearly 47% among those with a lower income.
In 2023, roughly 30% of the population in the US lived in lower-class households, marking a slight increase from 27% in 1971. Over the same period of time, the size of the population in middle-class households reportedly shrunk from 61% to 51%, while the number of people living in upper-class households grew from 11% in 1971 to 19% in 2023.
It’s not unheard of for people of all income levels, but especially for those with more disposable funds, to engage in charitable activities or donate money to a good cause—as the OP said his cousin has done. According to CNBC, nowadays, donations to charity are reportedly on the rise; however, the pool of donors is not—according to a 2024 study, it’s shrinking, as philanthropy becomes hyper-concentrated among a group of ultra-wealthy donors (those who are worth $30 million or more). Said study found that some 400,000 people now account for more than one-third of the world’s charitable donations.
The OP wrote that other than for charity and specialized equipment, his cousin didn’t touch her money much. Nor did she flaunt her wealth. That’s likely why the OP’s wife didn’t realize just how rich the woman was, and her husband didn’t think to tell her, either, which eventually made him wonder if that made him a jerk. Netizens in the comments seemed to have differing opinions on the matter.
Many netizens didn’t think the OP was a jerk in the situation
Some, however, shared a different opinion
