25 Wild Things Rich People Do That We've No Idea About

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9 hours ago

Last week, a question posted on the popular Ask Reddit forum caught my eye. In it, user bryany97 asked, "What's something rich people do that the average person has no idea about?" Here are some of the most interesting answers:
"I made friends with a guy who was the captain of one of the yachts of a Russian oligarch."
"Not me, but a friend of a friend worked for a crazy-rich family, and the wife had a surrogate for all of her kids. They were genetically hers and her husband's, but she wasn't interested in carrying them."
"Kidnapping insurance."
"With the exception of maybe a couple celebrity rich people, almost none of them think of themselves as rich; they all hold someone else who is even richer than them up as an example of someone who is actually rich."
"With no planning, get in their plane, fly two hours for dinner, maybe spend the night, then fly home."
"When their kids go to college, (very) rich people will buy them a condo rather than put them in a dorm. This is especially true in high-population/university-dense locations like Boston or NYC."
"Doctors on call. I have several clients worth between 20-50 million and all of them pay a premium price for a doctor on call. Literally any time of the day."
"They plan a vacation for tomorrow."
"Their homes are owned by trusts and often operated by LLCs. Super easy to do, and it sets up a legal barrier between your property and yourself."
"There are restaurants and social clubs hidden in plain sight that the general public has no idea even exist. They don't even advertise themselves. The only way you'd know is if someone with money brought you there (as I was)."
"I know a rich person who has a 'Director of Continuity.' Their job is to make sure that every one of the family's homes has the same streaming services, magazine/newspaper subscriptions, food in the fridge, clothes in their closets..."
"I knew a family that went on trips to exotic locations several times a year. They all traveled first class on different planes. In case something happened, it wouldn't greatly impact their business holdings."
"Weekly deliveries of fresh flowers."
"I worked at a place where the CEO sometimes wouldn't show up to the office, so we just chatted with his bodyguard because he had nothing to do. So, yeah, a bodyguard at the office — in case he wants to show up."
"I work on Superyachts. I can't name any because of NDAs. This is what happens when the boss wants to go for lunch at their friend's villa:"
"With the exception of celebrities, they don't use social media and maintain a strict sense of privacy. Rich people don't use Facebook."
"My son's friend's grandfather was very wealthy. His friend said he would often just say 'let's go to Hawaii' (or wherever) and they'd all hop on his private jet and off they'd go for a few days. This guy was an incredible person."
"Good friend is very wealthy! (Dot Com money). Anonymously gives his money to 'local non-profits'(NPOs). Some, he volunteers at. He specifically avoids national NPOs so he can see the local impact. Drives a 10-year-old Honda. Lives in a small, old home in Seattle that is impeccably furnished and maintained. I would kill to have his life!"
"This may seem small and silly, but it's stuck with me. Someone who was a personal assistant to an ultra-wealthy person described how part of their duties was stocking their boss's personal bathroom, and their boss used a new full-size bar of soap for washing their hands, and then that full-size bar would be discarded."
"My buddy had to go to some financial weekend retreat every year as a stipulation of his trust fund."
"They run a family office."
"I worked at a private aviation firm in college. It was the home base of Victoria's Secret/Express owner Les Wexner."
"Replacing sheets constantly. I met someone a few years ago with 'old money' wealth, and hearing some of the things her family had a budget for that was bigger than my family's income was wild."
"I saw a rich guy pay for a nice sailboat with $250,000 cash; and that sailboat was in fact 'farm equipment,' if anyone asks."
And finally: "Rich people aren't good with money, they hire people who are good with money to manage theirs. They outsource everything."
Well, these were wild. If you've ever witnessed some unbelievable things that rich people you know have done (or if you are a wildly rich person yourself), tell me about it down in the comments! Or, if you want, you can share via this anonymous form. Your story may be featured in a future BuzzFeed article!
Please note: some comments have been edited for length and/or clarity.