Do you know anyone who pretended to be wealthy and actually became wealthy?

I have a friend like this and it isn't working out quite so well for her.

Can you elaborate R1?

He faked it til he made it. It’s an age old strategy. Works for a few.

I'm amazed nobody saw through your friend, OP. He must be an accomplished liar. Usually rich people can tell when someone else has money or not.

Anybody can get rich -- it all depends on what you are willing to do.

It seems to be much easier when you have no shame or morals.

Old money can always tell an arriviste. Nouveau riche can’t

So how was he in bed, R1

Not exactly, but I have a childhood friend who was very attractive and not at all ambitious except for her desire to be rich. She dropped out of college in her first semester and worked as a part-time cashier in a family business. She dated a series of slick and abusive men, read Town and Country, Vogue, and other high end magazines, often saying, "I should be rich." Finally she met a guy in a bar who was in the US with his wealthy family. She was immediately attracted to him. He was about 22 at the time, she was almost 30. I assumed he married her for a green card.

Well, 35 plus years later last I heard they were still together. They have children and grandchildren. He got in on the ground floor of the computer industry and retired as a millionaire in his 40s. She got what she wanted but I wouldn't trade my life for hers for anything. He was verbally abusive and seemed like a cold. She was also turning into a snobby, entitled woman, even made disparaging remarks about gays the last time I saw her about 20 years ago. She was never really a good friend, I didn't want to hang out with her any more. Whether she's happy I don't know.

The old riche stick to their own kind, anyway.

Yes. Then his rich lover died and he really was rich.

R7 is stupid.

[quote]seemed like a cold.

???

R6, sure they can. All rich people can tell in an instant if someone is not wealthy. Class on the other hand, whole different ball game.

[quote]Do you know anyone who pretended to be wealthy and actually became wealthy?

No. I don't. But I do know someone who pretended not to be wealthy and then became poor and then became middle class and then pretended to be poor again but actually had gotten a new job and then started his own company and was wealthy but claimed to be middle class and then went out of business and still pretended to be poor and then middle class, sometimes poor in the morning and middle class in the afternoon, and then married a woman who was wealthy so he was wealthy but it wasn't his money so he just said he was married into wealth but then she died and as he was poor-mouthing while living like a wealthy person he actually became wealthy again, and then he had a sex change because he felt stable enough even though he still was claiming to be upper-middle-class and then............ she died.

But none of that is as utterly scintillating as your own amazing tale of rich-man/poor-man shenanigans, OP, about which I am stunned - STUNNED at the Proustian complexity and cultural revelations of it all.

And, yet, so completely Canadian.

Unfortunately.

Yes, OP.

[quote] Old money can always tell an arriviste. Nouveau riche can’t

Mary!

I think a lot of us can see through poseurs, but a few slip through. I really think those few have some kind of mental illness related to self-loathing.

There is no denying your upbringing, so don't.

Exactly r17.

Jay Gatsby aka Old Sport

I was going to flag R14 for Wit&Wisdom until I realized he possesses neither.

R12. Oops, edited and made a typo. Typo: "He was verbally abusive and seemed like a cold" should have said "he was verbally abusive and very cold."

Yes myself. I never really pretended to be rich but always aspired to it. But at 19 ten years ago I got really lucky. I received a huge settlement from the owner of a major corporation who's now dead for not going ahead with a lawsuit that would have completely destroyed him and his company professionally and personally. I'm not going to list the amount because no one here would ever believe me. But it was a ridiculously obscene amount of money that me and my parents and my siblings were shocked I received. That was ten years ago I was fresh out of high school and I wanted to start my own business. But after I received that settlement check. All of that went out of the window. I became a jet setter traveling constantly and doing whatever I wanted. As I now still do. A lot of people especially my friends wondered how I was able to live the way I was and buy the things I was buying as well as live in the house I was living in out of no where. So I just told them that I was all money from my late grandfather who left money in a trust fund for my family. And that we were now able to access it. Money made from grocery stores and convenient stores. Even though my grandfather really did own a few stores and gas stations. The money was long gone along with those businesses. He died pretty much broke. But everyone brought my story. But the truth was that it was all settlement money. So I was able to completely set my parents up along with my siblings. And I always help extended family out whenever they need help with anything without a problem. When I first deposited the check and it cleared my family was excited about having all of this new found wealth. But they we're also very nervous about me being a 19 year old with the amount of money I had at such a young age. But they really had nothing to worry about with me. I've always been very money conscious and very financially responsible for my age. Even when I had very little money from working after school jobs. Also I don't even touch the principal amount of money. I just like off the interest it generates. So as far as money goes I nor my family have anything to worry about. The money along with everything I've acquired is in a trust. So we're good and secure. Not only that. But the way I've handled my fortune, it'll probably last a very long time after I'm gone. Because I'm really not a big spender. And there's so much so many in my family will be able to live off of. 2007 was a great year for me.

No, and wouldn't want to. Phonies are not attractive to me. I'd always be wondering what else is there that is fake about this person?

Hi R22, nice to meet you.

So...uh...are you into hot DILFs?

Can I ask what the lawsuit was about r 23?

No. .

The guy OP knew sounds like a psychopath.