While we adhere to strict editorial guidelines, partners on this page may provide us earnings.
Vishesh Raisinghani
Updated Sep 25, 2025
The millionaire next door doesn’t necessarily make headlines. They have probably built their fortune in a mundane and boring way and live an equally understated lifestyle.
These are the ‘stealthy wealthy’ and their habits hold powerful lessons for anyone who’s serious about achieving financial freedom.
Here are the top seven habits you could replicate to boost your financial position or peace of mind.
1. Avoiding status symbols
The stealthy wealthy’s cardinal rule is to conceal their fortune (or at least not flaunt it) so that they can enjoy it in complete privacy. That means no flashy toys or glamorous status symbols that call their wealth to attention. A quietly rich person isn’t likely to buy a Gucci belt or Birkin handbag. In fact, it’s middle-class consumers that account for more than half of all global luxury brand sales, according to the Wall Street Journal.
That said, the stealthy wealthy may be interested in investment opportunities that have historically only been available to the ultra-wealthy, such as fine art. But that asset class is no longer limited to the elites.
Masterworks has given over one million users the opportunity to invest in pieces from artists including Banksy, Basquiat and Picasso.
Sold
Joan Mitchell
17.8% annualized net return
Sold
Yayoi Kusama
17.6% annualized net return
Sold
George Condo
21.5% annualized net return
These are a few examples of sold artworks from Masterworks. For a full list of currently available art, visit Masterworks' Price Database.
Masterworks takes care of all of the heavy lifting, from finding and acquiring to storage and sale. All you have to do is pick which pieces you want to invest in via fractional shares, and reap the returns when the piece sells.
From their 23 exits so far, Masterworks investors have realized representative annualized net returns like +17.6%, +17.8% and +21.5% among assets held for longer than one year. To see if you qualify, you can find out more about investing with Masterworks here.
2. Driving modest cars
Contrary to the stereotype, millionaires and multimillionaires aren’t always driving Aston Martins or Bugattis. In fact, Dave Ramsey’s survey of millionaires across America found that the top three most popular brands were Toyota, Honda and Ford.
Picking a practical and relatively inexpensive car is perhaps a better way to retain your fortune rather than burning it all through the tailpipe of a McLaren F1 sports car.
Another way to keep car expenses affordable is to shop around for the best car insurance rate available. Doing your due diligence and comparing rates can drive down your monthly costs and free up that extra cash for investing.
OfficialCarInsurance.com can help you switch to a more affordable auto insurance option within minutes.
After answering a few questions about yourself and your vehicle, you can immediately compare quotes from trusted brands like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. Rates can start as low as $29 per month.
Finally, keep in mind that you can usually change your insurance policy before the renewal date. Just keep an eye out for any early cancellation fees.
3. Maximizing tax efficiency
Tax-efficient decision making is how most wealthy people retain and expand their fortune. Although your tax situation might be very different from someone who has a seven- or eight-figure net worth, that doesn’t mean you can afford to neglect tax planning.
Take a page out of the stealthy wealthy playbook and consider hiring an accountant or tax planner to help minimize your liabilities.
Advisor.com is a free service that helps you find a financial advisor near you. They can help co-create a plan to reach your financial goals, based on your tax circumstances and investment goals.
From their database of thousands, you get matched with a pre-screened financial advisor. You can then set up a free, no-obligation consultation to make sure they’re the right fit for you.
On the other hand, if you’re the millionaire next door yourself, you may be looking for a more comprehensive long-term wealth management service like Range.
The expert advisors at Range can help households with an income of $300,000 or more, as well as high-net-worth individuals, develop their big-picture financial planning.
From stock options and tax strategies to real estate and alternative investments, Range integrates it all under one roof. With a transparent, flat annual fee — no hidden costs or percentage-of-assets surprises — you get AI-powered insights and comprehensive guidance designed to start seriously scaling your wealth.
4. Tracking and directing every dollar
A survey by Northwestern Mutual found that an impressive 84% of wealthy individuals had a financial plan, compared to only 52% for the general public. In other words, rich people are more intentional with their saving and spending.
Start with a budget and update it frequently as you make progress on your financial journey.
You can make starting down that road easier with automated investment platforms like Acorns, which helps you save while you spend.
Every time you make a purchase on your credit or debit card, Acorns automatically rounds it up to the nearest dollar, then puts your spare change into a smart investment portfolio for you.
The best part? When you sign up with a recurring deposit, Acorns provides a $20 bonus investment to kickstart your investment journey.
5. Focusing on privacy
Another hallmark of the stealthy wealthy is their deep respect for privacy.
By keeping your finances discreet, you not only protect yourself from fraud and financial crimes, but also improve your chances of securing better deals and avoiding tension in personal relationships where you’re assumed to be covering the bill every time, just because “you can afford it.”
Remember the old adage: Money talks, but wealth whispers.
6. Avoiding the hype cycle
According to the WSJ, the stealthy wealthy are most likely to make their fortunes in relatively overlooked niches of the economy. Think cup-holder manufacturers, commercial carpet cleaning or industrial appliance maintenance companies.
Put simply, most successful entrepreneurs and investors are not chasing the latest hype cycle. Instead, they focus on lucrative, always-on industries with sparse competition.
7. Multiple streams of cash flow
A single source of income, perhaps from your full-time job, is unfortunately rarely sufficient to build wealth these days. To reach the top, you will likely need a diversified pool of multiple income sources.
Consider a side gig to boost your income, and invest in passive income opportunities such as real estate to reach your financial goals faster.
Arrived makes it easy to fit rental properties into your investment portfolio regardless of your income.
Arrived’s easy-to-use platform is backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, and offers SEC-qualified investments such as rental homes and vacation rentals.
100% Funded
The Vanzant
Single Family Residential
$415K
Invested
1,294
Investors
100% Funded
The Smokey
Vacation Rental
$983K
Invested
1,748
Investors
100% Funded
The SuiteSpot
Vacation Rental
$1.2M
Invested
1,672
Investors
These are a few examples of properties from Arrived. Check out the full list of single family residential homes and vacation rentals currently available.
Its flexible investment amounts and simplified process allows accredited and non-accredited investors to take advantage of this inflation-hedging asset class.
Simply start by browsing a curated selection of homes, vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, choose the number of shares you want to buy.
When it comes to institutional-quality commercial real estate investments, FNRP allows accredited individual investors with a minimum investment of $50,000 access to these opportunities — without the legwork of finding deals themselves.
Featured
Gadd Crossing
Hixson, TN
Featured
Crowe's Crossing
Stone Mountain, GA
Featured
Bishops Corner
West Hardford, CT
These are a few examples of past properties or acquisitions from FNRP. For a full list of currently available properties, visit the FNRP deal room.
FNRP has relationships with the nation’s largest essential-needs brands, such as Kroger, Walmart and Whole Foods. And since these retailers provide necessities, they tend to still perform well during times of economic volatility and can act as a hedge against inflation.
You can engage with experts, explore available deals and easily make an allocation, all in FNRP’s personalized portal.
Vishesh Raisinghani
Freelance Writer
Vishesh Raisinghani is a financial journalist covering personal finance, investing and the global economy. He's also the founder of Sharpe Ascension Inc., a content marketing agency focused on investment firms. His work has appeared in Moneywise, Yahoo Finance!, Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine and Piggybank.
Explore the latest articles
Disclaimer
The content provided on Moneywise is information to help users become financially literate. It is neither investment, tax nor legal advice, is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities, enter into any loan, mortgage or insurance agreements or to adopt any investment strategy. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, either express or implied, with respect to the data provided, the timeliness thereof, the results to be obtained by the use thereof or any other matter. Advertisers are not responsible for the content of this site, including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on any advertiser product, please visit their website.
†Terms and Conditions apply.
