‘I’m a millionaire with a penthouse, but I hide my wealth from my family’

Redditor claims to go to extreme lengths to conceal wealth after their family’s behaviour changed

A multi-millionaire has claimed that they hide their wealth from their family by renting a small apartment they pretend to live in when relatives visit.

The anonymous person said that their parents thought they were rich after finding out their salary from their first job.

They claim their parents insisted they treat them with their first pay cheque and that they visited for a month.

They claimed their parents would expect lots of gifts and for them to pay every time they went out – and were even asked to contribute to their siblings' school fees.

During the pandemic, the anonymous entrepreneur set up their own business and quit their full-time job... but lied to their family and told them they’d lost it.

Now they rent a small apartment, as well as the penthouse they live in normally, and say the apartment is their home when their parents visit.

Posting on Reddit, they said: “It all started when I went to study abroad and after graduating I landed a job.

“The first thing I did after getting accepted was call my mum. The first thing she asked was ‘how much are they paying you?’

“I should’ve known then but I was too young I don’t blame myself. I told her my salary… Now my salary for that country was below average.

“I would barely afford to live decently and save pennies. But when you convert it to my home country’s currency it’s a lot.

“My parents automatically thought I was now “rich” and their behaviour changed. They insisted I treat them with my first pay check and pay for them to visit me.

“I naively did, and they didn’t spend one penny for the whole month they 'visited' me. Looking back at it they didn’t care much about me, they just wanted a free vacation and made me their tour guide.”

The Redditor said this behaviour became a pattern.

They said: “When I visit back home, they’d expect me to bring them lots of gifts and pay every time we went out. They even started telling me that I should contribute and pay for my siblings’ university tuitions.

“Funny thing when I was still a student I worked two jobs to support myself, and they barely texted or called me. When I got that job, I’d suddenly wake up to good morning texts and they’d call regularly.

“I slowly started realising how toxic these people were and that I should draw some boundaries. So I slowly stopped calling and texting. I stopped updating them about my life. I decided they didn’t deserve to know me.”

‘I slowly started realising how toxic these people were and that I should draw some boundaries’ (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

They claimed that their business became more lucrative during the pandemic when they ended up working from home, to the point that they were able to quit their job. They later began investing in other businesses, but told their family they had lost their job and were struggling financially.

"They immediately stopped reaching out and unless I called I never heard from them,” they said.

“Fast forward today, I am so blessed and grateful to be financially at ease. To protect myself, I told my family I found a job but it doesn’t pay much and the cost of living is high.

“Now when they visit, they pay for their own flights, and they don’t go out much.

"I also rent a small apartment and tell them that’s where I live – I actually live in a penthouse. I use public transport with them. I don’t care if it takes two buses and two trains unless they want to pay for a cab that’s what we’re doing.”

They continued: “We go walk around the neighbourhood where I actually live and we fantasise about what it would be like to live in one of those places. I keep two suitcases packed with all my old clothes and I keep three boxes with all my usual dinnerware, books, etc.

“When I know they’re visiting I tell my assistant to find an apartment in x neighbourhood and put my old stuff there. I tell them I changed apartments and I rent furnished ones 'cause they’re cheaper. So far they absolutely have no clue.

“I still like my family and I don’t want to completely cut them off. I like having them around and it’s fun for me too. I will never tell them and they will always know me as that poor family member struggling abroad.”

One commenter said: “I am genuinely gutted for you that your family put you in a position where you feel you have to do this. I can't imagine treating my kids this way.

“I'm really happy that you are able to live a great life. You are a better person than I. Once people show me their ass, I cut them out of my life. I can't be dealing with greed and entitlement.”

SWNS