History Main / OldMoney

Compare BlueBlood, RemittanceMan, and UptownGirl. Contrast ImpoverishedPatrician, someone who has titles but ''not'' money; NouveauRiche, someone who has money but not titles or social graces; NobilityMarriesMoney, an intersection of the previous two; and SelfMadeMan, someone who made their money through hard work rather than inheritance.

Compare BlueBlood, RemittanceMan, and UptownGirl. Contrast ImpoverishedPatrician, someone who has titles but ''not'' money; NouveauRiche, someone who has money but not titles or social graces; NobilityMarriesMoney , and intersection of the previous two; and SelfMadeMan, someone who made their money through hard work rather than inheritance.

Compare BlueBlood, RemittanceMan, and UptownGirl. Contrast ImpoverishedPatrician, someone who has titles but ''not'' money; NouveauRiche, someone who has money but not titles or social graces; and SelfMadeMan, someone who made their money through hard work rather than inheritance.

* ''Franchise/{{Hitman}} VideoGame/WorldOfAssassinationTrilogy'': [[{{Illuminati}} Providence]] was founded by and ran by powerful men and women with affluent and influential families whose dynasties can be traced back to centuries ago. [[spoiler:Arthur Edwards, the Constant]] is a SelfMadeMan from a middle-class family, and after he realizes he's unable to raise higher in rank because the leaders would deny him because of his lack of a prestigious lineage, he shifts his attention towards bringing down the leaders and snatching their positions from underneath instead.

** It was never exactly stated where the Harry’s huge inheritance from his parents in the first book comes from but WordOfGod later revealed that his paternal grandfather, Fleamont, invented several cosmetic potions that made him a fortune. * ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** The Malfoys, being the series' most visible {{Blue Blood}}s, have also been fabulously rich for generations and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections have connections]] in the highest echelons of government, business, and high society. According to Pottermore, they obtained their lands and riches for (questionable) services lend to King William I (aka William the Conqueror).

* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'': The Crawleys are hardly a subversion of the trope, but they do show how precarious the position can be when mismanaged. Even before the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne Great War]] upended the social hierarchy and caused the collapses of many "Old Money" families, Robert's father was running low on funding when Robert was young. In fact, the only reason they were able to maintain the eponymous estate was through through Robert's marriage to Cora Levinson, a NouveauRiche American heiress whose father made his fortune in dry goods.

* On ''Series/{{Bones}}'' Hodgens is a ConspiracyTheorist who believes the Old Money families secretly control the world. And he should know - he's the scion of one of the most monied Old Money families in the world. He ends up losing it all to a criminal who siphons all the money away. He has a chance to stop the process, but at the cost of not being able to trace the bad guy. He chooses justice over money.
* On ''Series/RoyalPains'' Hank operates a medical practice in the Hamptons and gets to treat various Old Money and NouveauRiche patients. Boris, Hank's benefactor, is Old European Money and is a very nice and generous person who has to be ProperlyParanoid due to his relatives' ChronicBackstabbingDisorder. Later in the series Evan runs afoul of a woman who is a member of one of the oldest Old Money families in the Hamptons and she makes a lot of trouble for [=HankMed=].
* In a 2014 episode of ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'', Oliver argues that the increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of a rich elite coupled with fewer taxes on inheritance may lead to America developing a "landed gentry" reminiscent of the one that traditionally ruled Oliver's native England.
* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': Charles is a Boston BlueBlood whose family's wealth goes back at least to his grandparents' generation, as his grandmother actually ''owns'' half of downtown Boston.

* On an episode of Series/LawAndOrder “Release” a young Manhattan socialite named Samantha Beresford comes from Old New York Money and after dating the episode’s suspect for a bit, breaks it off because he is a Noveau Riche who made his fortune from making porn - something her grandma would never approve of.
** The episode "Merger" is about the murder of a teenager, Christy Garrison, from a wealthy family. The older Garrison daughter, Mercedes, is engaged to the son of another wealthy family, the Vances. When it starts to look like one of the Vances may have committed the murder, the Garrison parents are resistant to the idea. They say the Vances are "old money," and Lenny Briscoe surmises that [[SelfMadeMan "the ink isn't dry"]] on the Garrisons' fortune. It eventually becomes clear that the Vances are [[ImpoverishedPatrician no longer as rich as they once were]], so the whole engagement and marriage are basically a business transaction; the Vances get an infusion of cash from the Garrisons, and the Garrisons get to take advantage of the Vances' social standing.

The thing about wealth is that it tends to have a sort of inertia to it. It is hard to gain, but once you have it, it takes some doing to lose it. Having the resources to make investments means that it is easier to keep what you have and even make more. And what do you do with all that when you are old and gray? Pass it on to your children, of course, and the cycle will continue on from there. "Old money" refers to families that have been wealthy for many generations, and maintain their lifestyle through stewardship of an existing family fortune.

Often goes hand-in-hand with BlueBlood, especially in countries (such as much of Europe) that have a tradition of social stratification, with nobility granted formal titles which elevated them above commoners. Even in places where no such formality exists, Old Money will tend to know "their sort" and keep to the same social circles, to the exclusion of the NouveauRiche. In the United States, the "oldest" of money will brag about their family arriving on the [[UsefulNotes/TheThirteenAmericanColonies Mayflower]] (1620), or their families being on the list of "the 400" that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Webster_Schermerhorn_Astor#The_gatekeeper early New York socialite Mrs. Astor]] made.

They tend to display their wealth in SimpleYetOpulent ways, in contrast to the ConspicuousConsumption of the NouveauRiche (such as having unwritten style rules, like which kind of HighClassGloves to wear to which event). They are often IdleRich, but sometimes will get a job they do not really need, just in order to avoid RichBoredom. Of course, sometimes making sure their fortune is not frittered away by incompetent underlings or their own {{Inadequate Inheritor}}s is a full-time job in and of itself.

Compare BlueBlood, RemittanceMan, and UptownGirl. Contrast ImpoverishedPatrician, someone who has titles but ''not'' money, NouveauRiche, someone who has money but not titles or social graces, and SelfMadeMan, someone who made their money through hard work rather than inheritance.

* In ''Literature/DaddyLongLegs'', Judy's college roommate Julia Pendleton comes from an old money family; Judy satirically describes them as having come over to America on Noah's Ark and being able to trace their ancestry back to a particularly high class of monkey. Judy eventually becomes somewhat friendly with Julia, and gets on very well with her uncle Jervis -- the white sheep of the family, who has Socialist leanings and gives a lot of his money to charitable causes "instead of spending it on such sensible things as yachts and automobiles and polo ponies" -- but finds the rest of her family stultifying on the one occasion she visits them.
* In ''Literature/TheForsyteSaga'', the Forsyte clan is shown becoming "Old Money". The old generation (Old Jolyon and his brothers James and Timothy) [[SelfMadeMan gained their money in business]]. Their children (Young Jolyon and Soames) are a transitory generation, but already fully genteel. Soames' daughter Fleur is considered a good match for Michael Mont who is an aristocrat. They are definitely Old Money at that point and contrasted with people who gained money in World War I and are the new NouveauRiche.
* In ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'', Tom Buchanan and Daisy come from old money and high society. It's put in contrast with Jay Gatsby, who is NouveauRiche and must engage in ConspicuousConsumption to appear to fit in.
* In the UsefulNotes/ColdWar thriller ''Literature/TheWidowOfDesire'', Natalie Stuart is a New York socialite who marries a [[PrettyInMink Russian furrier and helps him start a business selling coats to her peers]]. He even brags that a coat he gives her (although posthumously) would be too grand for one of her "junior league lunches". Also, when one of her friends asked if her family came in on the Mayflower, she said they were Scottish Presbyterians who had their own boat.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** The Malfoys, being the series' most visible {{Blue Blood}}s, have also been fabulously rich for generations and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections have connections]] in the highest echelons of government, business, and high society. According to Pottermore, they obtained their lands and riches for (questionable) services lend to King William I (aka William the Conqueror).
** It was never exactly stated where the Harry’s huge inheritance from his parents in the first book comes from but WordOfGod later revealed that his paternal grandfather, Fleamont, invented several cosmetic potions that made him a fortune.
* All of the Great Houses of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' count, but the best example is the Lannisters, who control the richest gold mines in Westeros and have been known for their wealth since [[GuileHero Lann the Clever]] [[NoodleIncident swindled their ancestral castle from House Casterly]].
* ''Literature/TheGeneralSeries'': In ''The Heretic'' and ''The Savior'', the Land is ruled by the First Families who own most of the farmland, industry and all the major trading houses. Some of them adopt [[BlueBlood more aristocratic trappings]] while others prefer to act as merchant princes. Few people even know that the First Families are actually descendants of barbarians who conquered The Land a few centuries ago. Since the planet is under a strictly enforced MedievalStasis, there is very little room for New Money to arise through normal means. The books' hero is only First Family on his mother's side which puts a ceiling on how far he can advance in the nation's military.

* The Palmers in ''Literature/AliceAdams''. They live in a grand mansion and throw balls, and they hold grasping SocialClimber Alice in contempt.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Origins}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}''[=/=]''[[spoiler: [=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, several of the large weapon-makers (Tediore, Torgue, Jakobs, and to a lesser extent Maliwan) exist because of this trope. Family ties [[ThickerThanWater gain one much power]] in Jakobs and Tediore circles since both companies are controlled by wealthy families. Jakobs is your typical SelfMadeMan story while Tediore was created to give the [[IdleRich lazy]] UpperClassTwit Thalia something to "do" (pretend to run the company while other more competent people do the real work).

* ''Franchise/{{Hitman}} VideoGame/WorldOfAssassinationTrilogy'': The highest ranking members of [[{{Illuminati}} Providence]] are all part of a long line of very affluent and influential families with their influence stretching back hundreds of years ago. In contrast, [[spoiler:Arthur Edwards, the Constant]], is a SelfMadeMan from a middle-class family, and after he realizes he's unable to raise higher up in rank because he doesn't have a high class upbringing, he starts working behind their backs to dethrone them.

* In ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}''[=/=]''[[spoiler: [=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, several of the large weapon-makers (Tediore, Torgue, Jakobs, and to a lesser extent Maliwan) exist because of this trope. Family ties [[ThickerThanWater gain one much power]] in Jakobs and Tediore circles since both companies are controlled by wealthy families. Jakobs is your typical SelfMadeMan story while Tediore was created to give the [[IdleRich lazy]] UpperClassTwit Thalia something to "do" (pretend to run the company while other more competent people do the real work).

-->'''Stockbroker #1:''' [looking over the edge of the balcony] I think Alan Swann is beneath us!
-->'''Stockbroker #2:''' Of course he's beneath us. He's an actor!

* Veronica Lodge of ''Franchise/ArchieComics'' is part of an old money family from New York (based on a real life family from Boston), and her father moved to Riverdale to try (unsuccessfully) to avoid her being a SpoiledBrat like her peers.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Often subverted in RealLife. While there are a lot of dynastic family fortunes around, it's a familiar story for a family to acquire great wealth, only to lose most of it in a few generations for various reasons, very often including mis-management by not-as-talented heirs. Also, modern fortunes are usually built from diverse and complex investment portfolios, with the old stereotype of rent-seeking elites who just sit on their capital and let it accumulate ''mostly'' relegated to the garbage bin of history... Unless, of course, you happen to be a Monarch or senior aristocrat in any form of Monarchy, in which case the system is heavily stacked in favour of you keeping hold of it. [[Series/DowntonAbbey Just don't bet it all on a Canadian Railroad that's going to be nationalised.]]
[[/folder]]

* Subverted in RealLife. While there a lot of dynastic family fortunes around, most actually degrade in the second or third generations for various reasons, including mis-management by not-as-talented heirs. Also, they're built up of incredibly diverse and complex investment portfolios, with the old stereotype from earlier eras of rent-seeking elites who just sit on their capital and let it accumulate relegated to the garbage bin of history.

** The Malfoys, being the series' most visible {{Blue Blood}}s, have also been fabulously rich for generations and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections have connections]] in the highest echelons of government, business, and high society.

** Discussed in ''Discworld/MakingMoney'' with the Lavishes, who are this. Moist is pretty snarky about the fact that a long-distant plundering ancestor becomes a LovableRogue and a license to look down on the NouveauRiche, who probably got their money through some disgraceful method like honest work and inventiveness. He calls it out quite loudly near the end, naming their family founders as pirates and slavers.
** Lady Sybil is ''very'' old money; she is in fact the richest woman in Ankh-Morpork. Through a combination of simple tastes and old stuff never wearing out, she also manages to never spend money on personal items. She is, however, very generous to various charities including a dragon sanctuary and a hospital. Shortly before meeting her for the first time in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', Vimes reflects that Old Money is supposed to be better than New Money, but he's never seen enough money to tell the difference.
** In ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}'', Madame Downing, owner of an expensive dress shop, knows that old money is better than new money. But beneath the snobbery she's still an Ankh-Morpork merchant and knows the ''best'' money is the kind that's being given to her, wherever it came from.

** It's never revealed in-story exactly where the fortune that Harry inherits from his parents in the first book comes from; WordOfGod states that his father James comes from Old Money.

* In ''The Heretic'' and ''The Savior'', sequels to ''Literature/TheGeneral'' series, The Land is ruled by the First Families who own most of the farmland, industry and all the major trading houses. Some of them adopt [[BlueBlood more aristocratic trappings]] while others prefer to act as merchant princes. Few people even know that the First Families are actually descendants of barbarians who conquered The Land a few centuries ago. Since the planet is under a strictly enforced MedievalStasis, there is very little room for New Money to arise through normal means. The books' hero is only First Family on his mother's side which puts a ceiling on how far he can advance in the nation's military.

The thing about wealth is that it tends to have a sort of inertia to it. It is hard to gain, but once you have it, it takes some doing to lose it. Having the resources to invest, or what Creator/KarlMarx called the "means of production," means that it is easier to keep what you have and even make more. And what do you do with all that when you are old and gray? Pass it on to your children, of course. "Old money" refers to families that have been wealthy for many generations, and maintain their lifestyle through stewardship of an existing family fortune.

They tend to display their wealth in SimpleYetOpulent ways, in contrast to the ConspicuousConsumption of the NouveauRiche (such as having unwritten style rules, like which kind of HighClassGloves to wear to which event). They are often IdleRich, but sometimes will get a job they don't really need to avoid RichBoredom. Of course, sometimes making sure their fortune isn't frittered away by incompetent underlings or their own {{Inadequate Inheritor}}s is a full-time job in and of itself.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant If you're thinking of]] the phrase "But what's that in old money?", see UsefulNotes/OldBritishMoney.

Often goes hand-in-hand with BlueBlood, especially in countries (such as much of Europe) that have a tradition of social stratification with nobility granted formal titles elevating them above commoners. Even in places where no such formality exists, Old Money will tend to know "their sort" and keep to the same social circles, to the exclusion of the NouveauRiche. In the United States, the "oldest" of money will brag about their family arriving on the Mayflower, or their families being on the list of "the 400" that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Webster_Schermerhorn_Astor#The_gatekeeper early New York socialite Mrs. Astor]] made.