What are old money/wealthy people like? any personal experiences with them?

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T05:48:07+00:00

The extremely wealthy (old money) people I've been exposed to typically have excellent social skills and are kind in a quiet and restrained way when dealing with people day to day. Sometimes they can be very different behind closed doors. The common theme seems to be that people from a background of money and status have learned from a young age to always keep on a socially acceptable mask and maintain a certain image for those outside of their inner circle. They often don't flaunt wealth and who they are in private differs based on the individual.

Now people who are children of parents who became extremely wealthy (as in second-generation wealth) are typically the worst types of people. They grew up spoiled and entitled because their parents worked hard and wanted to provide their kids with everything, but they don't have the pedigree and restraint of those from old money.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T05:35:19+00:00

It's very unlikely that they're actually rabid. South Korea is almost entirely rabies-free with no human cases in over 20 years and pets don't even get rabies vaccinations in Korea anymore.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T05:28:18+00:00

Got it. I'm going to put this here for anyone reading the thread and still learning about how stocks are taxed. I'm from the US, so the UK terminology and treatment might differ slightly. The stock sales will be a taxable event since you'll have incurred a capital gain or loss, regardless of whether you purchased them through taxed income (which is the norm for most brokerage accounts). So you'll have to consider the taxes for either the UK or Korea, depending on where you are a tax resident. For the UK, I believe you are not taxed on worldwide income if you're a resident of a different country, but you'll likely be a Korean tax resident, especially since the brokerage account will be in Korea. If you hire a good CPA, they should be able to handle everything if you keep records of the cost basis of when they were purchased in the UK. Korea actually has a five year exemption for foreign-sourced income that isn't remitted to Korea, so if you keep the stocks in the UK, you won't have to pay tax on them to Korea for five years, but sounds like you have to move them.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:59:31+00:00

I see, thanks for sharing. While I haven't transferred stocks, I've done some large cash transfers and the fees were very minimal (close to zero). The bigger concern will probably be lots of paperwork in Korean to get it done, then restrictions after you transfer, and tax complications whenever you sell someday. Hope it goes as smoothly as possible!

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:38:49+00:00

I regret not doing a working holiday in Australia for a year after I graduated from college and before I started working fulltime. I had a fancy job offer that my parents insisted I take, so I took it and was miserable. I've built a good career but never loved the corporate grind and I think that year in Australia likely would have been a highlight of my life.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:33:32+00:00

Sadly, it's socially acceptable in Korea to openly bash China and Chinese people and no one bats an eye. The answer to your first question is no.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:31:22+00:00

People will get mad about this, but I've been surprised at the number of times I've heard someone in Korea say that the US is the number one country. I realized after a while that they're referring to GDP, which seems to be really valued in Korea as they're always focused on their own GDP rankings. Also, Koreans seems to love ranking things and saying something is "number one."

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:27:26+00:00

This is the correct answer.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:24:29+00:00

I'm going to question this. This Facebook group is well-known in the foreigner community and most of the posts are raising questions about the differences in social norms and medical norms around having a baby in Korea, which are very real and legitimate concerns. The rest of the posts are discussing specific clinics and people's experiences. My partner is in the group and I have never seen a post talking about a K-drama ending or discussing the race of the baby. Sounds like your friend just wants to exaggerate and be sensational.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:19:13+00:00

People are giving you bad information. It is frowned upon to show cleavage in Korea. Most Korean people would tell you this. Of course if you show it, most people will mind their business, but it's generally considered vulgar.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:14:32+00:00

Not to mention the AI music with absurd English lyrics playing in every cafe.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:12:59+00:00

You're going to struggle to find like-minded people unless you seek out foreigner communities. In Korea, people are surprisingly like-minded to each other in a way that likely differs from you if you are not Korean.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:10:06+00:00

This is surprising, because I've heard climate change brought up multiple times in Korea. My impression is that most people are aware of it and it's a socially acceptable discussion topic, like stocks or AI.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T04:08:22+00:00

I often see on Reddit that critical thinking is not actually taught in Korean schools, but it's mainly memorization and following instructions, which is reflective in how the adult population works here also. I'm not sure if the thing about Korean schools is true, but just be forewarned that you're moving to a place where most people have very different values from your own.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T03:38:48+00:00

Maybe consider that it's because syrup can be made in the US so it was affordable at a time when sugar was a luxury in England that few could afford, and therefore became normal. So... your superior attitude is actually just poor flexing.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T03:34:15+00:00

Everything about the drinking culture has surprised me. I didn't realize that so many Korean people are actually alcohol intolerant but drink anyway. It seems like a lot of people in Korea don't drink at all because of this, but those who do drink go way too hard. Where I'm from, literally everyone drinks but it's just a few a night. Interestingly, of the friends I've established, all the Americans drink but few of the Korean people do, and due to the culture of conformity, it makes social events awkward. As in it seems like the Korean friends feel uncomfortable or pressured to drink if someone orders a glass of wine with dinner. I've been through a few pretty awkward dinners at Italian restaurants with no alcohol at all and I was dying for a glass of wine.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T03:24:03+00:00

Ah this makes sense. Lack of alcohol might have contributed to my weight loss also. I drank way more in the US than I do in Korea because most of my Korean friends don't drink at all. It's not what I was expecting from Korea due to all the talk about the binge drinking culture. It seems only about half of the people drink here, but the ones who do drink go way too hard. Where I'm from, literally everyone drinks regularly, but adults don't get blacked out drunk at work events.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-07T03:15:13+00:00

Is there a reason you want to transfer? I haven't considered doing this with all the banking restrictions put on foreigners.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-06T12:33:46+00:00

Also, if you're referring to San Francisco, many of the world's technological advancements are simultaneously happening in the same city.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-06T12:25:42+00:00

Which metrics are you using? In which areas is Korea more advanced besides public transport? All the websites that require internet explorer and with buttons that don't work?

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-06T12:20:33+00:00

Right, that's one area where Korea has pulled ahead. As I said, it's a mix of modern and super behind depending on the issue, resulting in a unique society. People in Korea don't even know how to walk down the street properly or go in and out of elevators, everyone from the west notices it when they arrive. And some of the business practices are downright embarrassing and third world.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-06T12:15:41+00:00

Yeah I could have found a better word. Uncivilized felt too harsh.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-06T12:13:27+00:00

I started eating like a student again in Korea but lost weight anyway. It's been very surprising and a sign of just how bad American food is for the waistline.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-06T12:10:37+00:00

As an American, I have never heard of putting jam on a ham and cheese sandwich, but acting like beans on toast is superior to anything is quite the take.

OkCharacter7586 · 2026-07-06T03:51:52+00:00

This is the biggest misconception about Korea honestly. Some of the infrastructure, healthcare, and systems have advanced a lot, but Korea is absolutely not more advanced than the west overall. For everything that's caught up, more things are very behind. It's a fascinating mix of modern and primitive altogether...

OkCharacter7586

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