She's On The Money - It’s Giving ‘Rich’: What Does Wealth Actually Look Like?

Episode Date: July 14, 2026

So they have a Cartier bracelet, but no emergency fund. Or they own a home… but have a $5k monthly mortgage. What actually makes someone rich versus what makes them wealthy? This Deep Dive goes into some of Victoria and Bec’s earliest money memories to explore their first ideas of wealth and what it meant to be ‘rich’. They discuss clichéd wealth indicators from designer bags and luxury cars to who is allowed to be rich, whether there’s a difference to being wealthy and the realities of the upward comparison effect. This episode is less about ‘what the new rich looks like’ and more about the systemic beliefs we’re raised with versus realisations of what financial security and confidence actually feel like.Tune in for questions concerning acquired wealth, private school and boujee pencil cases. KNOW THYSELF: What’s your money mindset? Get acquainted with our quiz. MASTER YOUR MINDSET: A playlist to help you transform your relationship with money. HIT THE BLOG: Are they wealthy or are they just rich? We devoted a blog to this topic. New here? Follow us on Instagram (@shesonthemoneyaus) for Q&As, bite-sized advice, daily money inspo... and relatable money memes that just get you.  Acknowledgement of Country By Nartarsha Bamblett (nartarshabamblett.com.au) The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708,  AFSL - 4451289.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She's on the money. She's on the money. My name's Natasha Bamblett. I'm a proud First Nations woman and I'm here to acknowledge country. Hello, beautiful friends. We gather on the lands of the Aboriginal people. We thank, acknowledge and respect the Aboriginal people's land that we're gathering on today.

Take pleasure in all the land and respect all that you see. She's on the money podcast, acknowledges culture, country, community, and connections, bringing you the tools, knowledge, and resources for you to thrive. Hello, friends, and welcome to She's on the Money, the podcast where we discuss all of the issues concerning your wealth goals so that you feel more in control of your financial future. I'm Victoria Devine, and right now I'm here to address the elephant in the room, and that is wealth. When did you first realize where you or a family member stood on the financial ladder. Maybe it was during play lunch at primary school or perhaps you were at a birthday

party when you saw the kinds of presents other kids were getting. Or maybe, like me, it was the fact that your aunt and uncle always had Coca-Cola in their fridge and they had a fancy French door fridge. No matter what your current relationship with wealth looks like today, some of our earliest ideas of what it means to be, quote, rich can continue to shape our money stories over time. So today, Miss Bec Syed and I are going to be discussing some perhaps polarizing ideas about wealth and what it actually means to be rich. So Bec, welcome to our deep dive. Thank you so much for having me.

This is a very exciting one. I feel like it's so nice to discuss like wealth and rich. I mean, what does it all look like? It depends really. And what does that mean and what's real and what's not? Exactly right. So where do we begin? Oh, right.

I feel like I'm in the driver's seat this time and it's usually you introing and then you're in the driver's seat. But I want to start, what is your earliest memory of wealth? When did you first understand what it meant when you said someone was rich? I just remember my mom always saying that we didn't have money. She was like, I can't hear that. We don't have money. And I didn't really even know what that meant. And I remember I went into a shop once and I had like $5 and I went to buy something that was very expensive. And my mom was like, you literally really can't do that. You don't have money. And I was like, no, I have $5. They're going to give me change. And I remember not really understanding the concept, obviously, of money at all.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But just thinking like, well, if you have any amount of money ever, then that's fine. But then, yeah, as you grow up, you kind of like start realizing what that kind of looks like. And all you know is, if you're told you don't have money, but this person does, then you don't know what that looks like yet. But you just know that you can't do something that they can. It's all very blurry. It's not fair. It feels like feel good. That's annoying. But you also just get used to it, I think,

after some time. Were there indicators, and I feel like there were for me, of like play lunch? Play lunch is cute. You remember play lunch? Wait, what did you call it? Recess? Recess, yeah. We called it play lunch. Or little lunch is what we called it too. Oh, we called it play lunch.

Play lunch. Cute! Now I feel really lame. No, that's the cutest name for it. Is that a Tasmanian thing? Maybe. Oh my god, I was wondering where that came from i've noticed that my friends call it year 12 and year 11 yeah and i always called it grade 12 and grade 11 true and i don't know there's just like little things about language totally did you have kindy we had preschool kindy year one year two etc but i think i don't know about you guys but did you have prep yeah we had kindergarten and then you had and then we had prep

that's crazy is it yeah it's crazy it's all in the same country as well oh but like for me play lunch it was like I think in like grade one or two I started to notice that kids had like the smith's chips yeah and there's no way we would have purchased smith's chips or like the LCM bars yeah yeah yeah that was bougie yeah and it wasn't health related so I know that my mum wouldn't let us have roll-ups because she was like they're so bad for your teeth you're not having them and it was never about money but they're like quote at the time I feel like a LCM bar or whatever was a healthy option it's not just spoiler but I feel like I just thought that those were the rich kids because they had the fancy holographic foil packaging and I got the white at the time my mum

would buy and this is not no shade my mum was just an economic queen for sure the bilo do you remember bilo they were white with the stripes blue light blue stripes yeah but it had the green stripes if it was chicken flavor and the pink stripes if it was salt and vinegar they're the ones that I had yeah absolutely and I just remember being like maybe mine aren't as good as other people's yeah okay I know what you mean maybe they are better than me but I didn't know why or how but were there any other things for you growing up that kind of felt like that it was probably less so in the I guess like in the playground and more so like going out and doing things that your friends were doing and so like you know if you you know everyone was meeting at the shopping center

it's like maybe your friend has a lot of money to spend on things and you just you can just tell it's like almost like a feeling that you can feel is that you can't do something or like there is some limit to your and at the time it feels like a limit to a joy it's like there's a limit here and so like yeah going to the supermarket or going and meeting friends when you go to the movies just like clothes shoes like all these things that you're just like I'm not I'm not matching them in this way and I would love to but there's like a bit almost feels like a block like it's like if you've never had it you don't know that you're missing out you just there is a block there where it's like I don't know what that extra unlocked level looks like no and so I don't feel like I'm

lacking anything I just can't see it I remember the name brand pencil cases were a big deal at my school you would cut your name out of those or is it different I'm thinking like you cut like your name out of the little cardboard you'd slide them into the well we had those but we also like girls would bring like the roxy or the billabong pencil cases from the surf shop yes they were really cool cool they were cool girl and then the other thing that i'm remembering now is for some reason i cared deeply about my school shoes yeah and having the name brand school shoes even though there were just black school shoes. There was nothing to write home about them. But I just wanted what everybody else had. And I don't even think it was a bad decision. It wasn't like a rich

versus wealthy, like my parents couldn't afford it. It was my parents were like, Victoria, you don't need the $150 school shoes. Like these ones are better. They have orthotics. They were trying to do the right thing, but all I wanted to do was fit in and have what the other kids had. So I just in my head had this idea that the kids who had the name brand school shoes were better than me yeah and I don't know why yeah that even makes any sense but I I remember feeling that quite deeply and being really upset that my mum wouldn't let me have the ones that weren't good for my shoe like for my feet she'd be like no Victoria if you're gonna wear these every day like you're gonna have these other ones and I was just honestly beside myself that I just didn't

have what the other girls had for sure and I guess if it's something that's like you know the school uniform, maybe they all look the same, but it's something that's very obviously either it is or it isn't the quote unquote good one, you know? And I feel like that just scratches the surface. So we're going to take a really quick break, but when we get back, we're going to unpack our current understanding of what it actually means to be rich versus what real wealth actually looks like. Welcome back to She's On The Money, the podcast that explores the origin of our money stories. We've touched on some of our earliest ideas of what being rich looked like growing up. In some instances, those perceptions weren't valid at all, Bec. While in others, our ideas

of wealth were honestly really exaggerated. Do you remember the show Richie Rich? Yeah. And that kid who just was really rich. I thought that was what rich was. Right. Obviously, it's like having tennis courts and flying in helicopters and being wildly really unrelatable and really rude. Yeah, totally. Like you've got to be a little bit mean if you're rich. Yeah. Yeah. And like from a very young age, it was fed to us that rich was not good. Yeah. Like the evil dictators and stuff, they were always rich, weren't they? They always

had so much money to do evil things and all the good people were just human beings. Yeah. That's so true. I always kind of like that. But this narrative that rich isn't good has been fed to us. And I guess we weren't really able when we were younger to grasp what it actually looked like in everyday situations and what this has actually taught us about narrative and what we tell ourselves about rich and what we tell ourselves about money. So our understanding of wealth and what being rich is, I don't think they are the same. And I think that they're very different. So Bec, what today makes someone seem rich or wealthy to you in the here and now in terms of like money it would just be honestly being able to pay for

things that without crippling anxiety like um i've got to get my car serviced and maybe i'll book my car in for a service or something like that it's like whoa you've got your shit together like this isn't going to financially ruin you getting your car service right now you're just going to book it that's crazy that for me is like you're doing well but that's only like in the financial kind of way rich obviously has a hot takes on a whole new meaning in so many different ways it doesn't necessarily just mean money but for that kind of thing yeah it's just like being able to do things that are necessary or or even just like luxurious but main maintenance of yourself and of your life and of the things that you own without any stress i think is it like a

visual indicator for you or is it more of those like background things like oh hold on you you must be wealthy you're making these decisions without any thought exactly and that that is the crazy thing is that like i don't i i don't know someone who looks rich like or maybe like maybe pilates outfit because i'm like oh you can afford that's rich you can afford a subscription is that what it's called i think so membership a membership yeah yeah they're kind of rich they're kind of rich but otherwise i don't see really any visual indicator i feel like it's so interesting because is it about like your net worth like how much you have in your bank account or is it about assets and you know the things that you have or is it like luxury and material things

and I just I remember so vividly yeah and like I'm just calling myself out here so like I am very privileged I think that now if I laid everything out on the table everyone in our community would be like Victoria Devine you are wealthy like I have a very nice roof over my head I'm able to pay my mortgage I have a really nice savings account I have my emergency fund my husband and I invest like we are comfortable and you know it always makes me feel a little bit guilty when I have conversations like this and you're like wow you can just book in and get your car serviced and I'm like well yeah like I can what a privilege like I'm so lucky and I'm just I'm grateful that we can have these conversations and be in such different positions and not be like oh rude like

we just I'm glad that you're where you are and I'm trying to get you further and like getting you in the best possible position but I also think that it's not lost on our community that I have worked really hard for this and like I'm really grateful that they see that and it's not just like oh Victoria's rich what a snob like I just can't imagine anything worse you know like I can't imagine you going oh she's so unrelatable and I go oh no oh that's awful like I want to be no uh anyway I just I feel really grateful having these conversations that that turns into guilt for me and it's such an interesting dynamic because I want to talk about wealth more but I also don't want people to think that I'm just here bragging no and isn't it funny that that you're teaching

or like your your I want to say your teachings like you're like a cult leader but um I would like to be a cult leader yes that is what I've been working towards like the end goal is financial freedom and so isn't it funny when it's like when you get there you're like now I feel bad now I feel like everyone's gonna judge yeah no that's what we're trying to get to but also I want this for you yeah exactly girl it feels so good yeah it's so nice to have a conversation in the morning with my husband and he goes, oh, my car needs a service. And I go, babe, book it in. We aren't stressed about that because we know that our money is sitting there ready for those conversations and ready for those things. It's not a stress. Like what a privilege it is to not have to sit

down with my husband and go, okay, cool. We need to do this and this. And I just don't know how we're going to get that to work. Like at the moment, that's not where we're at. We've been there it's been stressful but like to me it's such a privilege anyway let's move on from that because like I feel like it's not as as productive but for me historically when I first kind of came into money you could say when my businesses started you know producing enough profit that I wasn't just scraping by anymore like once I and this was not that long ago like it's not like I've been in this situation for more than 10 years I haven't I haven't even been in this situation for five right but I just thought that designer goods that's what I should be spending my money on right

like I want a Louis Vuitton bag I want a Cartier bracelet I want all of that I'm calling myself out sitting here wearing a bloody Cartier bracelet like I get it but I just I remember those things to me was so much about achievement like oh she's wearing that she must have done some really cool things or she must have achieved this and done that and now I just I could not care less yeah Like, I cannot think of anything worse than somebody having the Cartier bracelet or having the really expensive handbag and not having an emergency fund. Yeah. My queen, what are you doing?

Yeah. Like, your vision changes and it just, what's driving this? Like, it's the idea of colonization coming into capitalism. Like, and I just, it frustrates me because I just, why do we have to live in such a capitalist society where the perceived indicators are not the same as the actual ones but we see these people running around with heaps of debt and really nice cars and really nice everything and we think that's success whereas the people who are driving the old bomb of a car who are like I don't need anything else and have financial freedom in the background they're the ones that are really living yeah yeah

totally like that's a slay to me whereas the stuff take it or leave it like it doesn't actually make you happier. And if you're always looking for the next thing to purchase, what you're telling me is that you're just not happy with what you already have at home. Exactly right. And how can you be grateful for the next thing if you're not even grateful for what you already have? Yeah. If you're always like, oh, I need to be here. You're just constantly looking forward. You're never living your current life. You will not ever be really here. Do you know what I mean? You're just like when I get there when I get there I'm going to start living it's like but you okay but you so so far you haven't lived and you how long have you been here do you know what I mean it's like

you got to start living now yeah and it's like I don't know it's even now I have children this conversation of like public versus private education and my kids are under two so like this is not a conversation that I need to have but it turns out when I was asked at um I just had like a mother's group catch up with like a group of mums that I met not my actual mother's group and they were like oh what schools have you got Harvey down for I was like what oh so early and they're like yeah like you put them down when they're born and I was like what and they're like oh you haven't done any schools and I was like no I thought you just picked when you were meant to send them to school like to me that was a wealth versus like not wealthy indicator because I was

like oh that's not how I grew up like I went to public school and like we just went to the school where we were and I remember it was a whole thing when I was in grade six mum and dad trying to get me into the like the local catholic school because like it was a better education opportunity and like I had to see if I got in or not and I did thankfully but like that was you know when we were talking about it yeah I didn't know that you were meant to put yourself down or your kids down for your private education and then it got me thinking I went home and I said to my husband hey did you know and he was like yeah I was like wait what he's like yeah we really should be talking and thinking about this and I was like should we like and then it opened this whole

conversation about private versus public education and you know what I want for my kids versus what my husband wants my kids and thank god we're on the same page about that but just do we want them to go to a private school yeah yeah yeah beyond the education because again privilege I live in an area where the public schools are really well regarded yeah what's the difference between sending my kid to a public school versus a private school is that private school going to give a superior education or is it just going to surround him with more wealthy people and is that what I want his life to look like is that the social circles I want him to keep do I I don't know I totally agree I'm gonna that's not the social circles I keep like most of the people and that's

not a bad thing it's not a good thing I don't care that like I just look at it and go some of our best friends are in trades some of our best friends you know all went to public school it's just they're not the circles I have and you might have gone to a private school and have an incredible circle of friends but I'm really seeing that divide at the moment between my experience and my husband's experience who did go to a private school and has like more wealthy friendship circles and like just is different to what I have. For sure. And I think that like it definitely builds some sort of like, you start understanding that your experience is not the sole experience. Yeah. It's very valuable. And it doesn't matter like if your experience is good or bad or anything

between, it's like just even knowing that you have lived a life that is not exactly the same as everyone else and some people might have worse lives and some people might have better lives and just like knowing that is really important yeah so I think that I back that I back that completely but it's a hard conversation to have because you're like I want to do the best for my kid but what is best is it rich like is it the rich decision of being like yep cool we're going to send them to private school or I don't know I've had a friend recently pull their kid out of private school to send them to public school because they were like Victoria I just wanted more community. And I feel like the private education system doesn't lean into that in the

same way that the public education system does. She's like, I'm here for the sausage sizzles. I'm here for the fundraisers. I'm here for all of that. And I want my kids to see that. And they don't see it in the school that they were in. Like, okay, that's really important for me too. For sure. Hard decisions, right? Anyway, Bec, we have covered, I think, our earliest memories and what we've been chatting about. And I guess some mixed perceptions on what wealth actually looks like but I feel like there's so much more to it and I want to bring in a little bit more structure so when we return from our break we're going to dive straight into some social stigmas

all right you are here just in time my friend for the juicy part Beck who's allowed to be rich who's allowed to be rich and do we actually have a problem with rich people or do we have a problem with elitism oh my goodness that's a really good question because like everyone's allowed to be rich and then i think yes it does feel different when it's like comes from someone who has been brought up rich maybe they're a nepo baby born with a silver spoon yeah there's so many like that's fine yeah like fine fine but like as a society i feel like we deem some people allowed to be rich and other people not and i'm finding that the defining factor between those two things is elitism yes yes true it's okay if we say that they're self-made it's not okay when it's elon

musk right right do you know what I mean like you're like oh no like the rich get richer and there seems to be more negative connotations associated with one term or the other like why is it much more socially acceptable to be perceived as wealthy than to be perceived as rich like earlier in the episode I said to you if I laid everything out and showed you my entire financial like life you would say that I'm wealthy why didn't I say that you would say I'm rich right true yeah because I guess like rich has this idea that like they're on yachts and they're like flying they're like absolutely destroying the earth with all of their like bits and bobs yeah but then I don't know somebody doing something social and something for the environment if they

got rich you're like yeah pop off that's so like David Attenborough incredibly rich yes he should be. As he should be. That's so true. Exactly. But you would call him wealthy, wouldn't you? Yeah. Elon Musk, is he wealthy or rich? That's true. He's rich. Right. Maybe it depends how much you're destroying the planet. Yeah. Yeah. But then there's just like layers of like, honestly, elitism and like audacity and ego. And, you know, like, I guess the question is, how do the ways that we acquire wealth affect our perceptions like is it good when it's like a tech startup right maybe not but it seems to be good when it's a blue collar job like when it's a tradesperson and they've worked hard and it's physical labor like this idea that you know a guy who built a

building company and got really wealthy yeah yes lay yeah is it okay for politicians to have a lot of money god it really depends right yeah i know what you mean right and you go oh hold on there is a divide between who's quote allowed to be rich in our mind versus not and that's wild like trades people versus academics like yeah you go oh well one worked really hard oh my god that's so true and it's like well using your brain to build a an app for example isn't it would be extremely hard work but you can't see like this physical kind of you know calluses on your hands yeah i was about to say but you've got soft hands yeah but like that's also equally that's that's very very hard yeah and then like the overlay of like marriages and inheritances and family trust and like having

trust fund kids you go oh no yeah but like that's not the reality and please don't get me wrong i have in my lifetime had the privilege of working with some ultimately wealthy people like literally i've had billionaires that i have worked with and helped manage their portfolios yeah never on my own like not gonna take that but i have worked with people who are trust fund kids sure and there is this i don't know trust fund kid immediately you think richie rich yeah you know that show that we're talking about before yeah that's not true like the trust fund kids that i've experienced some of them have been wildly out of touch wildly and it makes me want to pull my hair out and scream at them at their family constitution meetings and just like

absolutely not but some of them have been some of the most kind people i've ever met they've got the best emotional intelligence of some like it just it's wild because they go against every single stereotype and then beck is it if i say crypto yeah you made your money there you rich or you wealthy you're rich yeah oh my god that's so true what about like day trading and lotto winning yeah that's rich that's rich if you like made money gambling gambling i would say rich too yeah but yeah why i think it's i think it's must be this thing of like and and it does go back to privilege and i want to say like privilege is not like it doesn't mean you have not had a hard life it means that there are aspects of your identity or aspects of your life or aspects of whatever

that have made it harder to get where you are or to get to where you want to go. And so I feel like it's this acknowledgement of like, hey, I got here, quote unquote, the easy way. And I know it's not that easy for other people. And so like if you're just a bit out of touch, then you are rich, I feel like. If you're like, oh, it's so easy, you just got to X, Y, Z. And not acknowledging anything that other people have different experiences, different journeys. yeah I think is what rich is and then it's like this question that I have does having more money mean that you should be spending more ethically like why I'm you know and like I know why but like

why do we hear about billionaires who aren't spending ethically like why is that pressure being put on us and like why is that a narrative sure and like are you allowed to still shop at Kmart if you're above a certain net wealth? Where's the line? Yeah, I see. God, this is really like... And I say that specifically because I remember last year, before I was pregnant with Cammie, I had a favorite pair of jeans and I still have them. I don't fit in them. No shade to those jeans, but I did have a baby. It's still my favorite. I'm holding them close. I would like to fit back into them. They're $15. They're the mum jean from Kmart, just for anybody flying around who might also want a really good pair of jeans, they're just cut perfectly. And like, as everybody

complimented me, including you, my bum looks great in them. Hell yeah. I love them. But I remember posting like a selfie on Instagram, just on my stories, the amount of people that were replying and they're like, hey, where are your jeans from? They're phenomenal. And I was like, great. They're just Kmart. And people are like, oh, wow, that's crazy. Victoria Devine shopping at Kmart. You're allowed I didn't even think the bar was that low like what do you mean I love a Kmart bargain oh yeah but I think that there was you know maybe for newer followers or people who haven't followed my whole journey they were like oh yeah she's like got a bit of wealth like she doesn't shop at Kmart and then I remember one of the comments and this is why I brought it up they asked me

where my jeans were from I said they were from Kmart she was like that's incredible I didn't think you'd shop at Kmart I thought you would be more ethical than that oh and I remember being like oh oh I see like good point because a good point I can afford a more expensive pair of jeans but I don't know I just really liked them and I love a Kmart shopping trip and I don't think if they'd asked any one of their girlfriends like that maybe they saw on the same level as them I don't think if they'd been like oh hey Beck for example where are your jeans from you said Kmart They'd be like, oh, pop-off queen. But then I got the shade for having purchased something

that could be deemed not as ethical. I see. I can see that. I can definitely see that argument. I really hadn't thought about that. But I guess if you're like, we're very shielded here, and it's like we do have the luxury of ignoring where our clothes come from because the second the topic changes, we're back in our own reality.

we're not in a sweatshop right now seeing it I think if we were so I think that it's like yes we all have a responsibility to educate ourselves on on where things come from and things like that but I think that it really is a tricky one I can understand the argument for sure like if you can afford to be more ethical yes but then also why do I have to so don't get me wrong I get it and I think it was something that I went oh that's a really good point I didn't like it at the time I responded, oh, okay, thanks. Like I didn't do anything about it. But I really stewed on that for a while.

Like I sat down and I was like, damn, like she's right. Like I should be being more ethical. And like I'm, I don't know, I'm the type of person that keeps something in my wardrobe for 10 plus years and I keep wearing it. And there are some things from Kmart in my wardrobe still from 10 years ago. You pry them from my cold, dead hands. I love them. But moving forward, I should be making more ethical decisions. and I should be doing these things.

But to me, that's then a wealthy mindset. That's not a rich mindset because rich people are frivolous and they don't care. Yes, that's true. And that's me then stereotyping it again. Right, right, right. Yes, absolutely. But no, yeah, does that mean you're not allowed to go into $2 shops?

You're not allowed to like to what end? Do you know what I mean? Like where's the line? Yeah, exactly. Because I think that, you know, there's this conversation of the ethics of buying luxury items. like then do I buy luxury items and then people will be quite happy with that but what if they're made in poor working conditions yeah like you mentioned before like oh well what if it was

made in a sweatshop how do we know what our sourcing like journey has been and what that looks like for sure how do you know how do you benchmark it what's the expectation like i i just i feel like there's a lot yeah absolutely so beck do you think this perception of like rich versus wealthy and like to me this is more of an episode that's kind of like a conversation starter yeah it's a bit existential i think that we have a lot more work to do in this space of understanding what these things mean because my money story is such that rich equals bad and I'm not saying it's it's a bad thing now because I'm obviously like quite reflective of it I'm on a podcast talking about it but I look at it and I think okay but why do

I feel that way what is this like rich is bad like I don't I would be upset I don't know I don't want to be categorized as that but then I also want to create wealth because I want to be able to you know show people that it's completely possible to be completely self-made and go hey I did this myself. I got myself out of this $40,000 debt hole and I put myself in a position where I am now worth millions, money win. But through that journey, you can too. And it might not look the same. You don't have to do what I did. I mean, I took it to the nth degree, right? I didn't just get out of $40,000 worth of personal debt. I started businesses and did some crazy stuff as well. But you can get out of debt. And then once you're out of debt, you can flourish and create

wealth. And don't get me wrong, it might not happen as quickly as it did for me, but it's entirely possible using exactly the same tools and resources. And I want that for people. But for so long, wealth has been gatekept. Like we have terms of reference like, oh, that's only for the wealthy. Yeah. Why? Yeah, I see. I see. Why is this only for rich people? Yeah. I think it's really good to kind of like redefine because I think that rich, yeah, does have a negative connotation and yet just asking ourselves what like why it's bad I guess if you do have money even though that's really everyone's goal kind of in some way you know I think that like redefining what it means because richness also could be you know I was walking in the sun the

other day I had two coffees and I thought wow isn't it gorgeous that I have to buy more than on coffee and i thought oh my god isn't it gorgeous that i'm going home and someone's going to be there and i'm stressed because i have too many activities or events on and it's like that's also there's a richness in in having people that you love around you all the time and so i think yeah it's it's it's very interesting conversation that we've um started here and i feel like we're we're getting very um not existential but it's like it's so important to have these conversations as well because you know I think we're working so hard to work towards something yeah and something that I say all the time you've heard me say it a million times on

and off the show is that you if you can't be grateful for what you already have there's no way you're going to be grateful for what's to come and I definitely live and breathe that because I think for so long for me when I was in that debt hole of forty thousand dollars it felt like the Louis Vuitton it felt like I wanted all of the stuff and when I get rich I'll have this and I'll be happy and now I'm just in a part of life where I'm really embracing not embracing I've just realized that stuff doesn't matter it doesn't make you happy and if it does you need to like I'm not saying it's a bad thing don't get me wrong I'm still like I'm still vain don't you worry I still care what I look like hell yeah that's fine I love doing my

hair i do my nails like i enjoy all of that stuff but if you took it off me tomorrow i'd be like okay like because that's not what really matters it's my friends it's my family it's like the fact that wealth now buys me time yeah it's the fact that wealth meant that like hoolidooly beck i got to have my husband at home for six months yeah after having a baby both times yeah that's awesome Like we were able to fund him staying at home, meaning that our experience of parenthood is so much different to our friends in the community that are like, oh my God, my husband could only take off two weeks and then we did this and we did that and my maternity leave kicked in and I was chasing Centrelink and like, I know it's stressful and I know I'm privileged, but I want this for everybody. For sure. just the way that my perception of wealth has gone from stuff to experiences yeah like I want everybody to have that and it's not unachievable in the everyday like you're saying you know you've

spoken openly you're like I quit my job it was a silly thing to do was really stressed about money but also they I had this coffee and I was walking in the sun and I got to go home to a home with somebody in it who loved me. Yeah. Oh my God. I know. Isn't it crazy? We're trying to buy our life back and have more time to be with our friends and family. But also if you just quit your job and don't have any money, you could do exactly the same thing. Don't do that without serious thought. Don't do that. Let's say we have the power to change things on a global level. Yeah. If we could redefine what it means to be wealthy, what would that look like for you? I think it would, and this is what I think should be afforded to everyone in the world, I think it would just be having your basic needs met.

And those needs have changed because we don't really need, well, we didn't really need electricity before electricity was invented. We didn't really need, you know, all these things. So I'm like, that has changed a little bit. But now I'm thinking for your bare basic needs, that does include electricity and it includes gas, let's say for argument's sake. So I'm thinking just having those things that you need to like live your life, be able to cook food, be able to own a fridge, having those things met without having to work so, so hard. Because right now it just feels like we're working so much to get these things without the stress of it, you know. yeah so having your needs met i think is wealthy exactly and i feel like that's about creating some new like wealth indicators and what they look like you know not having quantitative stuff but

actually having qualitative examples so like it's the time it's the energy it's your mindset it's not necessarily you know the stuff and the things and the you know he who has more wins like it just that gives me the ick and i think that we should be really questioning how we can redefine what buying high-end items actually looks like like what's your mindset around that don't get me wrong I rocked on in here with a designer bag I bought it 15 years ago when I was really caught up on like status and I definitely wanted people to see my bag yeah and now I'm like well it's a bag I have and I use it and you know I love it because I've had it for so long and it's like you know something that is mine totally but can we adjust our mindset around these purchases so

that instead of it being a, I wanted to be seen with this bag, it was a, this makes me feel really good about myself. Why did I purchase this? Did you purchase something because I had the big Gucci logo on it and you wanted to be seen wearing it? Or did you purchase it because you knew that when you got home, you'd put it on and you just feel so good about yourself? Exactly. Exactly. I always like to think like if, if, if there, if I was the only person in this world and I was not being perceived by anyone ever, first of all, it'd be very lonely, but like, would this thing still bring me the same amount of joy you know exactly does that change your wanting for a designer bag I don't even think they're that oh well so they're quite nice they're not my personal style so I'm

like you know I could go without and also like marketing like how we are marketed to do we need to review or reject marketing and how it's basically shoved down our throats sure like why do you want stuff is it because you saw other people with stuff if so were those people perhaps influencers who were using that stuff in order to influence you into wanting that stuff. It makes me so mad. I know. I know. And it's like, you know, money makes the world go round. So ask yourself. Well, I don't like that. You know, I don't like that either. But if you are being, if you've got a targeted ad,

just ask yourself if it's really going to change your life or if it's there to eventually fill someone's pocket in some indirect way or direct way, who knows. but yeah maybe that's where we put a pin in it beck because i feel like this topic arguably deserves its own series as a whole but i don't want to do it without opening the floor to the conversation for sure first like i don't want to not talk to the community about this and i feel like a podcast like this where we go hey this is what we're thinking and you know i'm feeling guilty about this and beck sees it this way what like what are your thoughts like drop them in the Spotify comments, because we're reading them. There'll also be a thread in the Facebook group

this week about like what your thoughts are, because I just think that the more my mindset shifts around money and wealth and being rich, the more I feel free, the more I feel like, oh, it's not that deep. It's not that like, it helps me not only create more for others, But I think it releases you a little bit in terms of feeling like you have to do things. Totally. Absolutely. Free yourself from the words, from the labels, like free yourself. Exactly.

And that feels a little bit hippy dippy, but it's exactly who we are. Hell yeah. Isn't it, Bec? Exactly. Well, my friends, thank you for joining us for what could be one of our most polarizing episodes. If you have any follow-up questions or want to join the discussion, please join our Facebook group.

Our She's On The Money community is very easy to find. And make sure that you're subscribed so that you never miss an episode. We'll catch you later in the week for Friday drinks. Until then, my friends, take care of yourselves and of each other. Bye, guys. The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's on the Money exists purely for educational purposes

and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Victoria Devine and She's on the Money are authorised representatives of MoneySherpa PTY LTD ABN 321 649 27708 AFSL 451 289. We'll be right back.