That Afternoon, a Ferrari Seen in Gangnam
Imagine yourself sitting by the window of a café in Gangnam on a sunny weekend afternoon, enjoying your coffee. At that moment, a dazzling red Ferrari glides to a stop by the roadside with an engine roar that seems to shake your heart. Everyone in the café naturally turns their gaze toward it. The door opens, and a young driver dressed sharply steps out. Most of us would think the same thing inside: “Wow, that person is really rich.”
I used to think that way too. I believed that shiny, expensive, and flashy things equaled ‘wealth.’ Our society has conditioned us to judge success by what is visible: nice cars, expensive watches, fancy dinners.
But today, I want to shake a deeply rooted thought in your mind. What if that dazzling Ferrari is not a proof of wealth, but rather the most dramatic scene showing the moment wealth disappears?
Morgan Housel’s book, The Psychology of Money, says: “Wealth is what you don’t see.” This single sentence is the key that pierces the great illusion of the world we live in and reveals the secret of those who quietly build true wealth.
1. The Glamorous Lies of Visible Things
The biggest trap we often fall into is confusing “earning a lot of money (high income)” with “having a lot of money (true wealth).” When your salary goes up, you buy a better car and move to a bigger house. You feel wealthy. But in reality, you’ve only gained the power to flaunt wealth, which is different from true wealth.
Think about it: if someone buys a 100 million won car, their net worth decreases by exactly 100 million won the moment they buy it. Sure, they have a cool car to show, but from the moment it hits the road, it starts paying an invisible tax called ‘depreciation.’ In other words, what they showed us was not 100 million won of ‘wealth’ but 100 million won of ‘consumption.’
What we see on the street are not people’s assets but traces of their spending. We can guess how much they earn, but we can never know how much remains in their bank accounts or stock portfolios.
This is the essence of ‘invisible wealth.’ True wealth is the luxury car not yet bought, the luxury watch not yet purchased, the first-class plane ticket not yet used. It is the money saved, the result of temporarily setting aside today’s desires to gain more freedom and opportunities in the future.
- If income determines the size of your car’s engine,
- Your ego (desire to show off) decides how hard you press the accelerator.
No matter how powerful the engine, if you always drive at full throttle, your fuel will run out quickly.
Advertisement
2. People Who Become Poor Trying to Live ‘Like Others’
In our society, obsession with ‘visible wealth’ is especially strong. The invisible pressures of ‘face’ and ‘others’ eyes’ deeply influence how we spend money.
“Still, I have social status, so I should drive at least this kind of car.” “Everyone else has an apartment; if we don’t, we’ll fall behind.”
These thoughts lead us to buy homes by stretching every last penny (‘all-in’ loans) and sign contracts for expensive imported cars we can barely afford. It’s a sad joke where people choose the path to real poverty just to avoid appearing poor to others.
Let me share stories of two friends I know.
- Friend A: Works at a prestigious large company with a high salary. Every year, he changes to the latest imported car and fills his social media with photos of overseas golf trips and luxury shopping. Everyone thinks he’s a successful rich man. But he eagerly waits for payday every month just to pay credit card bills and loan interest. His real net worth is close to negative.
- Friend B: Works at an ordinary company with a lower salary than A. Drives an older domestic car and prefers comfortable clothes over flashy ones. His social media is quiet. But he consistently saves more than half his salary and quietly invests in good stocks and funds. His assets are growing steadily and solidly. He will soon have the freedom to quit his job and start what he truly wants to do.
So, who is the real wealthy person? The world’s gaze and envy point to A, but the capitalist system rewards B with true wealth.
3. How Quiet Wealthy People Manage Money
How can we escape this huge illusion and build ‘invisible wealth’? The start is simple: view money not as a ‘show-off item’ but as a ‘freedom pass.’
First, reset your goals for wealth. What do you truly want to gain from money? Others’ envy, or the freedom to say “no” to things you dislike? Stability that won’t shake even in sudden crises? Leisure to spend cozy time with loved ones? True wealth is not money itself but the power to steer your life as you wish—‘choice.’ This choice is invisible but will bring greater satisfaction than any luxury handbag.
Second, think of saving as buying a ‘future freedom pass.’ We tend to see saving as the pain of giving up present pleasures. But change your perspective. If you save 100,000 won today, it’s like buying a ticket for a future day when you can refuse unwanted overtime, worry less about hospital bills if you get sick, or suddenly take a trip. Once you realize this, saving is no longer painful endurance but the most exciting investment.
Third, put ’labels’ on your money. A vague goal like ‘becoming rich’ makes saving difficult. Instead, give specific names to your savings and investments: ‘seed money for my store in 3 years,’ ‘parents’ world trip fund in 10 years,’ ‘retirement pension for economic freedom in 20 years.’ Money with labels is no longer just numbers but your precious dreams. This makes it much easier to resist small temptations to spend.
Advertisement
Your Quiet Superpower
Back to the Ferrari story: we admire the car for its beautiful design and performance, not for the possibly empty bank account of the driver who bought it.
From now on, change your perspective slightly. When you see someone spending lavishly, instead of thinking ‘That person is rich,’ think ‘That person has exchanged that much wealth for happiness today.’ And when you see yourself saving and investing quietly but steadily, say to yourself, ‘Today, I bought a little more freedom for my future.’
True wealth is not about loud boasting but quietly building up. It is like a secret superpower only you know. You don’t need to show it to anyone, but it will protect you and give you wings at the most important moments in life.
Your real wealth depends not on what you showed today, but on what choices you can make tomorrow.