Inherited capital; best when the money has been in the family for at least 3 generations.

people who have managed their money carefully over many generations and increased the value of their holdings by careful financial management. Many of these people own a large estate and may also have a town house. They do not follow the popular fashion fads and wear good quality clothing that has a timeless look. Everything about them may be summed up in a few words GOOD TASTE and QUALITY

the descendants of some criminal a thousand years ago who didnt get caught and put his money in the bank instead of spending it because he was terribly boring, notwithstanding his criminality

Old money is what new money strives to be. Old money is not about showing off your material possessions, or buying name brands or exotic vehicles. Old money is about having class and prestige. Old money is pretentious, but with reason. In an old money family, the father came from wealth, as did his father before him and so on. Old money typically has a name associated with the wealth, think of the Rockefellers, Walton’s, Browns, Wellingtons, Smiths, ect. Old money embraces the preppy culture. Wearing brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren, L.L Bean, Vineyard Vines, ect. Brands such as Gucci, Prada, Versace, ect, are all poser brands for the poor or the naive new money folks. Old money also embraces manners. Old money says yes ma’am and Sir, chews with their mouth closed, respects their elders and everyone in general, opens doors for women, and treats workers with class and respect. Old money also doesn’t buy Ferraris, BMWs, or even lexuses. You can typically see old money folk driving new but common cars such as Toyotas, Hondas, Fords, ect. That “cheap Toyota” they’re driving is probably a maxed out Toyota Avalon which is around 50,000 dollars, the price of a mid tier Lexus. What separates the Toyota and Lexus is the taxes. You automatically pay lower taxes for the Toyota than you would with the Lexus. Old money folks also belong to special clubs such as country clubs. They partake in expensive hobbies such as Rowing, Golf, Polo, Horseback Riding, ect.

Families that have been affluent for several decades (in America) or several centuries (in Europe).

Old money families in the U.S. are often WASPs. They have a very distinctive style that includes brands such as Lilly Pulitzer and Eliza B. Their children go to generally East Coast prep schools such as St. Pauls, Exeter, Choate, Andover and so forth. They summer in places like Bar Harbor, Nantucket, South Hampton, the Vineyard, etc.

In Europe, old money is synonymous with aristocracy. Dukes, counts, marquis etc. and their relatives. In France, Spain, and Italy they are typically Catholic and own hunting estates, and summer and ski in the same places. Their children go to Catholic schools, which can be in some cases single-sex.

P.S: Another person mentioned Paris Hilton as old money. This is not so as Paris' grandfather was the one to become rich, which means they are still very much new money. In fact, her attitude and attire probably epitomize new money.

Just a bunch of rich pricks who steal all of the glory that only one man deserves. The one man that actually earned the money way back when. And little do these families know that when that one hard working person in their generation earned money, they were called new money. These people always seem to get their way no matter what. They think they're the shit even though they have never had to work a day in their lives and never will have to.

The definition of someone who is just old news to you and the people around you you call them old money.

Dressing in a way that makes you look rich without being lavish