Ever notice how some people seem genuinely puzzled when you mention not being able to afford something? Or how they casually reference experiences that feel worlds away from your own reality?

I’ve spent years observing patterns in how people relate to money, and one thing has become crystal clear: those who grew up with financial security often can’t see the advantages they had. It’s not malicious. It’s just that when something has always been there, it becomes invisible.

During my time as a financial analyst, I worked alongside people from all backgrounds. The differences in perspective were striking, especially when it came to understanding privilege. Some colleagues would genuinely not understand why someone couldn’t just “ask their parents” for help with a down payment or why taking an unpaid internship wasn’t feasible for everyone.

If you grew up with money, you might have blind spots about these nine indicators of privilege. And if you didn’t, you’ll probably recognize them immediately.

1. Never worrying about the electricity being shut off

When was the last time you checked your bank account before turning on the air conditioning? Or calculated whether you could afford to keep the heat running?

For people who grew up with financial security, utility bills are just something that gets paid. There’s no anxiety around it, no calculations about whether to be cold this month or risk a shutoff notice.

I remember a friend once saying she loved winter because her apartment was “so cozy and warm.” When I mentioned I kept my thermostat at 62 degrees to save money, she looked genuinely confused. The idea that temperature settings were a financial decision had never occurred to her.

This isn’t about judging anyone. It’s about recognizing that never having to worry about basic utilities is a form of privilege that many people simply don’t have.

2. Assuming everyone went on family vacations

“Where did your family usually go for vacation?” seems like an innocent question. But it assumes that family vacations were a given.

For many people, vacation meant staying home. There were no annual trips to the beach, no visits to theme parks, no plane rides to see relatives in other states.

The privilege here isn’t just about the vacations themselves. It’s about the experiences, the broadened worldview, and the casual cultural literacy that comes from travel. It’s about having stories to share and references to draw from.

When someone grew up taking these trips for granted, they often don’t realize that not everyone has a passport or has ever been on an airplane.

3. Getting financial help without asking

Here’s a big one: having parents who could step in before you even had to ask.

Maybe your car broke down and mom and dad just handled it. Maybe you mentioned needing new tires and a check appeared. Maybe your rent was covered during that rough patch without you having to formally request help.

Financial support from parents often comes with an invisible emotional buffer. Those who receive it may not fully grasp the weight that asking for money carries for people whose parents simply don’t have it to give.

The privilege isn’t just the money itself. It’s the safety net, the knowledge that you won’t actually hit rock bottom because someone will catch you.

4. Never having to choose between necessities

Have you ever had to decide between buying groceries or filling up your gas tank to get to work? Between paying for medication or keeping the lights on?

These aren’t hypothetical scenarios for millions of people. They’re monthly, sometimes weekly, decisions.

People from money usually haven’t had to make these calculations. If they needed something, they could get it. The concept of true scarcity, where meeting one need means another goes unmet, is foreign to their experience.

This creates a blind spot when they offer advice like “just meal prep” or “why don’t you shop at the farmer’s market for fresh vegetables?” The underlying assumption is that everyone has enough resources to optimize rather than just survive.

5. Treating dental and healthcare as routine

Going to the dentist twice a year. Seeing a doctor when you’re sick. Getting your eyes checked and buying new glasses when your prescription changes.

For some people, this is just normal life maintenance. For others, healthcare is a luxury carefully rationed and often avoided until something becomes urgent.

I once mentioned during lunch that I hadn’t been to a dentist in five years. A colleague looked horrified and asked why I would neglect my health like that. She couldn’t grasp that it wasn’t neglect but a financial reality.

The privilege of routine healthcare access is huge. It affects everything from chronic pain management to early disease detection. But if you’ve always had it, you might not realize that millions of people go years without seeing a doctor.

6. Having access to opportunities through connections

“Just network!” “Reach out to people in your field!” “Use your connections!”

This advice assumes everyone has connections to use. It assumes your parents know professionals, that your family friends include people in positions of influence, that you went to schools where you rubbed elbows with the children of decision-makers.

Research consistently shows that economic mobility is heavily influenced by social capital. A study published in Nature found that cross-class friendships significantly impact economic opportunity, with researchers noting that “social capital is a crucial determinant of economic mobility.”

But here’s the blind spot: people from privileged backgrounds often don’t realize their opportunities came through connections they didn’t earn. They got the internship because dad played golf with the CEO. They landed the interview because mom went to college with the hiring manager.

They worked hard, sure. But they also had doors opened that others didn’t even know existed.

7. Never having to support family members financially

Picture this: you land your first real job with a decent salary. What do you do with that money?

If you came from money, you probably started saving, maybe invested some, perhaps treated yourself to nice things. Your money was yours to use as you saw fit.

But for many people, that first paycheck comes with obligations. There’s a parent who needs help with rent. A sibling who needs school supplies. A grandparent who can’t afford medication.

The privilege of keeping your entire paycheck for yourself is invisible to those who’ve always had it. They might judge others for not saving enough without realizing that not everyone gets to save.

8. Assuming college is just something you do

“What school did you go to?” Not “Did you go to college?” but which one.

The assumption that college is a given reveals a particular kind of privilege. It suggests that higher education was always on the table, that it was affordable or at least financially possible, that taking on debt for it made sense.

For many people, college wasn’t an option. Maybe they needed to work full-time right after high school to help support their family. Maybe the idea of taking on tens of thousands in debt was terrifying when they’d seen what financial stress looked like. Maybe they were never told college was even for people like them.

When someone assumes everyone has a degree, they’re revealing they’ve lived in a bubble where education was accessible.

9. Not understanding why people can’t “just save”

This might be the biggest blind spot of all.

“Just set aside $50 a month.” “Start an emergency fund.” “Pay yourself first.”

It’s solid advice if you have money left over after covering your needs. But what if you don’t?

What if after rent, utilities, food, transportation, and other non-negotiable expenses, there’s nothing left? What if you’re already $20 short every month and putting necessities on credit cards?

The privilege here is having enough income that saving is even possible. People from money often genuinely don’t understand that for millions of people, there is no extra money to set aside.

Final thoughts

Recognizing privilege doesn’t mean feeling guilty about it. It means developing awareness about advantages you’ve had and how they’ve shaped your perspective.

If you recognize yourself in some of these blind spots, that’s actually a good thing. Awareness is the first step toward empathy and understanding.

And if you grew up without money and felt seen reading this list, know that your experiences are valid. The challenges you’ve faced aren’t character flaws or personal failures. They’re the result of structural inequalities that deserve recognition.

We all have blind spots shaped by our experiences. The question is whether we’re willing to examine them.

 

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