There are lots of ways that you can tell if someone is wealthy.
An outright declaration by the subject is usually not the most reliable proof. For some reason the sort of person who will tell you their annual income is also the sort of person who tends to inflate it.
Possessions are a slightly better indicator. Simply having possessions and a stable place to stay, as much as many would not like to hear this, actually makes one wealthy compared to the majority of the world. It’s preferable to envy those who have more than to feel grateful.
Access to particular services- certain providers of education, of finance, of travel- are a more subtle demonstration of ongoing, rather than lottery, wealth.
Freedom of time use is another less obvious marker. The poor have to slave for food. The middle class hustle for money. But the rich can do nothing at all, and receive status for it.
The most reliable sign of true wealth, however, is in a person’s generosity. The richest man in the world has no fear of losing his wealth and power and is willing to share it, with no terms and conditions, any return or refund, any obligation whatsoever. He can give as much as as he is asked because his wealth is endless. He can give without expectation of equivalent exchange or loyalty because he already has it all. He is free to do as he wishes with his wealth.
And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 8, Verses 2-3
A man, his skin marked by misfortune, comes before Jesus. He doesn’t even ask for healing; that is too much largesse for the likes of him. He merely expresses a possibility: the fact of Jesus’ power, which is not limited by difficulty but only by Jesus’ will. And Jesus, understanding the man’s hope, makes no demand of equivalent exchange, or of loyalty. There is only the free and unconditional healing, a gift with no strings attached. Out of His riches of power and compassion He scatters His gifts to any who will receive.
Is this not the marker of true wealth? Is this not the richest man in the world?
Wonderful!