A finance expert has lifted the lid on the subtle signs that someone might be quietly wealthy.

Queenie Tan, 28, said the truly wealthy rarely look ‘the part’, and instead are often the most ‘ordinary’ people quietly sitting on serious money.

She says they have ‘more than just a house’, they buy a ‘good enough’ car not a flashy one and they value ‘freedom more than things’.

The mum of one, who currently resides in Sydneyisn’t hard up herself. She boasts over 400,000 social media followers, owns her own home, and shares a net worth of $770,000 with her husband in stocks and shares.

In a new video that’s quickly racked up thousands of views, Queenie reflected on her own upbringing and the lessons she learned from her father, who retired early to become a full-time single parent.

‘But growing up I never felt like we were rich,’ she told her followers.

‘He drove this really old car from the 80s, I went to public schools, and we never took holidays. I used to be embarrassed but now I realise we were rich in ways that I didn’t appreciate at the time.’

That childhood, she said, completely shaped her view of money and what it means to be financially secure.

While she once saw wealth as something tied to big houses, designer clothes and expensive holidays, she now believes it’s about stability and choice, plus the freedom to live life on her own terms.

‘The secretly wealthy invest in other things like stocks and real estate that can grow in value and pay them income,’ she explained, adding that her father’s approach to money taught her that true financial security doesn’t come from a flashy lifestyle, but from what you do with what you have.

Rather than relying solely on a job, Queenie said those who are wealthy often have multiple income streams and prefer to let their money grow in the background.

‘It’s about having your money work for you, not the other way around,’ she said.

‘The secretly wealthy invest in other things like stocks and real estate that can grow in value and pay them income.’

And her father’s old car, which once left her cringing, is another lesson that’s stuck with her and she understands it now.

‘He didn’t care what people thought, but now I still prefer something a bit more modern.’

It’s a simple but telling difference, she said – truly wealthy people don’t buy things to impress others.

They understand that the moment you drive a new car off the lot, it’s losing value. Instead, they put their money into things that appreciate over time.

But perhaps the biggest lesson of all came from her dad’s attitude towards work.

‘My dad said the best feeling was showing up to work and knowing that he didn’t actually need that job,’ she said.

‘But now I still like spending money on travel and things that bring me joy, while still prioritising financial freedom too.’

It’s a philosophy that’s resonated with thousands of Australians online, especially as the cost of living crisis forces many to reconsider what real financial success looks like.

‘The wealthy don’t flash their money around, they have freedom to do what they want to do when they want to do it,’ one follower commented.

‘They do whatever they like, go wherever they want, and spend the time how they wish,’ another wrote.

Queenie, a licensed personal finance content creator, said building wealth doesn’t have to be ‘complicated’ or ‘time-consuming’ either.

She and her fiancé earn extra cash by selling unused items around their home on Facebook Marketplace.

‘Last year, Pablo and I made $6,011 by selling items we don’t use anymore,’ she said.

‘We sold things like baby items, furniture when we were moving, camera equipment and a drone Pablo didn’t use anymore.’

Queenie also said she has set up a system where a portion of her income is automatically invested every four weeks, eliminating the need to it manually.

‘Each month 20 per cent of my pay gets invested automatically into ETFs,’ she said.

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are a type of investment fund that is traded on a stock exchange, similar to stocks.

‘Here’s some math: $1,500 invested per month with an eight per cent yearly return turns into more than $110,215 after just five years,’ Queenie explained.