Give a character an ultra-high net worth, and you've given them a bank balance. Give that character the belief that every door will open, and you've given them a personality. That's where writing about serious money becomes intriguing, because wealth teaches people what to expect.

Consider F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, where Jay Gatsby's fortune arrives with a performance attached. His parties turn a Long Island mansion into a spectacle, as he hopes to reach Daisy Buchanan, the woman he wants back. Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, moves through the same world with inherited privilege working in his favor. Both men have astonishing money, yet each expects a different reception when he enters a room.

These things are perfect launching boards for a writer when they decide what their character considers normal.

With inherited wealth, confidence often shows up as a curious lack of performance. Your old-money character might wear the same watch for thirty years, certain its value needs no introduction. They might describe a family estate as “the place up north,” speaking casually about it. Let that ease come through in their dialogue, where a lifetime of familiarity makes a fortune seem ordinary.

New money gives you another starting point through the pleasure of being seen. A character who made a fortune might order expensive champagne because everyone recognizes the label. It's likely they know what is expensive and impressive, but not how it actually tastes. Chances are, they might not even like it. Choices like these tell us how that person wants their success to be understood.

Perceived class becomes interesting when these characters meet as financial equals. Imagine an entrepreneur mentioning the price of a painting, only for the heir to ask about the artist. Both exchanges are totally natural with the difference being in what each finds worth pointing out. In the prose, the entrepreneur notices the shiny surfaces, while the heir pays little attention. They experience a completely different way of being judged as rich.

For writers, researching these differences can be rather entertaining in itself. Find out who handles the smallest inconveniences, since that person may explain how the household really operates. Look into the rules surrounding inherited property; they can influence someone's choices long after the original owner has died. Research the neighborhood as carefully as the residence, since an established family address can carry decades of social history.

And please give your wealthy characters room to surprise the reader. Old money can produce generosity shaped by obligation, while a recent fortune can inspire a fear of losing everything. Someone who inherited a great deal might resent the role that inheritance demands. The person who built a business might study the etiquette of inherited wealth, determined to appear as comfortable as someone raised within it.

Before you finish, try reading a passage about your wealthy character with every mention of money removed. Their personality should still carry the influence of the life they've lived. After all, the number of zeroes might establish the fortune, but it's your understanding of the person behind it that makes the character worth reading about.