Made seven figures from investments but told everyone I'm broke and drowning in debt

Introduction and Basics
1

I’ve been doing side gigs while working full time for several years now. I’m not someone who spends much money and I don’t have a girlfriend, so most of what I earned went into cryptocurrency and solid stock investments. Been at this since 2017 and always believed in Bitcoin despite all the negative talk. This past year I finally hit it big and reached seven figures for the first time in my life.

I was stupid and posted about it on social media because I was so excited. Should have kept quiet. That’s when all the problems started.

I live on my own now, but once my family found out about the money, they expected me to pay for household bills, groceries, my sibling’s school fees, and all sorts of expenses. My sibling wanted weekly allowance money and a new phone. When I said no, they blocked me on everything.

My close friend asked me to sponsor their wedding. I gave them some cash to avoid embarrassment. Then they messaged asking for a free laptop and other expensive stuff. Relatives either wanted loans or called me selfish when I refused to give them money.

So I had enough and came up with a plan.

I spread rumors that I got addicted to online gambling, owe money to loan apps, and debt collectors are after me. I even hired someone to call me pretending to be a collector when others were around. I also stopped using social media much and barely post anything anymore.

I went so far as to ask people for help, telling them I was drowning in debt from gambling addiction and needed small loans. But nobody helped. Suddenly I became invisible. Messages ignored. People avoiding me. This really showed me that most of them only cared when they could get something from me.

And you know what happened? PEACE. No more people bothering me for money, no more requests for expensive gadgets, no more being called greedy. My life is quiet now. Same simple lifestyle, still careful with money, but my investments have grown even more.

What I learned: when you get wealthy, stay silent about it. Sometimes you need to pretend you’re struggling financially just to have peace of mind.

2

That’s actually pretty clever, not gonna lie… but doesn’t it feel weird lying to everyone constantly? Do you worry about slipping up or getting caught?

What happens when you meet someone you actually want to trust - like a girlfriend or close friend? Building real relationships seems impossible when you’re always pretending to be broke.

I get why you did it though. People get greedy fast when they smell money. But don’t you miss celebrating your wins with people who actually care about you? Or maybe that’s the whole point - now you know who really cares.

Just curious if this is sustainable long-term or if you’ll eventually want some middle ground where you can be honest with at least a few people you trust?

3

For real! Wild how some people only show up when they need money. At least you can enjoy the peace without all that drama. Keep investing and stay low-key. Sounds like you learned something valuable here!

4

Been there after selling my startup (way less than seven figures though). Once word spread, distant cousins who hadn’t called in years suddenly had my number memorized. I screwed up by being too nice at first - handed out small loans that never came back and covered ‘emergencies’ that kept happening. Your gambling addiction story is brilliant. I just moved cities and stayed quiet about money, but your method probably works better if you’re stuck with the same crowd. Those fake debt collector calls are some serious commitment. What really hit me was how fast people vanished when they thought I needed help. Shows you who they really are better than anything else. Same thing happened to me - mentioned some trouble with a property deal and suddenly nobody had time for coffee or returned my calls. That peace of mind you’re talking about? Worth more than any relationship with people who just see you as a walking ATM. Just don’t accidentally cut off the genuinely good ones who might’ve just been weird about money instead of straight-up greedy.