Good morning! Over at Savvy Scott, we’re discussing whether you should up your Christmas gift game as your income increases.

When you think of Guatemala, you probably imagine tiny huts, dirt roads, and kids who can’t go to school—a picture of poverty. But if you’re rich in Guatemala, you are VERY rich. Guatemala ranks high on the Gini index, which measures income inequality, only surpassed by a few countries in southern Africa. Here are a few jaw-dropping examples of wealth I’ve seen firsthand:

Commute by Helicopter: The traffic in Guatemala City is awful because the city has grown rapidly, and more people can afford cars now. So, some rich folks fly to work. They have helipads in their gardens or on top of their buildings and land on their office buildings’ roofs.

Private Planes Galore: Guatemala reportedly has the second-highest number of private jets and helicopters per capita in the world. While drug lords might contribute to this, most are owned by wealthy individuals. Roads outside the city are in bad shape, and averaging 40 miles per hour is considered good. So, the rich prefer flying to their holiday destinations 200 miles away, though many accidents happen due to partying pilots.

Cash for Houses: When rich people get married, their parents often buy them houses worth $500,000 to $750,000. Mortgages are rare; they usually use just credit cards.

Bodyguards for Safety: Due to a history of kidnappings, many rich people still have bodyguards, even if this can be quite tedious. Ironically, these bodyguards sometimes plot the abductions since they know the employer’s routine and house well. Fancy restaurants often have armed guards waiting outside in tinted cars.

Extravagant Weddings: When the rich get married, they do it big. I heard of a wedding where the flowers alone cost $25,000. It’s common not to have a seating chart but to invite as many people as you want, and they might bring guests too. A 500-800 person wedding is typical.

Miami Trips: Miami is like a second home to rich Guatemalans who usually own a pied-à-terre there. They fly over three or four times a year mainly to shop because they feel Guatemalan stores don’t offer what they want or fear someone else wearing the same thing. They rarely explore their own beautiful country.

Selective Social Circles: Rich families stick together. From daycare, everything is arranged so they only interact with others of their kind. There are only a few acceptable schools and colleges. When dating, your last name becomes crucial for social approval. Unless parents approve of your partner’s background, no wedding will happen.

Pinterest-Perfect Homes: These homes look like something straight out of Pinterest—always pristine, with lots of nice stuff that never gets used. While I appreciate colonial decor, I prefer homes that look lived in, where kids’ fingerprints and cozy furniture tell stories.

One-Time Use Dresses: It’s a faux pas to wear the same dress to more than one wedding or event. Women buy a new dress for every occasion, usually in Miami, or get one tailor-made. Borrowing a dress from a friend is acceptable but never wearing the same one twice.

Never Worked a Day: Many wealthy individuals have never worked, having inherited their fortune. There’s a saying about the rapid decline of wealth: “hard-working grandfather, rich son, panhandler grandson.” Maintaining a lavish lifestyle with private jets and extravagant weddings drains money quickly.

Millionaire Definition: To be a local millionaire, you need around $130,000. However, a friend with a net worth of about $6 million considers “millionaires” as those with at least $10 million. Some appear low-key but have significant wealth, while others have hundreds of millions.

Luxurious Homes: Typical homes have at least four bedrooms and six bathrooms, with walk-in closets and private bathrooms for each room. Bigger homes have additional bathrooms for guests, in-law suites, and service rooms for house staff.

Huge Apartments: Luxury apartments can be enormous, with one-bedroom apartments being as large as five-bedroom homes in Paris. Medium-sized homes are around 5,000 square feet, with some exceeding 10,000 square feet.

While flaunting wealth can be enjoyable, it’s disheartening to see how quickly the hard-earned money of previous generations gets spent on such trivialities.

What do you think? Is this typical rich behavior? Is $10,000,000 the new $1,000,000?