Episode
Byron Tully: The Secret Life of Old Money: What Wealthy Families Know That They Don't Talk About
- Published
- Jun 22, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4116
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Summary
Find me on Substack! This is a summer classic — a re-release of an enhanced audio episode that originally aired in 2023, now among the most listened-to Talking Billions episodes of all time. If you missed it, this is your moment. If you've heard it before, welcome back. Over the years, I've had the pleasure of spending time with Byron Tully beyond this microphone — in person at a Parisian café, and on Zoom — and he joined the show a second time as well. His writing continues to find new readers around the world, and for good reason. Byron Tully is the author of The Old Money Book — with over 700 five-star reviews on Amazon — a grandson of a newspaper publisher, son of an oil industry executive, and a Paris-based writer who has spent a decade translating the time-tested values of America's wealth-preserving upper class into an accessible, practical guide for anyone willing to embrace them. https://theoldmoneybook.com/ 3:00 — Byron shares his upbringing outside Houston, TX: comfortable, only child, grandfather in newspapers, father in oil. Grandfather's early advice: "You're gonna have to learn how to manage your behavior." 5:30 — Byron meets his wife from Boston; gets "neck deep" in old money culture — three-plus generations of wealth, manners, education, and core values. 8:00 — The 2008 financial crisis revelation: L.A. friends who "looked rich" — Beamers, McMansions — lost everything. Boston friends? Unaffected. Flash vs. substance. His wife tells him to stop complaining and write the book. 12:00 — Key insight: you don't need money to adopt old money values. The irony — follow the values and you'll start accumulating money because you stop chasing the next product. "The real awakening is to see money as an option-generating... freedo…