![[ad] Fundraising Everywhere Trusts and Major Donors Conference December 2026](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/09/fundraising-everywhere-trusts-conference-202612-728x90-1.jpg)
The filthy rich, etc
Finbar Cullen | 18 March 2010 | Blogs
A recent (free) Wealth Bulletin newsletter referred to an extract from Felix Dennis’ new book – “88 The Narrow Road: A Brief Guide to the Getting of Money”. Describing himself as filthy rich, Dennis helpfully defines a few (High Net Worth) terms:
£1 million – £2 million The comfortable poor
£3 million – £4 million The comfortably off
Advertisement
£5 million – £4 million The comfortably wealthy
£16 million – £39 million The lesser rich
£40 million – £74 million The comfortably rich
£75 million – £99 million The rich
£100 million – £199 million The seriously rich
£200 million – £399 million The truly rich
£400 million – £999 million The filthy rich
Over £1 billion The super rich
While we probably need to be looking at wealthier people, particularly those with disposable assets, I would be loth to write off those in the lower tiers as potential major donors. I am frequently asked to look at “The comfortably wealthy” and above.
I wonder if these terms will catch on.
Finbar Cullen
ResearchPlus
- Ambassador for Philanthropy promotes philanthropy with website (25 March 2010)
- The Sunday Times Giving List 2010 (18 May 2010)
- Is Your Favorite Charity Spying On You? (30 July 2010)
About Finbar Cullen
Finbar Cullen established ResearchPlus in 2005 to provide fundraising research services for the not-for-profit sector. He researches people, companies and grant-making trusts and foundations, mostly in the UK, but also other parts of the world. Finbar has published directories of “unpublished” grant-making trusts (registered with the Charity Commission and with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator), and each month he contributes to The Trust List, highlighting newly registered grant-making trusts worthy of particularly close attention.