A privatier () also known as independently wealthy is someone who does not have to work to make a living, and who lives off their assets of some size, e.g.

interest In finance and economics, interest is payment from a debtor or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum (that is, the amount borrowed), at a particular rate. It is distinct f ...

, profits from

investments Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...

, real estate and

current asset In accounting, a current asset is an asset that can reasonably be expected to be sold, consumed, or exhausted through the normal operations of a business within the current fiscal year, operating cycle, or financial year. In simple terms, current ...

s. Sometimes, the title is used by affluent businessmen after they have wholly or largely retired from their former activity. For example, in

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

's 1901 novel ''

Buddenbrooks ''Buddenbrooks'' () is a 1901 novel by Thomas Mann, chronicling the decline of a wealthy north German merchant family over the course of four generations, incidentally portraying the manner of life and mores of the Hanseatic bourgeoisie in th ...

'', the character Alois Permaneder, a former merchant, uses this title after his marriage to Tony Buddenbrook after receiving a substantial

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

from her wealthy family, at which point he retires from business.

: ''

'', part 6, chapter 8, Frankfurt 1974

References

French words and phrases German words and phrases Business occupations Social class in Germany Social history Social groups {{Wealth-stub