Kevin O'Leary, the "Shark Tank" investor known as Mr. Wonderful, opened up about a costly luxury watch gift that initially angered his wife but ultimately became one of her favorite pieces, sharing key lessons on high-stakes gifting.
O'Leary recounted in a post on X and a video clip that he bought his wife a rare Tiffany-stamped Patek Philippe, assuming she would love it.
"I made the arrogant assumption that I knew exactly what my wife wanted… I bought her a very rare Tiffany-stamped Patek. I was wrong," he said.
The initial reaction was far from what he expected. "She was really pissed at me," O'Leary admitted.
Over the next 90 days, her perception changed as friends and family admired the timepiece.
"As a result of hundreds of compliments from her friends who begged to just touch it… she changed her mind. Yeah. And it's one of her most popular pieces," he added.
O'Leary emphasized that this experience reshaped how he approaches gifting watches, especially to family members.
"But now I’m very cautious about that, including my daughter, you know, immediate family members. But I also gift a lot of pieces to my corporate relationships," he said.
Earlier this month, O'Leary credited his wife's and mother's financial guidance for his fortune, emphasizing restraint and self-control in spending.
He shared that one rule his wife enforced was, "Don't buy that. We don't need it," noting that resisting unnecessary purchases often separates the wealthy from those who struggle.
O'Leary also advised first-time high earners to save at least 15% of their income and invest it early, letting compound growth work over time.
He highlighted that consistent contributions to an S&P 500 index fund could turn annual savings into seven-figure wealth by retirement, reinforcing the value of disciplined investing.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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