A word of caution to all of you potential Surprise Millionaires out there; not everyone is going to understand your values or goals of wealth accumulation, security, and philanthropy.
It appears that the news outlets didn’t understand George Konnight either; a man who passed away in 2014 with a more than $3 million estate.
Mr. Konnight was described as a “recluse” living in a “battered” house who was actually found to be a millionaire. They described the man as a poorly dressed hermit living a life of poverty while sitting on top of millions. They also supplied pictures to prove it. 
However, I see something completely different in those pictures. I see a man who was dressed comfortably for a rural northern lifestyle living on a beautiful well-maintained wooded property. Though they claimed the house had no heat, the pictures make it obvious that the home most likely contained a wood burning stove; not practical for New York City but very common further north.
This gentleman was elderly and most probably found it difficult to obtain replacement items for his household (such as lightbulbs) but by no means was he living a substandard lifestyle as proclaimed by the news story. 
Until the news media does a better job of reporting on these individuals, the Surprise Millionaires will continue to be a misunderstood bunch.
The general public (and main stream media) vilifies this lifestyle because they need to.
There are record high luxery item sales and record low savings rates. Fresh college grads are driving BMWs, carrying Louis Vuitton bags while drowning in debt.
The general public would need to regulate their immediate gratification which is something they are unwilling and unable to do.
You are exactly right!
The media has lost it’s power to influence so it needs to attract ad $ by getting lots of attention. Viewership is more important than content.
I agree completely.