- Ultra-wealthy Americans are significantly increasing spending on personal and residential security, driven by fears of political instability, high-profile assassinations and major events like the COVID-19 pandemic and U.S. Capitol incident.
- Demand for security upgrades surged in October 2023 ahead of the presidential election, with companies like Fortified Estate reporting record-high sales of bulletproof fittings and panic rooms.
- The assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 intensified concerns, prompting CEOs and wealthy families to double or triple their security budgets.
- Advanced security technologies, including thermal cameras, armored doors, panic rooms and anti-drone systems, are being installed at homes and offices, with costs starting at the low millions.
The ultra-wealthy of the United States are significantly increasing their spending on personal and residential security.
A report by Bloomberg noted that this trend has been occurring for several years, at least since the beginning of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with the country's ultra-wealthy purchasing bulletproof fittings, panic rooms and other high-tech fortification upgrades for their homes as well as hiring the services of private security firms.
More recent surges have been noticed due to fears over political instability, and more recently following the high-profile assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month.
Fortified Estate, a company specializing in armored doors, bulletproof glass windows and other home security measures, noted that October, just ahead of the presidential election, was one of its busiest months on record. Founder Jon Harris attributed the heightened demand to uncertainty surrounding the election.
"People just weren't sure what was going to happen," he said.
Harris, who established the firm in 2018, has observed a steady rise in demand for home security among the super-rich, particularly during and after major events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd protests and the 2021 U.S. Capitol incident. These events have contributed to a growing sense of unease among wealthy individuals, prompting them to invest heavily in personal protection.
Russell Grey, director of Security Services International, noted that the installation of bulletproof glass in homes has become increasingly common over the past four years, particularly in the last 18 months.
"The political landscape has made people feel quite uneasy," Grey said. "They have this perception that there's an assassin on every street corner, but there's not."
Targeted killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO fuels concerns among ultra-wealthy
Thompson's assassination has only intensified concerns among the wealthy regarding the security of their persons and properties.
Thompson was gunned down outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan, allegedly by prime suspect Luigi Mangione, and the reaction to his assassination was received positively on social media. A poll even showed that, among people aged 18 to 29, 41 percent believed Thompson's killing was "acceptable" given his role as the head of one of the largest health insurance firms in the United States.
This incident has led to a new wave of spending on security, with many CEOs and wealthy families doubling or even tripling their security budgets. (Related: CEO's murder sparks security scramble in greed-driven healthcare industry.)
Matthias Fitzthum, founder of Bespoke Home & Yacht Security, reported a surge in inquiries from executives seeking to install fortified rooms at their offices and security hardware at their homes. The demand includes thermal security cameras, armored doors and windows, panic rooms, sensors for valuable artwork, anti-drone systems, gas detection systems and other advanced security technologies. Fitzthum noted that the cost of such installations typically starts at $1.5 million.
The trend is not limited to residential security; wealthy individuals in ungated communities are also pooling resources to hire private police forces for their homes.
In the Hamptons, for example, sprawling estates are being equipped with infrared and robotic cameras, allowing homeowners to monitor their properties remotely. Similarly, multimillion-dollar homes in Los Angeles and San Francisco are being fitted with fortified panic rooms and bulletproof glass windows.
Watch this video from Benny Johnson explaining how Luigi Mangione's defense is claiming police planted evidence against him.
This video is from the Sanivan channel on Brighteon.com.
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