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I've searched online dictionaries but I couldn't find the meaning of

be from money.

The example is:

To anyone who doesn’t know who Matthew is, they just come across as a well-heeled, successful couple. But Matthew is from money, and lots of it.

The full text is here:

She gets dressed quickly in a simple but elegantly cut dress. Everything she wears flatters her. Genetics has been kind to her, and she now has the money to make the most of what she’s been given. Matthew is a warm, generous man, and she’s very much in love with him. Of course, the money doesn’t hurt. She thinks often of how lucky she is, of how awful it must be for most women—to marry and have children on a budget. She’s well aware that she and Matthew have a charmed life. She’s not going to apologize for it. But she’s certainly not going to rub anyone’s nose in it either. She knows what it’s like to want—to want desperately—things that you can’t have. To anyone who doesn’t know who Matthew is, they just come across as a well-heeled, successful couple. But Matthew is from money, and lots of it.

Also, does the word "but" in "But Matthew is from money..." suggest that maybe he is personally not rich?

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To me, it sounds like a variation of to come from money (M-W):

Definition of come from money
: to have a rich family • His wife comes from money.

The writer is saying that Matthew's family is very rich. It does not refer to Matthew and his wife (the couple). It refers to his parents and his lineage.

To answer your other question (in the edit): no, it's contrasting people's perception of Matthew with his actual history. The author says that they come across as (= appear to be) a "well-heeled, successful couple". This suggests that they became wealthy on their own, without help. But, the truth is that Matthew's family was rich. The author is suggesting that Matthew did not become wealthy on his own.

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  • I find the "but" a little confusing. It makes the most sense if the intended contrast is with the unnamed wife's non-moneyed upbringing. She grew up poor, but her husband is from money. The comment about them appearing well-heeled, although interjected before the but, I think is not likely what's meant to be contrasted.
    – CCTO
    Commented Aug 8, 2018 at 20:07
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    @CCTO I read it exactly as Em explained: the "But" is contrasting Matthew's actual financial circumstances (very wealthy due to lots of family money) with what "anyone who doesn’t know who Matthew is" would assume about the couple (that they're "just" well-off from their own success). The wife's background is only included to explain why she lets people assume that, instead of flaunting just how rich they are ("she’s certainly not going to rub anyone’s nose in it").
    – 1006a
    Commented Aug 8, 2018 at 21:09
  • I don't know the story, but the way it's written looks like possible foreshadowing. Other people assume they're successful - but she knows they're just lucky. She's aware that one string of misfortune could bring any such "charmed life" crashing down. Does he also understand this, or does he take his inherited wealth for granted? If they do suffer a change in fortune, will he know how to cope? Can they expect any help from the people who assume they're an invincible power-couple?
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 8:34

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