Are you sure you aren't thinking of "Noble House"? That's the one that takes place in the sixties. In it, Casey Tcholok tells her boss she's looking for "drop dead" money, which is once also referred to as "screw you" money.

Tai-pan is the original story of Dirk struan in the 1800's, and I didn't think the concept came up there at all.

It goes back further, at least in concept:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/03/29/the-king-of-th...

Classic book. Love the whole Clavell series, which follows some of these families over the years.