The first of two consecutive "better than" sayings; verse 17 makes the same trade with a different currency.
Quick answer
A small amount held in the fear of the LORD beats a fortune that comes with turmoil attached. The comparison is not money against poverty but package against package.
Read both lines
"Better than" proverbs work by refusing to compare single variables. Nobody prefers less to more; the verse asks you to weigh what travels with each amount. On one side, a little plus the fear of the LORD, which this book has taught since 1:7 as orientation rather than dread. On the other, great treasure plus "trouble," the same disorder that spoils the wicked man's revenue two verses back at 15:6. The proverb does not condemn wealth, and Proverbs elsewhere treats it as a real good. It insists only that treasure is never the whole invoice, and that what comes bundled with it can cost more than the treasure is worth.
Related: Proverbs 16:8 · Proverbs 15:6 · Proverbs 30:8–9
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. Full copyright information. Scripture provided by API.Bible.
Go Deeper
If this verse has been used to put weight on you that it was never carrying, ask about it directly.