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THE BILLIONAIRE
When I was a kid one of my goals was to one day become a millionaire. In fact there was a T.V. show back then called “The Millionaire”, where a rich benefactor would anonymously endow a deserving but unsuspecting individual with a check for one million dollars. Wow, back then there was nothing you couldn’t buy if you were a millionaire. Today a million a $1.65 will buy you a cup of coffee. Ok, so inflation has diminished the stature and purchasing power of you average millionaire, it’s still a lot of money to have at one time. Heck, if your making fifty grand a year and you don’t spend any of it, it would still take you 20 years of hard work just to accumulate that much dough. It seems like millionaires were few and far between back then.
Today, millionaires are a dime a dozen. It’s just not that hard to cross the million dollar net worth threshold anymore. Today the club is easily open to small businessmen, athletes, real estate investors, lottery winners, day traders, and Wal Mart secretaries that held on to their employer issued stock. And the truth is, a million just doesn’t buy what is used to. Lets say you won a million on the scratch off lottery last week. Before you even touched the money, old uncle Sam would have his greedy little paws out and sort’a pay role deduct, his cut of the take. So now you left with about a cool $600 grand. Still a lot of money, but not really enough to retire in comfort. Lets say you’re the calculating, save some for tomorrow type ( I’d blow it all in one crazy weekend in Vegas, more on that latter) and in fact you drew down at the rate of $50 grand a year (assuming you had no interest or investment income, for you accountants out there), you be back bagging groceries in as few as 12 years.
Almost got off track there for a minute . After all I titled this little read, “The Billionaire”. Or as Doctor Evil would say, “ONE BILLLLION Dollars”. Anyway, the list of the world’s billionaires is growing every year. Gates, Buffet, some Chinese guys, and a ton of sheiks, prince(s) (not really sure what the proper plural pronunciation for a flock of prince(s) is), kings, oil barons, heads of state, computer geeks, an other assorted people with bad hairdos and no manners, with the last name that rhymes with Pump. (wonder if I’M FIRED, for that)
The real zinger here, is not only do these guys have a billion dollars (which we already established is a hell of a lotta money), they are now in competition to see who has the most multiples of 50 and 100 billion…Now that’s a sum greater then the total net worth of most small countries, and probably approaching what John Edwards spends on hair cuts. Listen, I gotta tell ya, I’m a real red blooded, dyed in the wool capitalist, but what the hell do you need with a billion dollars. I mean, go out and buy yourself a $65 million dollar estate with a fancy name, you can even have kid’s rides and merry go rounds (oops..better not go there). Buy your self a dozen or so luxury cars, a vacation house in Malibu and London, get you one of those stretch limo’s and a 747 with your name and logo on the side. Throw in a $100 million dollar yacht, a few high priced call girls, a personal trainer, and a weekly coffee enema, and you still haven’t even spent the first billion.
Next, set up your own charity, for disabled and dyslectic Sholin monks…just to make yourself feel a little better about the fact that you have a personal net worth, that exceeds the entire U.S. budget for cancer research, college grants, and amour vest for our troops. But, I understand….hey you worked hard for the money and
God knows, with the price of Starbucks and everything…you just might need it all
Until Later
P.I.B
When I was a kid one of my goals was to one day become a millionaire. In fact there was a T.V. show back then called “The Millionaire”, where a rich benefactor would anonymously endow a deserving but unsuspecting individual with a check for one million dollars. Wow, back then there was nothing you couldn’t buy if you were a millionaire. Today a million a $1.65 will buy you a cup of coffee. Ok, so inflation has diminished the stature and purchasing power of you average millionaire, it’s still a lot of money to have at one time. Heck, if your making fifty grand a year and you don’t spend any of it, it would still take you 20 years of hard work just to accumulate that much dough. It seems like millionaires were few and far between back then.
Today, millionaires are a dime a dozen. It’s just not that hard to cross the million dollar net worth threshold anymore. Today the club is easily open to small businessmen, athletes, real estate investors, lottery winners, day traders, and Wal Mart secretaries that held on to their employer issued stock. And the truth is, a million just doesn’t buy what is used to. Lets say you won a million on the scratch off lottery last week. Before you even touched the money, old uncle Sam would have his greedy little paws out and sort’a pay role deduct, his cut of the take. So now you left with about a cool $600 grand. Still a lot of money, but not really enough to retire in comfort. Lets say you’re the calculating, save some for tomorrow type ( I’d blow it all in one crazy weekend in Vegas, more on that latter) and in fact you drew down at the rate of $50 grand a year (assuming you had no interest or investment income, for you accountants out there), you be back bagging groceries in as few as 12 years.
Almost got off track there for a minute . After all I titled this little read, “The Billionaire”. Or as Doctor Evil would say, “ONE BILLLLION Dollars”. Anyway, the list of the world’s billionaires is growing every year. Gates, Buffet, some Chinese guys, and a ton of sheiks, prince(s) (not really sure what the proper plural pronunciation for a flock of prince(s) is), kings, oil barons, heads of state, computer geeks, an other assorted people with bad hairdos and no manners, with the last name that rhymes with Pump. (wonder if I’M FIRED, for that)
The real zinger here, is not only do these guys have a billion dollars (which we already established is a hell of a lotta money), they are now in competition to see who has the most multiples of 50 and 100 billion…Now that’s a sum greater then the total net worth of most small countries, and probably approaching what John Edwards spends on hair cuts. Listen, I gotta tell ya, I’m a real red blooded, dyed in the wool capitalist, but what the hell do you need with a billion dollars. I mean, go out and buy yourself a $65 million dollar estate with a fancy name, you can even have kid’s rides and merry go rounds (oops..better not go there). Buy your self a dozen or so luxury cars, a vacation house in Malibu and London, get you one of those stretch limo’s and a 747 with your name and logo on the side. Throw in a $100 million dollar yacht, a few high priced call girls, a personal trainer, and a weekly coffee enema, and you still haven’t even spent the first billion.
Next, set up your own charity, for disabled and dyslectic Sholin monks…just to make yourself feel a little better about the fact that you have a personal net worth, that exceeds the entire U.S. budget for cancer research, college grants, and amour vest for our troops. But, I understand….hey you worked hard for the money and
God knows, with the price of Starbucks and everything…you just might need it all
Until Later
P.I.B
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