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- Story Listed as: True Life For Adults
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Life Experience
- Published: 09/02/2022
Rich?
Born 1947, M, from Germantown/Ohio, United StatesI'm not "rich" but here's an interesting look at how it might play out. :-)
A billion dollars? So you are rich now. You always yearned for financial independence. Quite understandable, yes? ….. or as the French would say ….. no?
All the suffering you have endured throughout your life has now been rewarded. There were times when you could not see the end of the financial tunnel. Now you have blown right through the end of that tunnel and into the bright sunlight.
The long, long list of dreams about things you wanted to do are now fully accessible and waiting to be engaged.
Scotland for golf lasting a month? Sure.
A New York city one month vacation staying at the Plaza and seeing all the top Broadway shows from the best seats, eating only at the best restaurants? Why not.
A six-million-dollar wedding for your daughter, with Coldplay for entertainment, and David Letterman as host? Well within reach.
Your own private multi-million-dollar plane and list of private pilots for all of your travels. On it.
Let’s do the math. You would need to spend $13,388,888 and month for 60 years to exhaust the one billion dollars. Let’s say that again ….. thirteen mil a month for 60 years. Seems impossible unless you are trying to buy one or a fleet of F-35s.
So, that’s the good news, right? ….. now the bad.
What is also now accessible to you are the things that were formerly impossible for you to engage, but you never had to worry about saying “no” to because they were infeasible, and you never would have been asked.
So now you actually need to avoid and say “no” to:
A one-month trip across Europe with three knock-your-eyes-out escorts, each receiving a $500,000 signing bonus and a $2,000,000 bonus each for completing the trip. Best hotels, best restaurants, best shows, best attractions and …. best sex drugs.
Yeah ….. you now actually need to say “no” to that ….. because it is sitting right in front of you.
Needless to say ….. if you actually need to go out of your way to avoid that ….. there is an endless list of other things, that or worse, that you actually need to consciously avoid by saying “no” ….. instead of just not giving it a thought since it was infeasible ….. and inaccessible to begin with.
So, how about your family life? Just ask the Kennedys. They have a place in Hyannis Port ….. no wait ….. it’s not a “place” ….. it’s a “compound.” A heavily guarded facility to hopefully avoid tragic, unexpected death N+1, or attempted kidnapping in the Kennedy family.
How about your kids? Well, that public school they now attend may be infeasible. They now are subject to kidnapping risk …. Ask the Gettys. Would the private school be any safer? Maybe it resolves to home schooling and restricted access to their friends. What about attending basketball, football, soccer games, or participating in practices at school in the evenings?
How about your brother and his family? Would they be placed in kidnapping risk? Very likely. So they also, as you, can no longer go to the grocery, see a movie, see a play, attend a game of any sort without at least bodyguards or maybe being restricted from attending at all. Not to mention that his kids would now likely be under the same restrictions as your kids. Your ….. brother’s gonna’ to Love ya.’
How about your home privacy. You no longer have a public phone to “hang up on” the countless callers, some legitimate, some not, seeking a portion of your thirteen mil/month for the next 60 years.
Want to go to your favorite restaurant? Probably not.
Of course you can go to all the A-list only heavily protected vacation spots. But, do you really think, it’s going to be you DeNiro, Denzel, Scarlet J, Brad, Angelina, et. all, sitting in a room laughing and enjoying each other? Unlikely.
You could probably “do more” with ten million than you could with a billion. You would be way, way down on the kidnapping list, easily hide your ten million, your kids smiling coming home with their friends from their private or even public school. You are doing your own yard work without looking over your shoulder, going to the grocery, attending games with your kids, your kids playing sports.
Your brother and his family living life unencumbered by the additional risk and life inconvenience described under the one billion scenario. In this scenario he really will love you.
You hear many discussions about lottery winners that do not track well. Does some of the above play into that difficulty staying on the rails?
Some say “Money makes the world go around” ….. others say ….. “Money is the root of all evil”
But how could you know how it really plays ….. unless you’re one billion dollar ….. rich?
Rich?(Tom Keltner)
I'm not "rich" but here's an interesting look at how it might play out. :-)
A billion dollars? So you are rich now. You always yearned for financial independence. Quite understandable, yes? ….. or as the French would say ….. no?
All the suffering you have endured throughout your life has now been rewarded. There were times when you could not see the end of the financial tunnel. Now you have blown right through the end of that tunnel and into the bright sunlight.
The long, long list of dreams about things you wanted to do are now fully accessible and waiting to be engaged.
Scotland for golf lasting a month? Sure.
A New York city one month vacation staying at the Plaza and seeing all the top Broadway shows from the best seats, eating only at the best restaurants? Why not.
A six-million-dollar wedding for your daughter, with Coldplay for entertainment, and David Letterman as host? Well within reach.
Your own private multi-million-dollar plane and list of private pilots for all of your travels. On it.
Let’s do the math. You would need to spend $13,388,888 and month for 60 years to exhaust the one billion dollars. Let’s say that again ….. thirteen mil a month for 60 years. Seems impossible unless you are trying to buy one or a fleet of F-35s.
So, that’s the good news, right? ….. now the bad.
What is also now accessible to you are the things that were formerly impossible for you to engage, but you never had to worry about saying “no” to because they were infeasible, and you never would have been asked.
So now you actually need to avoid and say “no” to:
A one-month trip across Europe with three knock-your-eyes-out escorts, each receiving a $500,000 signing bonus and a $2,000,000 bonus each for completing the trip. Best hotels, best restaurants, best shows, best attractions and …. best sex drugs.
Yeah ….. you now actually need to say “no” to that ….. because it is sitting right in front of you.
Needless to say ….. if you actually need to go out of your way to avoid that ….. there is an endless list of other things, that or worse, that you actually need to consciously avoid by saying “no” ….. instead of just not giving it a thought since it was infeasible ….. and inaccessible to begin with.
So, how about your family life? Just ask the Kennedys. They have a place in Hyannis Port ….. no wait ….. it’s not a “place” ….. it’s a “compound.” A heavily guarded facility to hopefully avoid tragic, unexpected death N+1, or attempted kidnapping in the Kennedy family.
How about your kids? Well, that public school they now attend may be infeasible. They now are subject to kidnapping risk …. Ask the Gettys. Would the private school be any safer? Maybe it resolves to home schooling and restricted access to their friends. What about attending basketball, football, soccer games, or participating in practices at school in the evenings?
How about your brother and his family? Would they be placed in kidnapping risk? Very likely. So they also, as you, can no longer go to the grocery, see a movie, see a play, attend a game of any sort without at least bodyguards or maybe being restricted from attending at all. Not to mention that his kids would now likely be under the same restrictions as your kids. Your ….. brother’s gonna’ to Love ya.’
How about your home privacy. You no longer have a public phone to “hang up on” the countless callers, some legitimate, some not, seeking a portion of your thirteen mil/month for the next 60 years.
Want to go to your favorite restaurant? Probably not.
Of course you can go to all the A-list only heavily protected vacation spots. But, do you really think, it’s going to be you DeNiro, Denzel, Scarlet J, Brad, Angelina, et. all, sitting in a room laughing and enjoying each other? Unlikely.
You could probably “do more” with ten million than you could with a billion. You would be way, way down on the kidnapping list, easily hide your ten million, your kids smiling coming home with their friends from their private or even public school. You are doing your own yard work without looking over your shoulder, going to the grocery, attending games with your kids, your kids playing sports.
Your brother and his family living life unencumbered by the additional risk and life inconvenience described under the one billion scenario. In this scenario he really will love you.
You hear many discussions about lottery winners that do not track well. Does some of the above play into that difficulty staying on the rails?
Some say “Money makes the world go around” ….. others say ….. “Money is the root of all evil”
But how could you know how it really plays ….. unless you’re one billion dollar ….. rich?
- Share this story on
- 5
Shelly Garrod
07/19/2023Happy Short Story Star of the Week Tom. Read it again and enjoyed it just as much!
Blessings Shelly
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
07/17/2023Hey Tom,
Loved this. In fact, we just had that discussion on our walk this morning. The Lottery is way up there... and because I took Math in College, I don't buy Lottery tickets. My Statistics Class showed me you have a slightly better chance of winning the lottery without a ticket. LOL (Not true, but funny.)
It turns out, that when we look at our life, we don't have any "needs" just "wants." We have a roof over our heads, enought to eat, and some pleasantries like: a computer, cell phone, AC, and car. I fiigure I need about $70,000 and I could carry out all my "dream things."
Taking the Queen Mary over and back to England, so I can catch the trains to visit my friends. And some money for Hotels and stuff while over there. Then some money for a nice used luxury car for me to travel the USA in. And enough left over to treat friends, kids and grandkids to dinner once in a while. That's it. So no billions needed. LOL
Loved this story...quite the conversation starter.
Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
07/17/2023Very thought provoking supposition! Im not sure the perks outwiegh the nays of being rich! Im prettynsure mynuses formthe money would be philinthropic in nature. Wonderful syory and as always well written! A most deserving short story star of the week!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Tom Keltner
07/17/2023Lillian, you very well could be among those who could handle the situation, despite its challenges.
Thanks again for your kind words.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
JD
07/16/2023I definitely think there are a LOT of drawbacks to being rich, or famous, or both. Might be nice to have a bit of extra in the pocket and not have to worry about the future, financially, but I would definitely not wish to be rich or famous. Thanks for the thought provoking read, Tom. Happy short story star of the week.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Tom Keltner
07/17/2023Thanks JD. I'm sure many manage the situation ...... but it seems challenging.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Shelly Garrod
11/10/2022Wow, this is an amazing story. Well done Tom. Money is great but all that money and the headache that comesl
Blessings Shelly
COMMENTS (6)