Inside The Secret Lives of The Ultra-Rich

If you earned a dollar per second, it would take you approximately 11 and a half days to make one million dollars, but it would take you over 31 and a half years to make one billion dollars. Wealth can be thought of in terms of rich or poor, but there are arguably five different levels of rich, and each level brings significant changes. The difference between what a millionaire and a billionaire can do is staggering, and in this video, we will explore the lifestyles of the ultra-rich at each of these different wealth levels. We will delve into how the ultra-rich spend their money, including some of the most bizarre and extravagant purchases you have ever heard of. However, one of the most significant changes that happen at each of these wealth levels is perspective, as prices feel relative to how much you earn. For example, a Lamborghini that costs $300,000 to a billionaire is equivalent to spending $30 to someone earning $40,000 a year.

The first level of rich is the top 1%, which technically includes anyone with an income over $200,000 a year. While this phrase is synonymous with being extremely rich, you may not feel quite as rich as you would think, as higher costs come with owning a nice house and car. Beyond this level, wealth is measured in net worth rather than income because the more wealth you have, the more assets you have. The next level of rich is a net worth of $10 million to $30 million, where your needs are met, and you can live comfortably. At this level, you still have to be careful when it comes to big decisions. The next level is a net worth of $30 million to $100 million, where you start playing in the big leagues. Most likely, you run or have a controlling interest in a very large company, stay at five-star hotels, have multiple residences around the world, and take holidays during prime time.

When you are staying in a place that costs $10,000 to $20,000 per night, you have personal assistance and access to people who can connect you to others. You can purchase anything that normal people consider to be items that only rich people buy, such as fancy cars, jewelry, and more. Instead of flying first class, you fly on private planes. However, you usually charter a flight or own a private jet fractionally through a service like NetJets rather than buying it outright and having to maintain it. Another significant change that occurs at this level of wealth is your social circle. You begin to socialize with congressmen, senators, and community leaders and are highly respected within high-class circles. Interestingly, since you are likely surrounded by other ultra-wealthy people, you may start to feel like you do not have enough. Even though you may have bought a new Ferrari, your friend has a limited edition version where only five were ever made. Although you had dinner with a local governor, your billionaire friend had dinner with the president. Even at this level, people are still looking to achieve more, which brings us to the next level of wealth, which is a net worth of $100 million to $1 billion. At this level, you likely own or control a business that most people have heard of, even if they haven't heard of you directly.

You can socialize with movie stars, rock stars, and corporate elites, and you can travel anywhere you want in style. You have multiple residences with staff all over the world and elite cars at every residence. You might even own a private island and a private yacht to get you there. Almost any experience you can dream up, you can have. If you want to play tennis with your favorite star, for example, you can call his people and donate a hundred thousand dollars or more to his charity, and you can probably play a match with him. If you want your favorite band to play at your private party, for the right price, they will. If you love art, your people can arrange for the curator of the Louvre to show you around and exhibit some masterpieces that haven't been exhibited in years. Once you have many hundreds of millions of dollars, you can hire people to find you the most extravagant versions of items you can think of. For example, the Australian company Toilet Paper Man produces 22-carat gold toilet paper that costs over $1.3 million.

Why not consider purchasing a gold toilet or even an entire bathroom made of gold? If you are incredibly wealthy, you can literally have everything made of gold. For instance, you could invest in a 24 karat gold water bottle, which doubles as a designer art piece and comes with spring water from France and Fiji mixed with glacier water from Iceland. Alternatively, you could opt for the world's most expensive iPhone with a 24 karat gold casing, over 600 white and black diamonds, and sapphire glass for the screen. However, at this level, it is not just about buying luxurious items but getting the rarest and most exclusive things. For example, you could purchase a limited edition pen with 4,810 diamonds inside costing $160,000, with only eight made each year. Many billionaires invest in art, such as Damien Hirst's art piece that sold for $12 million, or a crystal piano that was purchased for $3.2 million at a private auction, which was used during the Beijing Olympic games.

Moving on to the highest level of wealth, the net worth of $1 billion and above, the number of billionaires on Forbes' annual rich list has significantly increased in recent years, with an estimated 2,755 billionaires worth a combined $13.1 trillion, more than the poorest 5 billion people on earth combined. The difference in wealth between a billionaire worth $1 billion and someone like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk is vast, as demonstrated by the rice example. James Janney's YouTube channel does an excellent job of visualizing the difference in these large sums of money. Essentially, at this level, you can buy anything, including access to anyone on the planet.

It is fascinating to see how much access and respect a billionaire can receive. With their wealth and connections, they can easily get in touch with powerful people, including politicians, and influence public policy and public debates. Billionaires can also make a significant impact through philanthropy and charity, such as providing clean water to villages, funding hospitals, and saving endangered species.

One of the most significant advantages of being a billionaire is the ability to buy time. They can avoid waiting in lines, have their private jets to fly them anywhere they wish, and have assistants arrange everything they need, such as restaurant reservations and travel arrangements. However, being ultra-wealthy has downsides, including difficulty forming emotional relationships with friends and family who genuinely care for them. In addition, dating can be challenging because they often have limited time to make deep connections and may attract people looking to take advantage of their wealth and connections.

Having unlimited money, whether earned individually or as a couple, can create a sense of unease in the relationship dynamic. Moreover, no matter how much wealth one may possess, it cannot solve the problems caused by the inevitability of death, illness, and loss of loved ones. The Reddit poster who inspired this video shared a story about meeting Sylvester Stallone, who seemed to have it all - wealth, success, a beautiful wife - but had also lost his special needs son. This serves as a reminder that nobody truly has everything. If you're feeling poor while watching this video, remember that compared to most of the world, you are still rich even if you have basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and internet access.