REMEMBER WHEN HAVING A COUPLE MILLION dollars meant something?

Neither do we.

Particularly when we recall (with just the slightest of tingles) that over 30,000 Americans are now sitting on at least thirty times that.

This crew includes every entry on the Forbes 400 (who, at last count, were worth a combined $1.54 trillion, more than all the money held in commerical U.S. banks) right on down to that guy back in B-school who first told you what a hedge fund was.

They’re not all famous, or even well known, but these 30,000 do have much in common. Relative to the average citizen, they can travel where they want, do what they want, and even screw who they want – both for business and for pleasure. Thier money allows them to be truly free, and isn’t that what our forefathers were getting at?

But, as we’ve been told so many times, freedom has its price.  In the case of the aforementioned 30,000, it’s the tyranny of too many options.  St. Barts or St. Moritz?  Gulfstream or Boeing?  Where to build your private golf course—or did you want a polo field?  With all those wealth managers incessantly ringing you up, should you conssider counter-surveillance measures?

We’re exhausted just thinking about it.

We call this tippity-top tier the Filthy Rich.  As you’ll soon learn, you don’t need to earn or inherit more money than you already have to join thier ranks.  You just need to try a little harder.

Maybe a lot harder.

- --Christopher Tennant