Expert Perspective

With 8.4 Million American Millionaires, Billionaire Is The New Goal

BY JD Rucker | 04-23-2011 | 1:41 AM

This article is written by a member of our expert contributor community.

Most of us are still working our jobs, waiting for our paychecks and hoping or wishing to someday be millionaires. The problem with that is that having the title of "millionaire" just doesn't hold the same oomph that it once did. Being a millionaire no longer means you won't have to work, nor does it mean that you can get anything you want. Are we now having to shoot for billionaire status if we really want to have "made it" in this world?

Money can't buy you happiness, but in many cases it certainly doesn't hurt. Particularly in capitalist economies, the accumulation of wealth is a primary life goal for many adults. We want to be happy. We want to be worry-free. We want to live the "easy life."

With 8.4 million American millionaires, is it really a worthy goal?

Apparently not. This infographic contends that "Billionaire is the new Millionaire," and with inflation heading in the vertical direction, the contention may be truthful. Who wants to be a millionaire? More importantly, does it really mean that much anymore?

You decide.