Bill Bartlett wrote:
> http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1408131.htm
>
> ABC Online news
> Wednesday, July 6, 2005
>
> Millionaires can't get no satisfaction
>
> A study has found that only 5 per cent of Australian millionaires
> regard themselves as prosperous.
Funny thing that. About a year ago, I hired a guy to work on my tech writing team who was a five-time Jeopardy champion. Shortly after he was hired, he was invited back to play on Jeopardy's tournament of champions: Five rounds leading to the grand $1,000,000 prize. He was eliminated in the fourth round; but, by the third round, I started getting nervous. It's not easy finding a good senior writer. The one before him had quit just after becoming functional and if this guy won the million, I figured he'd be quitting at just about the same time. But he told me not to worry. First, he reminded me that the govt would take half. Next, he reminded me that in order to secure the principal, he could get at most 5% interest which, given a son at Yale, wouldn't be enough to live on in the Bay area. (1/2 mil x 5% = 25,000/year)
So, a million ain't what it used to be. For a brilliant short story on the same theme, see Dorothy Parker's "The Standard of Living."
Joanna