Zeros have the Power
zillionaires among us
Watching old movies is evidence that our sense of money has altered dramatically over time. It is not unusual to hear someone mention buying some common thing for ten cents—a few groceries for 90 cents, a gallon of gas for 30 cents. For anyone mostly dealing with two, three or four zeros at a time, money math becomes puzzling in this era of wealth power.
As a good second-grade student, I recall the shock of receiving a big “F” on the top of a test on decimal points. I clearly did not understand that basic concept that was so fundamental back in the 1950s when our spending was in dollars and cents. Interest and tax continue the need for the old decimal point, but as Dollar Stores quietly disappear and we are long past the $0.99 lunch, the power of money becomes mysteriously abstract.
There was once a television show called The Millionaire (1955-60). Each episode features an ordinary person receiving an anonymous million-dollar check from a benevolent rich guy and the story of how that gift of wealth alters their life in unexpected ways.
That $1,000,000 sum was the ultimate symbol of mega wealth in the Twentieth Century. Sixty years later, the gap between wage earners and Millionaire is not so great. It is the growing Billionaire class that feels like a separate reality.
I learned a lot listening to a recent podcast episode of We Can Do Hard Things (1/20/26) with best-selling economist, author and analyst, Anand Giridharades.
Imagine this…
If you earn one dollar every second, you will reach one million dollars after eleven and a half days.
Now, get this…
If you earn that same one dollar per second, it will take close to thirty-two years to reach one billion dollars.
Consider an annual salary of one hundred thousand dollars allowed to accumulate without spending or interest. It will take ten years to amount to one million dollars.
That same one hundred thousand dollars will take ten thousand (10,000) years to reach one billion dollars.
Now, start with a million dollars and spend a thousand dollars a day. It will take close to three years before the money runs out.
However, start with a billion dollars and spend that same thousand dollars a day, you will die in old age well before that money runs out. In fact, it will take an inconceivable 4,200 years.
Consider the impact on generational wealth.
We have recently heard in the news about the 56th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. A Spirit of Dialogue was a gathering of top CEOs and leaders from 100 countries.
A positive outcome of that gathering came from a group of 400 millionaires and billionaires, led by actor Mark Ruffalo and composer Brian Eno, presenting a signed open letter calling upon world leaders to raise taxes on the mega-wealthy.
A questionable outcome of that summit is the so-called Board of Peace, established by the United States President. This board claims to promote peace and stability in areas affected by conflict. Only DJT may invite new members. Needless to say, it has not received wide support. We know that his idea of peace ends with gains in his personal wealth.
Remember, there are thirteen billionaires in the President’s administration. Reminds me of the little guy in the classic Monopoly game who had one goal—get all the money.
Metal coins and paper currency are nearly extinct. As credit accounts and digital payments become the norm, a discussion of money even feels quaint. All those zeros become abstract and bound to deals, trades and agreements. Many are left behind.
Aside from DJT, Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg, there are currently about 3000 less-well-known billionaires controlling 16 trillion dollars worldwide.
$16,000,000,000,000
And…they do not want to share much of it.
The zeros have been weaponized against most of us. The Oval Office of the President has not always prioritized personal wealth growth, but during this first year in that office, DJT became 7.3 billion dollars wealthier. A cadre of the top fifteen US billionaires have gained one trillion.
They could be heroes.
Move beyond typical charitable and political campaign donations. Step aside from support to only those politicians vowing lower taxes. Sign on to plans to significantly alleviate deepening poverty and the economic suffering of so many. Repair the broken places. Those individuals included in the super-rich billionaire class have the power to solve the economic problems of society. Some (not enough) are trying.
Lynne Smith, author the 2004 book, The Soul of Money, creates an entire spiritual philosophy around the energetic value of currency.
Money is like water. It can be a conduit for commitment, a currency of love.
The 1990s was a time of so much new age thinking about manifesting wealth. While the idea of money as water makes so much sense when there is enough of it to flow freely, lack of financial resources is simply painful. Changing the view takes time and effort. This is no great revelation.
Barrett Strong released a recording in 1959 of his song, Money (that’s what I want). It was covered by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in 1963, The Everly Brothers in 1965 and Little Richard in 1966. I was mostly familiar with The Beatles’ version until 1979 when The Flying Lizards released their post-punk cover with the overriding sound of clanking chains or coins. It was a truly great recording that played constantly in all the New York clubs as we entered the 1980s Yuppie era…
…The best things in life are free
But you can give them to the birds and bees
I need money (that’s what I want) …
Possibly as a reaction to the excesses of the 1980s, Patti Smith and her band released her classic protest rant, People have the Power (1988).
…The power to dream, to rule
To wrestle the earth from fools
Well it’s decreed the people rule
But it’s decreed the people rule
We have the power
People have the power
We have the power…
This resonates so much with what is happening in Minneapolis and protests around the world. I want to believe people will ultimately have the power to stop it, especially as so many are out in bitter cold protecting citizens against the blatant cruelty and lies, taking a stand against the abuse and murder of innocent people.
I am dismayed to learn that the brutal performative ICE operations will only get worse with additional billions being doled out to Homeland Security. All this escalates as an ongoing crisis of food insecurity, lack of proper housing and healthcare worsens. The lure of a booming stock market feathering nest eggs and retirement accounts does not consider the more down-to-earth realities. As the zeros mount up for a few, the median 70-year-old couple in the United States has a net worth of about $200,000. Median implies many have way less, many have way more, and points to a looming crisis in the near future.
Disclaimer: Take any of what is written here lightly. I am an artist presenting a few analogies to better understand all the zeros out there in the world of money.
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