It takes more than a million -- that's for sure. Popular culture gives some hints at how many dollars it takes to be really wealthy in this millennium.
The old million-dollar standard seems defunct now that this amount is often touted as a minimum that should be saved for a comfortable retirement.
Movie:
In the movie "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," Dr. Evil, the villain frozen in the '60s and thawed in modern times, tries to extort $1 million from the world's leaders -- and they all laugh. Dr. Evil later figures out that he needs to ask for much more money -- $1 million just isn't a significant sum. The bad doctor later ups his demand to a suitably sinister $100 billion.
Sean Parker: You know what's cooler than a million dollars?
Eduardo Saverin: You?
Sean Parker: A billion dollars.
~The Social Network
Forbes' list:
When Forbes began compiling its lists of the 400 richest Americans back in 1982, just 13 of those people were billionaires. In 2010, every person on the list was worth at least a billion dollars, and the highest-ranked person, Bill Gates, was worth $54 billion.
Forbes' 2010 list of the world's billionaires includes a whopping 1,011 entries. Of those, 75 people are tied for last place with a net worth of $1 billion.
You don't have to be a Warren Buffett or a Sergey Brin to find yourself at the top.
Books:
The idea that you can be a millionaire, or even a multimillionaire, and still be middle class shows how times have changed.
Even top-selling children's books like "The Billionaire's Curse," "Mr. Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire" and "Billionaire Boy" make a billion dollars the new standard to aspire to.
