A simple explaination of what?

[JackLuis]

If you graph the income of America this is what you get.


Too bad there is no Population graph to show that aspect as well.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Note how at the end he stopped talking about income and started in on net wealth. It ain't the same. But then, the scale wouldn't be as exciting.

 

[Xelebes]

Note how at the end he stopped talking about income and started in on net wealth. It ain't the same. But then, the scale wouldn't be as exciting.

I think it was trying to say that the largest accumulation of wealth within a single year was 50 billion dollars. That is being compared to the net worth of the person - essentially saying that the richest man on earth had his net worth double within a year at one point.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Maybe, but you can't spend 'value'. To my mind wealth isn't determined by assets but by cash flow.

 

[JackLuis]

Still a one inch stack of $100's is a whole lot less that a meter deep pile and that's just to the 99 Yard Line. I'm some where at the 20 yard line and the wrong one at that.

 

[Huckleman2000]

Maybe, but you can't spend 'value'. To my mind wealth isn't determined by assets but by cash flow.

I'm sure his cash flow is just fine.

You're right, Gates' fortune is illiquid to a large degree. He couldn't simply cash in his MSFT on the stock market one day without grossly affecting the value of the stock, for example.

Even without the stratospheric pile of Franklins, though, it's a pretty compelling illustration.