You probably aren’t Greg Calhoun rich, but you are probably a lot richer than you think. If you earn twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) a year which equals $13.88 per hour then you are in the top 11.1% richest people in the WORLD! My research indicates that there are Five Billion three hundred thirty-three million six hundred sixty-one thousand sixty people poorer than you! So stop complaining and start living! 

In the United States real median income for white households is (about $48,000) per year, black households is (about $30,000) per year and Asian households is (about $55,000) per year. Indian households had a real median income of (about $44,347) per year. 

The number of people below the official poverty thresholds totaled about 35.9 million in 2003. As defined by the Office of Management and Budget, the average poverty threshold for a family of four in 2003 was $18,810; for a family of three, $14,680; for a family of two, $12,015; and for unrelated individuals, $9,393. 

Just how rich is rich? The more money you have the more it takes to make you feel rich. We all have some idea of what it would take for us to consider ourselves rich. You have read many times that I feel as rich as Bill Gates. This is true because it doesn’t take that much money for me to feel super rich. I frequently tell my friends that I go to my freezer and count my chickens one by one! I can eat all the chicken that I want at anytime. That was one of my major goals and by God I accomplished it! If you want to see exactly where you stand visit www.globalrichlist.com 

According to a Gallop poll, the public’s opinion of “rich” was a yearly salary of $120,000 or assets of one million dollars. Those who earned less than $30,000 thought that a yearly household income of $74,000 would qualify as rich. Those who earned $30,000 to $50,000 believed that a yearly household income of $100,000 would be rich.

Fifty percent of rich folks inherited their wealth. The rest of the super rich people are business owners or have a stake in their work. There may be a few rich folks who worked for other people, but they are the exception and not the rule. 

One million dollars invested wisely will yield about $40,000 per year. Is that rich? It all depends on your definition of rich.  So you aren’t Greg Calhoun rich, but remember if you earn just $20,000 per year you are richer than Five Billion three hundred thirty-three million six hundred sixty-one thousand people (5,333,661,060) in the World!

In the words of my dad, “If you don’t have money at least have class!”

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com