Jerkwater: It has to be said: If you are older than 50, staring down retirement, and live in a part of the country with a moderate-to-high cost of living, having a million bucks does not make you rich. It makes you someone who has worked for less than 6 figures for your entire adult life and saved for retirement as best you could. Sadly, I'm guessing a good portion of these people fit this mold.

Yeah, this.

I'm starting over now, but until the bottom fell out of many investments I was on track for that exact thing. I was in my thirties, and had over half a million in invested semi-liquid assets, and growing. All of it simply saved and invested from a very very average unimpressive, far less than 6 digit engineering salary over 15 years.

Anyway you what? I live in a 1 bedroom apartment in a modest neighborhood, drive a 10 year old 4 cylinder honda civic, and I don't have cable, an ipod, a 52" flatscreen, or a wii. I work 40+ hours in an office, then work at my own business 20+ hours a week, and research investment options another 5+ hours a week at home.

Here's the big secret trick to being a new millionaire - work your freaking ass off every single day for decades, save what you earn, don't spend it on stupid shiat, (most people forget that step) work your freaking ass off some more, keep working your ass off. That's it. That's really how you do it. Sorry to ruin the millionaire fantasy for some folks.

I know to most farkers, having half a million sitting around would be "whoooo! don't have to work!! party!!!!". Which, as research has shown, is exactly why they will never be millionaires.

I'd rather be rich, too instead of them being poor, too..

Halliburton moved to the UAE. Eduardo Saverin of Facebook went to Singapore. Mitt Romney went to France ... oh wait, that was for draft dodging.

"fell to 5,134,000 from 5,263,000 in 2011"

OH NO! STOP THE PRESS!

"Total private wealth in North America fell by 0.9 percent, to $38 trillion."

hmmm does this take into account the fact that the dollar plummeted like a pelican feeding in 2011?

dbrunker: I'm confused, is America a better place now?

Seems like they helped diminish that whole "rich-get-richer" thing that's so evil, so I suppose they did.

You all are some sick, jealous sad people. I guess it makes you feel great that someone might be hurting.

Geeze - the demonazis have really sold envy as a virtue.