My friend Jana used to have a feature called “Money Tune Tuesday” that I loved. This post is inspired by that series, by Kim at Eyes on the Dollar’s recent post Does a Million Dollars Make You Rich and  the fact that Pentatonix (who I’ve been obsessed with since the Sing-Off) yesterday released the video of their cover of Royals (by Lorde).

http://youtu.be/E9XQ2MdNgKY

One of my favorite parts of this song is the list of the trappings of the wealthy- jet planes, islands, tigers on gold leashes, but also ball gowns, blood stains and trashed hotel rooms. And I think that’s an interesting thought experiment- what to me, are the trappings of success?

To be clear, I know very well that being “rich” isn’t all about money. I also know that I’d rather have a few million in my retirement savings than a house worth a few million. I am not thinking here about the practical or realistic side of being rich. But instead, what about the fantasy? What do we imagine rich people who don’t have to worry about earning their own money or retirement plans (think the Hilton, Gates, or Rockefeller families) have? Which of those things would we want for ourselves (besides not having to worry about whether or not social security will still exist)?

I know that for many of us working toward the practical, the fantasy is hard to come up with. I think of things and immediately toss them out on the theory of “I would never need that.” But setting aside need, setting aside what I would really do, going, in some ways, back to my childhood to what I thought being rich meant.

Here are my fantasy trappings of wealth:

• A house with an indoor pool and a hedge maze
• Live in staff (butler, cook, groundskeeper)
• Flying first class (even in my fantasies, I can’t bring myself to a private jet)
• Traveling when/where I want
• Custom made clothing
• Building a lifesize version of Stonehenge
• And hiring my favorite musicians to play my parties

What are your fantasy trappings of wealth?