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Driving in a Rolls Royce, getting a bodyguard, flying on a private plane: These aren't normally things that New York Times financial reporter Kevin Roose gets to do. But as a guy who writes about billionaires, he wanted a chance to live like one for 24 hours, he explains in a first-person article. It's a key "paradox" of our times: While many of us are furious at the rich, we're still fascinated by them, he writes.
Thus Roose finds himself dining at exclusive clubs, wearing a $45,000 watch, and getting constant "four-star service," surrounded by various aides at all times. "When you’re a billionaire, you’re never alone." So is it true, as studies have suggested, that the rich are no happier than the rest of us? Hard to say: Roose is torn, both attracted to the luxury and repelled by its "cartoonishness." Maybe it's simply not for everyone. "Somebody's got to live this life," says his real-billionaire guide. "God decided it should be me." Read the full piece here.
