Consumption of ultra-luxury items is one way to look at the difference, but another is your progeny. $20M, if spent frugally and invested well, could certainly ensure the well-being of your immediate children and probably grandchildren as well (not if you blow it on vintage sports cars and jets, though). But a billion or two could keep your family out of work for many, many generations
Not for a decade or more has this been true. Inflation in the UK is 2.2%. You would be lucky to get that without venturing into equities (which to be fair have done well this year) or property. But energy is up 8%, travel 9%, food 12%, etc. Real inflation is hard to outrun. And markets are prone to bubbles...
My intent was to put $20MM or so in perspective: yes, prudent investment could put such an amount to good, long-term use, but it is not so much money that it would be challenging to spend it all within a decade or so. $1Bn is something else entirely, and would require a very concerted effort to squander quickly.
