Wealth

The Art of Wealth; Why I Call Myself an Experiential Billionaire

Rethinking the True Value of Assets in a High-Stakes World

Image: Unsplash

In 2026, Elon Musk’s net wroth reached a staggering $1.11 trillion — a figure that mirrors the GDP of entire nations. It sounds impossible for a single person to possess such wealth. But here lies the irony: Elon doesn’t actually have that much money.

His wealth is a matter of valuation and stocks, not cold, hard cash. This realization creates a fascinating opening: if “wealth” is essentially a perception of value, why are we so narrow in how we define it?

If ‘wealth’ is essentially a perception of value, why are we so narrow in how we define it?

The current Gen Z generation grew up worshiping the Forbes 30 under 30 list. I’ve seen countless fresh graduates aching to be the next tech founder that skyrockets to a billion dollar valuation overnight. But if being a billionaire doesn’t actually involve liquid cash, it begs the question: could there be more than one type of billionaire?

According to Merriam-Webster, a billionaire is defined as “one whose wealth is estimated at a billion or more dollars, pounds, or other monetary units.” Since the devil is in the details, the phrase “monetary units” is open to interpretation. A monetary unit simply represents a form of currency that can be used to purchase goods or services.

Let’s take a look at the big picture. Back in the day, monetary units could take the form of precious metals and, at some point, even tea. Today, monetary units are paper and numbers; in the future, they might be tokens and crypto. Going even further up the stratosphere into the intangible realm, monetary units can take the form of devotion, self-sacrifice, and resilience.

Society would have us believe that the only currency of value is cold, hard cash. But in truth, history has shown us that there is more to life than just money. Karma is real, serendipity exists, and so does divine protection.

Therefore, wouldn’t it make sense that if a person has suffered, endured, and stayed faithful throughout their entire life, that endurance is a form of currency as well? A currency not of this realm, but of another?

Would that not redefine what it means to be a billionaire — moving from tangible wealth to intangible wealth?

Net Value Vs Net Worth

Our society today places significant weight on net worth. Every single person on the rich list is always stated to have a net worth of a specific sum. However, do these massive net worths create an impact on the ground? How do billionaires actually create value in their society?

Aside from MacKenzie Scott and the Waltons, very few billionaires make headlines today for their positive contributions to the world. Instead, we see billionaires boarding private jets that emit greenhouse gases, effectively eroding our planet. According to a study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), a single private jet matches the annual carbon footprint of 177 passenger cars or nine heavy-duty trucks.

These are not exactly the best people to trust with the future of our planet. Isn’t it time that the word “billionaire” means something else? Something more significant? What if the definition of a billionaire wasn’t defined by how much money a person has, but by the experiences they have lived and how much life they have successfully navigated?

In this updated definition, I would like to think that I — and the many others like me: single parents, orphans, only children, and anyone who has faced insurmountable adversities — am a billionaire. We may not have private jets, offshore accounts, or a family office, but we do have something in abundance that those with cold, hard cash often lack: life. We are filled with it. We are full of it; we’ve bled in it, cried in it, and survived in it.

We may not have private jets, offshore accounts, or a family office, but we do have something in abundance that those with cold, hard cash often lack: life.

A good friend of mine had a mastectomy recently after being diagnosed with a rare tumor that occurs in only 10 out of 8,000 cases. She is a single mother, and when she was left bedridden for six months, her 13-year-old child was the only person there to look after her. That child had to handle the housework, cook, manage the pets, and care for their mother. They lived completely on their own for those six months, until the Lord took mercy on them.

Prior to that, she had been trapped in a sexually abusive relationship for eight years. There were times she would call me, unable to sit or move because of what her partner had done to her. If you’re wondering why she stayed, the answer is simple: it was for her child. She needed his financial support because, in Asia, a single mother with a degree from an unrenowned university rarely has the leverage to bring in the big bucks. She has survived enough life experiences to make her a billionaire ten times over. There are days when I talk to her, witness her strength, and think to myself: the world would be a far better place if people like her were given the chance to lead, instead of being sidelined by society.

Remember the old saying, “All that glitters isn’t gold.” Today’s billionaires are exactly that. They shine like diamonds in the sky — until we look closer and realize that the dazzling shooting star is just a rock burning through our atmosphere, bringing destruction on impact.

Perhaps it’s time we stop looking up at the skies and start finding the diamonds in the rough right here in the dirt, closer to home.