If you need any more proof that the rich keep getting richer, you have to look no further than Forbes' Billionaire list, just released this evening. There are a record 946 people on this rarefied list. That's a lot of billionaires.

Forbes puts out this list because it sells magazines, but also for the same reason lots of us play the lottery: We love to dream of having the really big bucks.
But think about it for five minutes. Would you really want to be a billionaire?

Okay. First think of of everything you want right now. The biggest, nicest house in the best neighborhood in your town. The most fabulous furniture. The hottest car. The finest private schools for your kids. All the bling you can eat.

Now triple all that. Because you can. Get that Park Avenue pied-a-terre. And that London townhouse. Belsize Park or Primrose Hill? Heck, get 'em both. Might as well get the condo in Hawaii and the flat in Rome, too. Or maybe you prefer one of those little hill towns in Tuscany. Oh, and a little place in one of those Caribbean islands, too.
Now get the staff to keep up all this real estate. You'll need servants! And you'll need to furnish it all. Tastefully (better hire a designer) because when you're a billionaire, important people come to call. You'll probably be very busy: How much time do you have to spend jetting (and you'll have a private jet, natch) to and from these spots? How much time will you spend in each place? How much time will these properties sit empty? How do you feel about all the energy you're using to keep these places warm and dry?

Now you can have any car you want (plus the insurance, which'll cost you). Which do you pick? And really, do you dare drive a $500,000 car on public streets? Heck, get as many as you want. One in every color. Get a place with a garage for your auto collection. Keep a mechanic on staff, too. Cars tend to go to seed if you don't drive them regularly.

Private school for your kids. It doesn't matter how much it costs, you can afford it. But you'll also need bodyguards, because now your kids are tempting ransom fodder. Kiss after-school soccer and ballet goodbye, at least with the hoi-polloi. It's just too dangerous. They'll have to be privately tutored. Fun! They'll understand why they can't walk home with their friends anymore, because now they're rich. Their futures are set. Hopefully they'll avoid the Paris Hilton syndrome and choose a more productive life than one of partying and hedonism. What that'll be exactly... well, you can pay for counselors.

The day-to-day stuff of life falls away when you're a billionaire. You don't buy your own groceries. You don't cook for your family (well heck, unless you want to. What a giggle!). Nannies and governesses take care of your children. You don't grab a beer with the boys, attend picnics or ball games. Instead of friends you have assistants, staff, and hangers on.

If you're not already married, choose carefully. Money -- especially that much money -- changes everything. If you're a guy, you can have any woman you want. Models. Women 30 years your junior. And they're sincere in their love for you, yessirree. You're a woman with that kind of dough? Be just as careful. And whatever you do, don't forget to sign a pre-nup!

What do you do all day now that you're a billionaire? Maybe you stay active in your industry or are driven to continue innovating or working hard so you can... what? Make more money? When you join the billionaires' list, you have to find new motivations. Managing your money? Winning the America's Cup? Getting your baseball team to the pennant?

I suppose charity is a good start.

You don't pay bills. An accountant (or department of accountants) keep track of the industry that is Your Life. Managing The Money is handled by a lot of other people, presumably the best people. But it surely still keeps you up at night.

Still want to be a billionaire? I might be thinking small, but I'd rather not, thank you.