Mother Jones illustration; Getty

When the US targeted Russia’s oligarchs after the invasion of Ukraine, the trail of assets kept leading to our own backyard. Not only had our nation become a haven for shady foreign money, but we were also incubating a familiar class of yacht-owning, industry-dominating, resource-extracting billionaires. In the January + February 2024 issue of our magazine, we investigate the rise of American Oligarchy—and what it means for the rest of us. You can read all the pieces here.

Even one of the original oligarchs of Russia, Boris Berezovsky—a fast-talking stereotype of a capitalist who made his fortune in the firesale of the old Soviet state—found there were unique costs to new wealth. Forbes called him a “gangland boss,” which meant he needed to sue for libel. Car-bombers wanted to kill him, so he needed security. As he fought his rivals in the emerging upper-crust, Berezovsky would end up paying for a myriad of lawsuits, homes, hostile takeovers, cars, boats, divorces, philanthropic endeavors, more homes (when he went into exile), financial assistance for a lesser royal, and payments to Chechen warlords to commit kidnappings. It costs a lot, it turns out, to be disgustingly rich.

Each oligarch is unique. But we wanted to outline the costs of the general “lifestyle creep” associated with unfathomable private power. Here is our attempt to document the uncommon common costs for the uber-wealthy: an oligarch consumer price index. See if you can guess any of the expenses.

QOSHE - This Is What It Costs to Be Rich - Tim Murphy
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This Is What It Costs to Be Rich

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25.01.2024

Mother Jones illustration; Getty

When the US targeted Russia’s oligarchs after the invasion of Ukraine, the trail of assets kept leading to our own backyard. Not only had our nation become a haven for shady foreign money, but we were also incubating a familiar class of yacht-owning, industry-dominating, resource-extracting billionaires. In the January February 2024 issue of our magazine, we investigate........

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