(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) Who wants to be a millionaire?
Well, I’m certainly willing to give it a shot!
But as it turns out, becoming a millionaire isn’t quite what it used to be.
You’ve probably heard of the game show. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire first aired in August 1999, starring Regis Philbin as the host. It was modeled off a British game show of the same name. Producers have tweaked the show over the years, but it’s still running today, with Jimmy Kimmel hosting.
This season features celebrity pairs competing to win $1 million for charity.
The game follows a quiz show format with contestants answering increasingly difficult multiple-choice questions. Competitors have the option to keep their current winnings or risk them on the next question. To help with difficult questions, contestants have a limited number of “lifelines,” including eliminating two choices, polling the audience, or calling a friend to help.
Get yourself on the show, answer enough questions correctly, and you too can be a millionaire.
Of course, in 1999, becoming a millionaire meant something. Today? Well, maybe not so much.
Interesting fact. When Who Wants to Be a Millionaire aired in 1999, there were roughly 7.64 millionaires in the U.S. based on total net worth.
In 2025, there were 23.6 million millionaires.
In other words, the number of millionaires has increased by 208.9 percent since Who Wants to Be a Millionaire debuted.
Now, you might look at this factoid and think, ‘Wow! Americans are doing a lot better today than they were 27 years ago!’ Unfortunately, that’s not really the case. It’s just that our money has become that much crappier.
How much crappier?
As it turns out, you need to win double the money to buy the same stuff that $1 million bought in August 1999, when Who Wants to Be a Millionaire debuted.
So, since the show first aired, there are three times as many millionaires in the U.S. buying half the stuff.
They probably need to just go ahead and change the name of the game to “Who Wants to win $500,000?”
That doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?
But it reflects reality.
Your government has ruined your money. And it continues to ruin your money as a matter of policy.
Never forget: inflation is the plan!
The best-case scenario is that the Federal Reserve and the government keep inflation “under control” at 2 percent. That means your purchasing power declines by a little more than 10 percent every five years, and by more than 20 percent in 10 years.
And inflation is rarely “under control.”
Sadly, in another 30 years or so, it will take $4 million or more to live a 1999 millionaire lifestyle.
So, sure, I want to be a millionaire.
But I’ll take my million in gold and silver. At least 30 years from now, it will still buy at least as much as it does today – maybe more! After all, the government can’t print gold or silver.
Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.
