Had he stayed on and kept his 10% stake, at the end of 2012 it would have been worth approximately $54 billion. Instead he was then living alone in a small home in Pahrump, Nevada, where he played the penny slot machines and lived off his social security check. He later claimed he had no regrets. “I made the best decision for me at the time. Both o

an artist’s death can be opportune insofar as it cuts off the supply, creates a finite oeuvre,

The Grand Complication reveals another fundamental characteristic of luxury goods: as price rises into the stratosphere, the number of units available also seems to disappear into ever-thinner air.

Grace was spending $250,000 each year to entertain her friends and maintain her position as Mrs. Vanderbilt, $125,000 more each year than her and Neily’s annual income. The expenses of running 640 Fifth Avenue and of paying taxes for the privilege of having a home on a piece of the world’s most expensive urban real estate amounted to over $1,000 do