Whether they are talking about “stimulus packages” and “bailouts,” the amounts are often stated as:
A billion dollars …
A hundred billion dollars …
Eight hundred billion dollars …
One TRILLION dollars …
What do these amounts of currency look like? I mean, these various numbers are tossed around like so many doggie treats, so I thought I’d try to get a sense of what exactly a trillion dollars looks like.
We’ll start with a $100 dollar bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation. Most everyone has seen them, slighty fewer have owned them. Guaranteed to make friends wherever they go.
A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than ½-inch thick and contains $10,000. Fits in your pocket easily and is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent fun.
Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it.
While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive, $100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet …
And $1 BILLION dollars … now we’re really getting somewhere …
Next we’ll look at ONE TRILLION dollars. This is that number we’ve been hearing about so much. What is a trillion dollars? Well, it’s a million million. It’s a thousand billion. It’s a one followed by 12 zeros.
You ready for this?
It’s pretty surprising. Ladies and gentlemen … I give you $1 trillion dollars …
(And notice those pallets are double stacked.)
So the next time you hear someone toss around the phrase “trillion dollars” … that’s what they’re talking about.