Realistically it's not liquid assets like it is for you and me. They purchase items that "appreciate" like land and art, then take loans out using them as collateral to then get them appraised higher to take out another loan to pay off the other one then use the extra for living on. They don't live on dividends or income, it's a game of loans that they have a small army of accountants running. That doesn't mean we shouldn't take those assets. Just that it doesn't translate into immediate cash flows for people.