Just looked up what actually counts as serious money in the US and the numbers are wild. Turns out if you're making around $150k annually, you're already crushing it compared to most people — you're literally in the top 10 percent of earners. But here's where it gets crazy: jump to $353k and you hit the top 5%, then you need almost $800k to crack the top 1% club. The gap between top earners in different states is insane though. Someone making $1.2 million in Connecticut might be top 1% there, but that same person in West Virginia? You'd need way less. There's literally a $750k+ difference depending on where you live. Makes you realize how much geography matters when we talk about wealth in America.