When most people think of what it means to be wealthy, they envision grandiose mansions, world renowned sports cars and diamond covered Rolexes. However for many wealthy individuals, money has allowed them to live a life of freedom, unchained by their physical belongings. The Daily Mail reports on a Franco-German billionaire who’s living the international lifestyle without material possessions weighing him down:
Like most nomads, Nicolas Berggruen travels light.
He doesn’t own a house, car or even a watch and the few belongings he does have are carried around in a paper bag.
Possessions have ‘zero appeal’, he says. It’s our actions that have real value.
But what sets the 50-year-old apart from nearly all other homeless people is the small matter of his £1.5billion fortune.
Berggruen got rid of his New York pad and private island 12 years ago. Home is far more transient nowadays.
Life for him is a jet-set one – trotting the globe, hanging out with beautiful women and staying in luxury hotels, sometimes in 14 different cities in a month as he builds his enormous business empire.
But in spite of his wealth, the Franco-German tycoon insists he doesn’t need, or want, material goods.
‘Possessing things is not interesting,’ he told the Daily Mirror. ‘Living in grand environments to show myself and others that I have wealth has zero appeal.
‘Whatever I own is temporary, since we’re only here for a short period of time. It’s our actions that will last for ever. That’s real value.’
