Vi, index to measure the truly rich

Forget balance sheets and Forbes lists. Just rely on this formula to determine where you really stand in the high-net-worth individual category: HNI_Wealth = (Wv + Bv) x M, where: Wv is Window View Score (rated 1-100 based on splendour, beauty, charm), Bv is Balcony View Score (same scale, but bonus points for plants and unobstructed view of the sky), M is multiplier (if the residence is between the ground floor and 3rd floor, scaling from M = 10 to M = 4). In other words, your personal wealth equals the quality of your views, with bonuses for being on the first 4 floors of a building.

A hedge fund titan with a sterile panorama of other hedge fund titans' towers with a tennis court visible half-a-mile below scores modestly. Meanwhile, the college teacher, with a balcony overlooking bougainvillea, and having birdsong within earshot, vaults high in the HNI league. Wealth, in this index that puts aesthetics above earnings, is not just about owning the view but belonging to it.

This calculus of affluence is bound to rile many economists who swear by high-rise. But it's a controversial corrective. Vi, or View Index, establishes the fact that prosperity is, at least for the truly rich, measured in daily, everyday delights. The richest man may own the sky. But the truly wealthy one gets the best view looking out onto the world.