Have you ever watched Below Deck on Bravo? It is very popular. You wonder how much it costs to rent those superyachts. The magazine Nobleman recently ran an article answering that question. The article highlighted 10 superyachts with weekly rental rates. Across the 11 superyachts highlighted, the “most reasonable” was $96,872 per week and the most expensive was $3,229,095/week. Yes, that last cost was to just rent it, not buy it! Some clients who are doing well for themselves might feel they have been left behind. Can you inspire them to energize their lives and get bragging rights?

Is your client a one percenter? According to Investopedia, it takes a household net worth of $13.7 million to enter the top 1% in the U.S. Let’s bear in mind that includes all assets, including real estate. What about the top 2% in terms of wealth? According to Yahoo Finance, $2.472 million gets you there. That should at least make your client feel better.

How about some activities that come with bragging rights? What do the ultra-wealthy do, or at least, what do we think they do?

1. Stay in the best hotels. The St. Regis Hotel in New York is located at 5th Avenue and 55th Street. The location does not get any better. It is part of Marriott, possibly it’s best luxury hotel. All the rooms have butler service. Why? Because apparently Mrs. Astor could not imagine a person could travel without a butler to look after them. The hotel has Mercedes S series as house cars. You need to go somewhere, they take you.
Cost: In the low season (think January) rates can be as low as about $701/night before taxes, etc. You can also book with hotel points.
Bragging rights: The butler and house cars. You might mention the house car used to be a Rolls Royce, but that was pre-pandemic.

2. Fly to London for the weekend. This can be great if you live in an East Coast metro city like New York. Fly out Thursday, arrive on Friday, fly back on Monday. You stay three nights.
Cost: You can see NYC to LHR airfares around $600 if you plan ahead. London’s business hotels tend to be emptier on weekends, meaning you can get good rates.
Bragging rights: Talk about what you saw at the West End theaters. Mention the new restaurant or bar you found.

3. Eurostar to Paris. If you are in London, why not head over to Paris for lunch? The Eurostar takes two hours and 18 minutes each way. The food and drink on the train should be good. You can find a nice Paris restaurant for lunch that has bragging rights.
Cost: Checking a sample Saturday in January, the RT fare is $144. Lunch in Paris is extra.
Bragging rights: We went to Paris for lunch. We dined at this great little place we found. The AMEX Platinum card should give you access to the Eurostar lounge at each end.

4. Restaurant week. Many cities coordinate a restaurant week. Examples in NYC include lunch at $30 and dinner at $60. If a famous restaurant gets $12 for a side order of fries, this is a great deal. Cities like New York don’t stop at one week. It can last longer. They have a French Restaurant Week too. I think American Express organizes its own restaurant week too.
Cost: Using NYC as an example, great restaurants might offer a multi-course lunch for $30 and dinner for $60.
Bragging rights: You mention the famous restaurant you visited. The food was great!

5. Own a Rolls Royce as a hobby. This is your fun car. You rarely drive it. You might enter into car shows. You join the Rolls Royce owners club. You bring it out when going to fancy gala events.
Cost: Using cars.com as an example, a 1987 Rolls Royce Corniche convertible was offered for sale at $46,500. Kelly Blue Book shows a 2006 Rolls Royce Phantom Sedan for sale at $69,995.
Bragging rights: Some cars have a reputation that precedes them. Rolls Royce has often been associated with wealth and class. Everyone in town should recognize your car.

6. Michelin-starred restaurants. Famous people dine in famous restaurants. You might have visited some when entertaining for business. The common perception is these places are too expensive to consider when spending your own money.
Cost: Lunch is usually much cheaper than dinner. They might have a bar menu too. Restaurant week was mentioned earlier. You can visit famous places and keep costs down.
Bragging rights: You mention where you have dined recently. You asked your server to send your compliments to the chef. The chef came out to meet you. They autographed a menu for you. It is framed and hangs on your wall.

7. Your private spot in the Caribbean. The wealthy value privacy and are willing to pay for it. They might visit the same islands as you, but they do not hang out at touristy spots. You do research and find that uncrowded beach in Bermuda or that restaurant in an exclusive resort in Barbados.
Cost: For your secluded beach, there is no cost except for the transportation that gets you there. For that great restaurant, it is the cost for lunch and any entrance fee to the resort.
Bragging rights: You talk about the secret spot you found, far from the throng of tourists.

8. Your custom tailor. Made-to-measure clothing really makes a difference. People think of Savile Row suits made in London, but there are other ways to get custom made clothing.
Cost: Hong Kong tailors are another resource. (I have one.) I met mine by admiring the suit of a friend at church. He told me about the tailor. Like many others, he spends time touring the world, meeting clients or setting up in a hotel. You can research them online and probably see prices too.
Bragging rights: People will admire your attire. You will mention its was made by “your guy in Hong Kong.” Your name is embroidered inside the jacket.

9. European shopping bags. Europe was ahead of us in eliminating disposable shopping bags. They produce great ones with the supermarket’s logo. They are inexpensive and located at the checkout counter. You need to visit Europe to get them.
Cost: Not considering the airfare and hotel, they should cost you under $5.00 each. They make great souvenirs for friends.
Bragging rights: “This is from a store we found when we were in London for the weekend…”

10. Starting your own charitable foundation. This is an area where the advisor can help directly. You are familiar with donor-advised funds. These are a way your client can designate money as a charitable gift, yet not be required to disperse it all immediately. They even might be able to give theirs a name.
Cost: You know the answer. It’s an account type at your firm.
Bragging rights: Your client can talk about “where the foundation is sending it’s money” or they are “directing dollars into their foundation.”

Your client does not need to feel left behind because they are not featured on Below Deck or buying a Manhattan apartment from a real estate agent seen on Million Dollar Listing. There are plenty of things they can do that come with bragging rights.

Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc. He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry. His book Captivating the Wealthy Investor is available on Amazon.