You've heard people talk about millionaires and then in the dot com era of the 1990's we had to get acclimatized to billionaires. Overnight billionaires.

Now the talk is about trillions of dollars. Trillions. You hear it on the news as if it were a concept you understand. You nod your head knowingly, but do you really know what a trillion means?

If Money Were Seconds

Let's think in terms of seconds. A second is a very brief period of time. How long ago is one million seconds? The surprising answer is that it is almost two weeks ago.

However, a billion seconds ago is 1978.

And, here it comes, a trillion seconds ago is 30,000 years before Christ !!

Now, you are beginning to get how substantial is a trillion dollar debt!

If Money Were Inches

Let's think in terms of inches. An inch is a very short unit of distance. How far away is one million inches? The surprising answer is that it is just over 15 miles.

A billion inches would not even take you around the Earth.

But, here it comes, a trillion inches would take you 16 million miles away - far off into the most distant galaxies.

If Money Were Ounces

Let's think in terms of ounces. An ounce is a very small unit of weight. How heavy is one million ounces? The surprising answer is that it is just over 30 tons. That seems like a lot but it's not much more than a fully-loaded tractor trailer truck.

A billion ounces is big but it is still in the realm of everyday experience. For example, that is the weight of a cargo ship or an office tower.

But, here it comes, a trillion ounces weighs over 30 million tons - roughly equivalent to the weight of a small planet of our Sun's solar system.

So Know Your Money

Now you know how vast is a trillion seconds or inches or ounces - or dollars. It's huge beyond words. The better you know money, the greater is your ability to thrive and double your income, or more.