# Best/worst superpowers to become anonymously rich **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-books-manga\ **Created:** [March 16, 2021, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-superpowers-to-become-anonymously-rich/938048 "2021-03-16T22:38:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-superpowers-to-become-anonymously-rich/938048/101 "2021-04-04T23:16:42Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > A bowler might not get you much money though. A golfer on the other hand could make one a ton of money. It might be kind of believable too, yeah, I just picked up golf a year ago and got really, really good. Or “I’ve been playing golf all my life, and finally my friends and family convinced me to go pro.” > [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > I could just go “eeeeehhhhhh”, and zap - bills appear in my hand. Wads. And what would be the serial numbers on those bills? ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-superpowers-to-become-anonymously-rich/938048/102 "2021-04-04T23:24:25Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And what would be the serial numbers on those bills? AAaaa The _Fonz_ and the Feds are like _this_ (crossed fingers) while I’m gettin’ it on with Louise Linton eeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhh\*. \*Canuck variant. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-superpowers-to-become-anonymously-rich/938048/103 "2021-04-05T12:18:58Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And what would be the serial numbers on those bills? Depends on where they come from - if they are fresh from the printing room prior to counting/shipping, no problem. And if they are duplicates, so long as they are non-sequential what difference does it make? Even if the Federal Reserve checks the serial numbers of the bills it is shredding (seems unlikely), they are going to have been circulating for months before anyone is going to have any reason to check into it. ---
**Author:** ![Zack\_Poppet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/f07891/32.png) [@Zack\_Poppet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zack_Poppet)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-superpowers-to-become-anonymously-rich/938048/104 "2021-04-05T12:44:24Z")
Professor X-style psychic powers. Just compel everyone to give you everything you want and not care. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-superpowers-to-become-anonymously-rich/938048/105 "2021-04-08T19:14:40Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And what would be the serial numbers on those bills? That was the downfall in some story or other I read in the past couple of years. The alien or genie or whatever who was generating the cash simply copied the original bill. Before too long, someone noticed a glut of bills with the same serial number and Trouble Ensued. Better to go to the bank and get a bunch of cash, and duplicate that as a set, however many times you like, and never spend money from more than one stack in the same transaction. The real problem with being able to duplicate cash, though, is you’re fairly limited as to what you can purchase. It’s hard to buy a house with cash, or a car. And you can’t deposit large amounts of cash into a bank without getting Unwanted Attention due to the anti-money-laundering laws. Cash-generating powers are best used to supplement visible earnings. Work a regular job that pays enough to pay the rent / mortgage, and buy everything else with your funny money. Groceries, clothing, etc. Pay the utilities in person using cash, or via postal money order. Even a low(ish) paid job would then leave enough left over to save. I would bet that I could retire comfortably in a year or two (from my current status) if I could do that. Luxuriously, if I’d started doing it 10 years ago. It’s not the way to quick riches without effort, but that approach is likely the safest, for cash-copying powers. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-superpowers-to-become-anonymously-rich/938048/106 "2021-04-08T19:15:40Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Another thing Frozone could do is sell fresh water to places like Capetown that are desperate for it. He could pull moisture from the air and make ice shoot where he wants it to go. So he could easily just go out there every Summer, and fill up their reservoir for a few million. I’m sure LA and a few other cities would pay him as well. I wonder what that would do the the climate, though? Would the moisture be enough to affect the weather locally, or “downstream”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-superpowers-to-become-anonymously-rich/938048.md?page=5)