Protection
Being a household name comes with its fair share of expenses, and that includes security.
Filthy rich billionaires and top celebrities spend millions protecting themselves, their
loved ones, and their assets.
So how much are they spending on bodyguards and other security measures?
Evasive Driving
Being a billionaire's driver takes more than just maneuvering through traffic and changing
gears.
Security drivers ferrying the rich are licensed to carry a firearm if someone attempts to
hijack the car.
They also boast of extra-special training, like evasive driving, CPR, and routine first
aid skills.
These specially trained drivers are responsible for chauffeuring top celebrities, corporate
executives, high-ranking politicians, and other VIPs.
Aside from perfecting how to use a weapon, evasive driving is an essential skill for
these drivers.
Have you ever watched those surreal driving stunts in movies like Fast and Furious?
Believe it or not, they are as real as it gets (to a degree), thanks in part to evasive
driving lessons.
Evasive driving teaches drivers protective driving, accident avoidance, skid control,
and intuitive driving skills that allow them to recognize and respond to a vehicle's feedback
and survive life-threatening situations.
Deliberate attacks and ambushes can be dealt with appropriately if a driver has undergone
evasive driving lessons.
With such training and skills, these drivers can earn up to $500 a day.
Having a lot of money or influence draws an appetite for secluded, lavish and secure homes.
To secure the homes of the super-rich, only top-tier security guards make the cut.
If you've had the pleasure of visiting an affluent person's home, you'd know security
is not taken for granted.
Influence comes with a lot of enemies, and it calls for 24/7 security provided by well-trained
guards.
Most home guards usually work eight-hour shifts, and the number will vary depending on the
size of the property.
Take, for example, rapper Rick Ross's Georgia mansion.
Home Security
The 45,000 square foot mansion stands on a 235-acres of land and has a dining room that
can seat 100 people!
Surely the rapper will need more than a handful of security guards to ensure his property
remains safe on the clock.
The average pay for armed personal guards is $750 per day.
The people primarily tasked with protecting the lives of the rich and famous are their
bodyguards.
Being a bodyguard is more than being a human shield.
The role requires utmost intelligence, awareness, and top-notch due diligence.
Today, professional bodyguards are tasked with coordinating travel arrangements and
assessing threat levels, a job that requires intense training.
Most influential people prefer hiring former secret service agents as their bodyguards.
This is because most of them have a background in psychology and evasive driving on top of
being physically ready to thwart any kind of danger posed to their clients.
The training these bodyguards go through is not for the faint-hearted.
In the United Kingdom, for example, it takes two weeks and an additional 1,800 pounds to
get certified with the extras needed to be a professional bodyguard.
They are trained on surveillance, close protection, first aid, and more.
Hiring a fully trained bodyguard will cost any wealthy individual between $1,000-$1,500
a day.
Julius de Boer
There are bodyguards; then there are famous bodyguards.
Beyonce needs no introduction; she's the modern-day version of 'have it all.
It doesn't come as a shock that Miss B has one of the most famous bodyguards in the world.
His name is Julius de Boer.
Jay Z, doesn't want to take any chances on the lives of his wife and kids, so he recruited
the very best.
If you happen to be one of Beyonce's roughly 212 million Instagram followers, you'll know
Julius' face from one of her many photos.
Julias has been protecting Beyonce since 2008, and the big man has been executing his services
wholeheartedly, dealing with paparazzi and protecting young Ivy Blue from camera flashes.
The towering protector was born and raised in Amsterdam and would later start his own
executive protection company in Europe.
Julias isn't just muscles and a mean face; he graduated with a psychology degree from
the University of Amsterdam.
His security company is well-known worldwide, with branches in Abu Dhabi, New York, and
London.
Julias has witnessed Beyonce's most memorable moments, among them, the headline-dominating
incident when Miss B's sister Solange hit Jay Z in the elevator.
He protected Beyonce through two pregnancies and stood by her anywhere and everywhere,
including during stage performances.
Like anybody else, Julias has a life.
He’s a divorced father of one daughter, and his survivability in the harsh field of
protection is enhanced by his ability to speak five languages.
Mark Billingham
Another elite celebrity bodyguard is the man who protects Brad Pitt.
Mark "Billy" Billingham is his name, and he is probably the most overqualified bodyguard
around.
Billy's career started back in 1983 as a member of the British Army's Parachute Regiment,
where he remained until 1991.
He held several positions, including patrol commander and training instructor.
In 1991, Mark joined the SAS as a mountain troop specialist, working in various locations,
including South America, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa, where he spearheaded several hostage
rescues.
Aside from his military training, Mark is a counter-terrorist sniper instructor, advanced
evasive driving instructor, tracking and navigation instructor, and has also worked as a trauma
life support agent.
After calling it a day in his military career, Mark watched the back of several celebrities,
including Brad Pitt, his ex-wife Angelina Jolie, Jude Law, Tom Cruise, Sir Michael Caine,
Kate Moss, Russell Crowe, and WWE star Hulk Hogan.
Clearly, a quick look at his client list shows he's more than capable, and his charges don't
come cheap.
Pitt and Jolie were spending $2 Million annually for protection services.
If you’re a huge celebrity, you’re going to want a bodyguard.
If you’re a Kylie Jenner type, you’re definitely going to need a bodyguard.
And it doesn’t matter your size or fighting skills as a celebrity.
Even if you’re a Floyd Mayweather, or a Conor McGregor, it’s just much safer when
you have professional bodyguards who’ll be on the look out on your behalf.
Silicon Valley Security
Silicon Valley is the home to the world's famous tech billionaires, some of whom spare
a colossal budget to take care of their security needs.
But the money they spend on security is just a drop in the ocean compared to what their
companies make.
Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who also happens to be the richest man in the world, spends
well over $1.6 million on security annually.
In 2018, Bezos instructed his security team to install bullet-proof glasses in his Seattle
office.
The panels cost the billionaire about $180,000, rightly so because they can withstand several
shots from a military assault rifle.
Following the leaked information about his affair with tv personality Lauren Sanchez,
an issue that culminated into one of the most expensive divorce cases in history, Bezos
went berserk and hired a senior security expert Gavin de Becker to investigate and establish
the source of the leak.
According to Becker, the billionaire ordered him to spend whatever he needed to, provided
he would come up with the answers.
After months of intense investigations, Becker concluded that the leak emanated from a Saudi
Arabian official.
It had everything to do with the Washington Post, a newspaper owned by Bezos that extensively
covered the death of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist working in Saudi Arabia.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is another high-profile Silicon Valley billionaire whose security
has raised eyebrows.
The social media tycoon spends millions of dollars protecting himself and his family.
Zuckerberg spends the most on security of all the Silicon Valley billionaires, an astonishing
$20 million a year.
Zuckerburg has 24/7 protection from a team of armed guards surrounding both him and his
home.
He's rumored to have a "panic chute" in his office in case he and his team need to escape
the building.
The thought of Zuckerburg sliding to safety is one we're happy to sit with.
Secret Service
The secret service officers are mostly associated with protecting the life of the US presidents
and their immediate families.
Being in the secret service is more of a calling than a job; the sacrifices they make and the
risks they take are comparable to none.
Did you know that the secret service in charge of protecting the president travels with bags
of the president's blood?
Well, if that's not shocking enough, these men and women ensure the president is not
alone at any given time, even in the bathroom.
The secret service job description includes both protection and investigation.
They spend countless hours watching crowds for suspicious behaviors and are always required
to be on alert for any danger directed toward the president.
They walk around with weapons, secure locations, investigate crimes—all that just to keep
some of the most powerful men and women safe.
Due to the nature of their job, a day in the life of the secret service is unpredictable,
their personal lives are complicated, and they are required to maintain their health
and fitness at all times.
The job of the secret service is very tough, so is joining the service.
In 2011, of the 15,600 applicants, less than 1% made it to the next round.
Successful applicants undergo six months of intense training.
The training starts at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, followed by James J Rally
Training Center.
The agents are well compensated, making anywhere between $49,000- $64,000 annually.
Years of experience and promotions can see an agent bank up to $144,000 a year.
Coupled with other benefits, a top-secret service agent can make up to $180,000 a year.
K-9 Security
Dogs are man's best friend, but they can also be man's best security asset.
That is the case for a South Carolina-based company called Harrison K9 that imports, trains,
and sells protective dogs.
However, trained protection dogs don't come cheap.
The most expensive ever sold was for $230,000 to John Johnson, a wealthy Minnesota businessman.
The dog's name is Julia.
On average, these dogs aren't that expensive, costing between $30,000- $80,000.
The ideal breed for security dogs is the European German Shepherd.
They undergo two years of daily training in Germany before being imported to the US.
The dogs are trained on obedience, tracking scents, response to on-command attack cues,
among other things.
The dogs are also trained to be trilingual, meaning they can successfully respond to commands
made in German, English, and hand gestures.
Shepherds make fantastic guard dogs because they are quick learners, they are smart, and
also quick.
They also get along well with children.
Bulletproof
For the rich and famous, sometimes bodyguards and security cannot provide enough, and that's
why they go for bullet-proof glasses, doors, and windows.
The use of ballistic glass is synonymous with the rich.
Ballistic glass is installed throughout their properties, spending more than $100,000 on
windows alone.
Outside their secure home, they drive cars fitted with bullet-proof windows.
British royals Prince William and his wife, Kate, ride around in a bullet-proof Bentley.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has built a reputation as a no-nonsense man, and in
the process, he has accumulated a few enemies.
It is therefore not surprising to see him ride in a bullet-proof Mercedes Benz S-Class.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is another top-ranking official who takes no
chances when it comes to his security.
He drives around in a bullet-proof BMW 7 Series.
And for those who prefer something non-official, more or less like a monstrous, anti-zombie
ride, but with the ability to thwart a bullet, a Rezvani Tank can do, just ask actor Jamie
Foxx.
Speaking of Jamie Foxx, did you know that's not his real name?
Foxx's real name is actually Eric Marlon Bishop…now you know!
Future Armor
Transparent aluminum is the armor of the future.
Also known as ALON, this future security apparatus is a transparent ceramic structure that is
extremely strong and light.
ALON is so strong that it can effortlessly spot a .50 caliber bullet.
The idea was first theorized in a 1980s Star Trek movie, but it has since come to life.
Security experts believe transparent aluminum is the future of armor protection.
However, it comes with a cost.
While producing a square inch of ballistic glass costs about $3, ALON costs about $15.
Once they start mass-producing it, more millionaires are expected to choose it over the ballistic
glass, even if it's significantly more expensive.
SAFE Home
The zombie apocalypse has been depicted in numerous movies, but some millionaires take
it seriously enough to establish safe and impenetrable houses.
While they aren't actually preparing for doomsday, they'll be better prepared than the rest of
us.
The SAFE company develops secured homes consisting of two or more rooms that serve as a panic
room.
SAFE stands for Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments, so you can be sure whatever
they lay their hands on is above board.
The homes are fortified with bullet-proof protection, built-in tear gas dispensers,
vault-like safe rooms, remote-controlled shotguns, and thermal cameras that allow you to see
intruders in pitch blackness.
Is it overkill?
Perhaps.
But will it get the job done?
Absolutely.
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