>if you tell a story about someone carrying more money than most Americans ever have in their bank accounts in their entire lives, in cash, on their person, you're describing something extraordinarily unusual.

I used to play poker semi-professionally. Traveling with upwards of $50k wasn't an uncommon thing at all among the people I knew.

I knew a card counter who was detained at an airport carrying well in excess of $100k and, comically, the money and the inside of his bag were covered in white powder at the time. Because he was a nerdy jewish kid, they believed his story that it was powdered caffeine (it actually was) and sent him on his way.