Its not a given ability but it can be learned; doing nothing only assures zero results. And anything done repeatedly, with conscious deliberation, is improved including wealth generation, money savings, etc. Pooling resources is another method to at least help somebody climb out of the cesspool of poverty. I had Vietnamese neighbors who had at least 15 people living in one apartment so they could save money and buy a multi-unit home and open a small grocery store. I lived next to them for roughly 1 year and they manage to do it. Before I moved they had purchased a nearby house and opened their vegetable/variety store. Poor people move up the income ladder all the time despite horrible odds. This doesn't mean we should not be helping people or giving them aid. What I'm saying is that a lot of poor people have the ability to escape poverty but don't do so because they are ignorant of the resources available or they don't exercise discipline to save for a better future. Rich people are rich because they spend an inordinate amount of time finding ways to make money or keep their money in their hands: lessening tax burdens, using money more efficiently, etc. Rich people hone their money making/saving skills prodigiously and use system level thinking to generate money. It's these habits, skills, and knowledge that poor people need to get ahead - not hand outs with zero training on wealth strategies.Sclass wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2017 9:39 amHow it ultimately affects a generation is about as complicated as accumulating a net worth that can be used to FI at 3% SWR. You guys make it sound like building wealth is some kind of God given ability that everyone should have.
Most of the people around me cannot do it regardless of color.
The argument I always hear is "most people can't do it" which means SOME can do it - so let everyone try and see who makes it out - ask them how they did it. Chances are, if they are from the same neighborhood and started in the same position in life, their behavior, choices, and knowledge aggregation can be copied in order to achieve similar success.