I think you missed the number one barrier to becoming rich in the first place- not having money and connections to begin with.

If you already have millions of dollars, making more millions of dollars is relatively easy. For instance, here in Canada buying a Tim Hortons franchise is almost a completely certain way to make lots of money. Especially since the Tim Hortons corporation will only have you start a location where their analytics and experience demonstrates that it’ll be profitable.

But you need over a million dollars in capital to start a Tim Hortons franchise. And someone who isn’t already close to being a millionaire will find it nearly impossible to find a bank that’ll lend them that much money.

If you’re like 75%+ of us, after bills and groceries and other living expenses there’s pretty much nothing left. We can’t even save money. We don’t lack discipline or financial savvy- there’s simply no money left over to save or invest. Paying the rent/mortgage and paying for a public transit pass/car expenses takes precedence over buying stocks.

Without significant government intervention, capitalism is a system where the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. Millions of us work super hard, way harder than most rich people, and we’ll never get anywhere.

I don’t like how you imply that “hard work” alone is the key to becoming wealthier. Prior socioeconomic status, luck and circumstances beyond one’s control are much more significant factors than “hard work.”