%% Sounds right; not that I would want to be a couch potatoe= bad for health + waste of time. Dave Ramsey has some other good points on that subject also. The idea of someone stopping work because they can afford it/means they never found work they enjoy .…………………………………………………………………………………………...
That is correct. I said nothing about how they got rich. ALL of them were broke in the 70s-80s. Some several times. They did have educations, almost all, and applied it. It is interesting that the "news" portrait of the 1% has become an attitude for some. As far as crony-ism, that is a stereo type. Many people live on their personal merit as these folks do. The point was that people get all twisted around money. Does not matter if you have enough or are dreaming of it. The post was to give reflection on what is enough and how to live a good life along the way. Furthermore, getting twisted up along the way, is a danger most do not see coming. There are many types of "rich" and "poor". Some of the richest people I know are rich in family and contentment, not money. Some of the poorest people I have met are morally bankrupt of the heading of "it is business", and they cross the line all the time.
Again, you are placing too much of wealth always being on merit of some sort. The guy who invented Snapchat is a billionaire, and it is quite frankly the stupidest thing ever. The reddit inventor is a billionaire as well. The Kardashians are billionaires. All these "products" do is prey on the weak , encourage degenerate behavior (cosmetic appliances and surgery for underage girls, sleeping with every rapper for status) and does it lead to happiness in the end? Are they the winners, and those who don't partake, the losers? You have to get the sheep mentality out of your head, it will help you as a trader. Yes, we're lucky to live in a time when you can do wonders with personal merit, but the difference between the billionaires and the regulars isn't always "merit".
For me, financial independence is having enough money that I can fulfill my dreams without thinking twice.