General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: There are exactly two ways to get rich [View all]FBaggins
(26,696 posts)Unless you stretch #2 beyond all rational bounds.
All sources of wealth necessarily involve people with money deciding to give it to you for one reason or another (in large amounts or small). That's true whether it's the result of honest effort or wealthy friends.
The hard-working athlete earns a scholarship to a good school... she doesn't suddenly have "rich friends" that pay the scholarship... she earns it. A newly-discovered artist or author doesn't have "rich friends"... he has a product that someone is willing to pay for. The venture capitalists that finance a startup are in no sense your "friends" - they're just another business transaction (on both sides).
Then there's the obvious 3rd route that has always been called the "American Dream (tm)". Study hard, get a good job, spend much less than you make, invest the difference over long periods of time.