lifehack.com an online wealth website cited six ways to become rich
1) Start your own business and eventually sell it.
2) Join a start-up and get stock.
3) Exploit your skill as a self-employed expert.
4) Develop property.
5) Build a portfolio of stocks and shares.
6) Inherit wealth.
Except for number sex, these suggestion encourage the hope of attaining wealth through hard work combined with astute opportunism, however in truth there are only three paths to riches and those are;
1) Birth
2) Marriage
3) Theft, because all wealth is acquired a crime or two.
The Astors dealt opium to the Chinese, record companies fleece artists, and BilL Gates bamboozled various hardware and software engineers to create Microsoft, but crime is hard work and getting caught might mean jail time, which Rupert Murdoch is learning these days.
Birth and mariage are the best fast tracks to wealth.
The first is simply a gene lottery, but marrying rich can lead to great fortunes as the Countess of Alba has discovered over her long life.
Duchess of Alba Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva aka Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva aka María del Rosario Cayetana Paloma Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Fernanda Teresa Francisca de Paula Lourdes Antonia Josefa Fausta Rita Castor Dorotea Santa Esperanza Fitz-James Stuart, Silva, Falcó y Gurtubay is one of the richest women in the world.
According to Wikipedia she is a descendant of King James II of England through his bastard son, but time has polished that shame, for the Duchess’ godmother was the Queen of Spain. Her wealth from her side of the family and that of her husband is monumental, but after the death of her spouse the Duchess married a former priest, causing great scandal since he was illegitimate. Her more recent union was to a man twenty-four years her junior. The civil servant signed a pre-nup remouncing any claims to her fortune.
The Duchess might be old, but she’s no old fool.
Birth and marriage.
It doesn’t get richer than that.