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Yeah, no. Money tends to stay around. https://qz.com/694340/the-richest-families-in-florence-in-1427-are-still-the-richest-families-in-florence/ https://qz.com

Yeah, no. Money tends to stay around. https://qz.com/694340/the-richest-families-in-florence-in-1427-are-still-the-richest-families-in-florence/ https://qz.com/694340/the-richest-families-in-florence-in-14... The Rockefellers are still the 24th-richest family in the US: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2016/06/29/billion-dollar-clans-americas-25-richest-families-2016/#3984cb3232f5 https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2016/06/29/billion-... Sure, it takes work keeping up - the Vanderbilts are a great example of what not to do - but money does usually beget money. Carnegie is, I think, the most interesting example: He gave away almost all his money. His belief was summed up with "The man who dies rich, dies disgraced". The Carnegie Corporation (a foundation), however, held on to the money neatly - their current endowment is $3 bln.

nostrademons 9y ago
24th richest with $11B spread across 174 surviving heirs doesn't seem all that rich to me. That averages out to about $60M/heir, which is about what you get for selling a medium-sized technology company with cofounders & investors, or a relatively small one you own yourself, or owning 0.01% of Facebook or Google (roughly first 50-100 employees, if my equity experience with other startups is any guide).
- gdubs 9y ago
  $60m in personal wealth is objectively a lot of money, especially if all you had to do was inherit it.
- opportune 9y ago
  With $60m you can live a very nice lifestyle without ever having to work a day in your life. I think that's pretty much the definition of rich. Just because you can sell a company for that much money doesn't mean it's not a lot of money
- kelnos 9y ago
  $60M, invested well, will last several generations. Hell, if you aren't too lavish, you can retire on less than $5M and still pass financial independence to a (single) heir. As a sibling poster said, that's a pretty sweet deal in exchange for... nothing aside from the luck of being born to the right family.

nostrademons 9y ago

24th richest with $11B spread across 174 surviving heirs doesn't seem all that rich to me. That averages out to about $60M/heir, which is about what you get for selling a medium-sized technology company with cofounders & investors, or a relatively small one you own yourself, or owning 0.01% of Facebook or Google (roughly first 50-100 employees, if my equity experience with other startups is any guide).

gdubs 9y ago
$60m in personal wealth is objectively a lot of money, especially if all you had to do was inherit it.
opportune 9y ago
With $60m you can live a very nice lifestyle without ever having to work a day in your life. I think that's pretty much the definition of rich. Just because you can sell a company for that much money doesn't mean it's not a lot of money
kelnos 9y ago
$60M, invested well, will last several generations. Hell, if you aren't too lavish, you can retire on less than $5M and still pass financial independence to a (single) heir. As a sibling poster said, that's a pretty sweet deal in exchange for... nothing aside from the luck of being born to the right family.