I think the old way was in founding & operating durable businesses which could be handed down to average-enough offspring. Farms, factories, local trades, etc.

I think the old way was in founding & operating durable businesses which could be handed down to average-enough offspring. Farms, factories, local trades, etc. You still see this in some private businesses like real estate. In conflict with this historical model is that most modern high paying jobs these days are high skill PMC which leaves the highly paid without ownership in any particular enterprise they can hand down.