It has always existed only in part. As in, wealth begets wealth. So, like you say once you’re wealthy you have more opportunities for more wealth. However, it’s

It has always existed only in part. As in, wealth begets wealth. So, like you say once you’re wealthy you have more opportunities for more wealth. However, it’s even worse than that now. The system where continuous debasement of currencies has been normalized is less than a century old. In the old days a King would debase the currency and hope nobody notices. Today it’s common knowledge, yet people keep acting as if a dollar/euro today is the same thing as one tomorrow. In general, it’s not that things are getting more expensive, or one’s investments are paying off. It’s mostly just that the currencies we use as units of account are continuously losing value.