This is true. It's a plot point in "Little Miss Sunshine," a movie that came out in 2006. One of the main characters tries to sell a SYSTEM to get their family

This is true. It's a plot point in "Little Miss Sunshine," a movie that came out in 2006. One of the main characters tries to sell a SYSTEM to get their family out of lower class living. Get-rich-quick books have been around a long, long time. I'd wager they've been around since the printing press. And they always devolve into "buy low, sell high" or selling get-rich-quick systems to other people. Passive income's not new either. It was (sometimes still is) a massive marketing play for franchisees. Spend $100k+ to open a franchise; the franchisor takes care of the rest; grab a hammock while you watch the money roll in. Never ever works that way, but that's how they've been marketed for a while.