I'm gonna be real man. The real reason people are poor has everything to do with financial education. It wouldn't matter what political system is in place.The people at the top have the game rigged so that if you aren't one of them or don't establish a connection to one of them the odds are you'll never make it there. Most people don't have enough money to lean how to manage it better.
I didn't learn how to manage money till I was in my early 30s. I'm almost 36 now and I had to be about 32 when I learned how to manage money and it was because at that level I was making enough money that I realized I only needed about half of what I made to live comfortably and I could just save the other half.
When you come from a deprived state and gain money many people buy all the shyt they could never have before. I spent money on tons of dumb things. I spend like $10,000 on big screen TVs in a span of about 3 years (2012-2015) as an example. If I would have invested that money back then it would be worth a lot more now.
People have to grow accustom to dealing with money to manage it better and sure not all of them will learn but many would learn how to handle if from actually having it.
You just said it took you a long time to figure that you didn't need so much. That said you still haven't figured out what real assets are. Assets are anything you put money into that can put money back in your pocket.
Think simple to see what I'm saying. Ask yourself how a chinese restaurant turns a profit and you'll start seeing the answers. Managing money isn't enough! You must realize the power of the dollar in order to become financially free and independent. When you hand money to financial advisors they profit off your dollars and ultimately give you what's left over (miserly returns between 5-20% if you're lucky). My business all generate 50% margins or greater.
I was in your shoes early last year and had a great plan in place to achieve FIRE within about 10 years. The only reason I discovered this side was my efforts to discover REAL side hustles which ultimately led to me discovering business and the true nature of capitalism. It shook me enough to leave my comfort zone and never look back.
Doing quite fineI'ma let you cook and not even go any further if you truly believe this is what wealth is...good luck with that.
