I think it’s still possible for people to achieve wealth from ground zero, but, if you’re talking about the kind of wealth that will benefit several generations (provided successive generations don’t make bad decisions and waste it, or simply encounter bad luck along the way–both of which I have seen happen time after time) I agree, AN–it’s a process.
I also agree with scaredy and BG, that, in many cases, it makes no sense to go into extreme debt for an elite education that may or may not pay off, but, if it’s no financial strain (as in our case, the funds were set aside by the grandparents for that purpose alone) you might as well let the kids take advantage of it, as long as they can cut it academically.
