[pjc50]

Depends what you mean by wealth, but for the majority of middle-class people the way to wealth is highly leveraged property speculation: borrow deposit from parents, take out mortgage, wait 25 years during which time the property has gone up hugely in value.

.. which requires a steady enough job to make 25 years of uninterrupted mortgage payments.

[canicode]

That's completely wrong. Invest in a mutual fund monthly and you'll be amazed by the power of compound interest.

[ro_sharp]

And local property markets where prices rise above inflation forever (this is never always the case!)

[pjc50]

It's not guaranteed, but on average in the UK it's 2.9% above inflation since the 60s: http://monevator.com/historical-uk-house-prices/