[yardie]

I can think of not a single family who started out wealthy and lost it all. What's far more common is dilution of wealth. Start out with $100mm, split that 10 ways through inheritance, then split that again, and again. The Rockefellers, Carnegies, Mellons and Westinghouses still exist, just under many different surnames.

[jumbopapa]

Most families never reach that level of wealth. It's obviously going to be different for the top .001% of wealth.

[yardie]

If you start out even with $100k inheritance you're pretty far ahead already. That's enough to get an education, buy a home, or start a business. If you can turn that $100k into $1mm you can draw off $35k for the rest of your life without lifting a finger.

Having modest savings and being in good health makes you much closer to wealth than if you were further down the economic chain.

[logfromblammo]

Or the Waltons and Pritzkers, who can split the fortune 12 different ways and still have multiple billionaire scions.