Quora Answer: What Do You Think Increases Your Chances of Wealth?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “What do you think increases your chances of wealth?”

There are many answers, but the most important skill required to succeed in life is networking.  It truly matters who you know more than where you are from, what you know, and how hardworking you are.  There is no point in being the best at something if no one who can appreciate its value knows about it.  There is no point being merely hardworking, when robots never tire.  There is no point in being merely clever, when every idiot can google things.

If you want to succeed, and have the opportunities to acquire wealth, then you must master the art of marketing yourself to the right people, in the right places.  It is important to study the ways and mannerisms of the people who have succeeded, and borrow from them.  But to do that, you must first identify them.

The wealthy person is not the one with the flashy car, the glitzy fashion, and the glamorous lifestyle.  The wealthy person is the one who pays that idiot his salary.  Too often, we mistake wealth for celebrity.  A lot of celebrities actually have negative net worth.  They may have gotten rich, not wealthy, because they could carry a tune, or kick a ball better.  And they often quickly lose it because they never acquired the skill of growing wealth.  They are cautionary tales, not examples to be emulated.

True wealth is understated.  The truly wealthy are also the truly powerful, and they have the means to never appear on rich lists, should they so be willing to pay for it.  The more people know how much you actually have, the more they will find means to finagle it off you.  The more the public knows of your wealth, the more the government is pressured to tax you for it to advance the charade of wealth distribution.  There is absolutely no need to show off to the masses.  It creates envy, and envy may foment regime change.

Marketing yourself also means spending great effort learning things, from the ways of the financial markets to analysis of government policies.  The stupid may stumble upon wealth, but they will eventually lose it.  The performing monkey has treats showered on it until the benefactor tires of the act.  Never become a performing monkey.

It is important to build a certain reputation when you finally do encounter these people.  Be honest, and keep your word - at least to the letter of the contract.  A person who cannot be trusted will run out of opportunities.  Be hardworking, under promise and overdeliver - consistently.  You need only fail once, and a thousand successes will mean nothing.  And be brutally efficient in identifying threats to your position, and having them dealt with.  Most of all, understand that you will eventually have the confidence of powerful people as your clients.  Always be discreet.  Never compromise their secrets.  And never, ever boast about it.  The goal is the acquisition of wealth and power.  Leave fame to the performing monkeys.