It doesn’t unless that’s your only goal. Having wealth gives you a lot of flexibility and potential, but it is not a good in itself. It can be used for good or evil, and it may require great sacrifice to attain it.
If that’s your definition of financial success, you - almost certainly - will not be successful. If you are on track for, say, an Ivy League education, then you have a realistic chance, with the right degree. For most people, it will be clear by age 18 whether the chance is realistic or not.
Why does it make someone an idiot if they wish to be a millionaire?
It doesn’t unless that’s your only goal. Having wealth gives you a lot of flexibility and potential, but it is not a good in itself. It can be used for good or evil, and it may require great sacrifice to attain it.
The idiotic things are:
to make it the measure of financial success.
to believe you can make it.
If that’s your definition of financial success, you - almost certainly - will not be successful. If you are on track for, say, an Ivy League education, then you have a realistic chance, with the right degree. For most people, it will be clear by age 18 whether the chance is realistic or not.
Millionaire isn’t 1%. Everyone with a 401(k) in their 60s is one. It’s younger if you count assets like houses.
One doesn’t need to be a billionaire to belong to the 1%