I'm not quite rich yet, but if I continue on my track at my current income I should be a millionaire in 14-15 years.

To someone who is poor, or classifies themselves as poor, "Rich" as a term is something magic and unobtainable in the near future. Someone with a million dollars is Rich, and if they had a million dollars it would make their lives so much easier- they could buy a working car, buy a house, live the way they've always wanted to live- magically, once they had a million dollars. To someone who considers themselves poor, having a million dollars means spending a million dollars. This is not true for someone "Rich"

For the sake of my post and explanation, I must clarify. The term "rich" is a generalization, and from my experience it seems to apply to anyone who has saved enough to be of basic retirement wealth levels. Anyone with a million dollars or more is magically "Rich" from the outside perspective.

Now, I should also explain that this is a really horrible classification- however widespread it is through the general public, because the people that are actually Rich have hundreds of millions. Those are the people that could spend a million dollars and not bat an eye- they are beyond wealthy, they have more money than they could logically spend in their lifetimes, even if they lives lavishly.

There is a huge difference there. A very important difference, especially compared to what we as a generalization, consider "Rich" to be.

Those mega-millionaire people are either extremely lucky/hard working, had inherited wealth, or created something the world has never had before- slapping a patent on it. It is basically impossible to achieve that level of wealth by working under normal circumstances- there was some sort of outside force involved or some sort of unique luck/genius associated.

Meanwhile, the "Enough to retire = rich" classification of people, the people of 1-5 million in wealth, generally earned it over a long stretch of hard work and dedication. They made it there by living below their means, and remaining dedicated to their lifestyle. Maybe they had higher salaries than average- but they didn't spend like they did. If someone makes around 70K a year, but lives on 20K- they can become millionaires and retire after 13-15 years. If they choose to do this instead of spending all their money, why should they be punished for it? They sacrificed to get there, and in many cases, are very aware of what it takes to accumulate wealth.

Their perspective, which is perhaps justified, becomes like so: Some people are poor because of their own behavior. Some people squander their chances, and I do not believe I should need to support them because of it. Should they think this 100% of the time? No- that's unfair and undoubtedly mistaken, but they themselves achieved wealth by a certain process, and their world outlook is shifted by that life experience. Live beneath your means, work hard, and save your money for the future.

Responsible budgeting and reliable employment over a stretch of twenty years can make just about anyone with a 40K salary a millionaire. On the same scale, anyone with terrible self control on a 40k salary can be perpetually broke as fuck. In that I can agree, some people are poor because of life choices- and some are "Rich" by the same method on the opposite side of the spectrum. Those two things can really just be the difference of longterm planning and self control so long as you're employed a majority of the time at a job that pays you a reasonable salary.

The difference in outlook is simplified like this: "I have a million dollars, how can I spend it?" Vs "I have a million dollars, how can I invest it and make it work for me in the future?"

That, I believe, is what many poor people do not understand. If you only make 30,000 a year, you probably do not make enough to become a millionaire on your own without unique circumstances. Your cost of living- even frugal, will but into the spare money that could be invested to support you in the future. That states, if you make 40K or more, suddenly it becomes a choice. For those below that threshold life is very difficult when applied to this goal, for they will probably have to work much longer than someone with a higher salary. It may still be obtainable, but it is by no means as simple. The "Rich" of all kinds are often guilty of forgetting that some people simply do not have enough excess wealth to put aside, and instead generalize that many people do.

Many people, though, does not mean all people- however true it might be when looking closely at those many.

People certainly do spend more than they need to spend, or logically should spend. The "moonlight clan" is a very real and prevalent force in our society, but that does not change the facts. Some people are very poor, and do not have the means- even in America, to pull themselves out of that ditch without help. That is what the Rich often forget in relation to the poor, or are unwilling to understand.