
If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich? Turns out it’s just chance. (2018) - cfield
https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/03/01/144958/if-youre-so-smart-why-arent-you-rich-turns-out-its-just-chance/
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malux85
The automatic assumption between “smart” and “rich” is a link made by stupid
people or the just plain intellectually lazy.

I’ve met smart people who enjoy intellectual challenge but are low in
industriousness so don’t desire the process of monitizing the intellect

Smart people who are low in orderliness so they are too chaotic to focus
enough to monitize.

Smart people who have particular skills that a capitalistic society doesn’t
value.

And what is the definition of “smart” here? The article spouting off IQ
numbers is the bare minimum effort to try and quantise something that in
reality has multiple dimensions - fluid intelligence, domain knowledge,
wisdom, originality, creativity, all of which are dimensions of smart but not
always connected to wealth

All that “Smart == Rich” does is create entitlement and bitterness among the
lazy intellectuals and should be stamped out - if you want to be rich, being
smart can help, but so much more is required.

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rlonn
A very common thing I see is smart people with low self-confidence/self-
esteem. They have a belief that they're not good enough to "make it" or that
they're not deserving. They will of course not get rich, because they never
really try.

Conversely I see not-so-smart people who do make it, because they're confident
and believe they'll make it.

I think success is much more dependent on mentality than smarts, but people
focus on smarts because it is somewhat quantifiable.

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mimixco
While this is undoubtedly true, the 80/20 rule doesn't apply to wealth -- at
least not anymore. Today, the top 1% of the world's population has more wealth
than the other 99% combined.

~~~
patrick451
This is a contradiction. There can't be greater than 100% of the wealth in the
world.

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nick0garvey
Not a contradiction.

Imagine a pool of 100 people. The richest person has $100, everyone else has
$1.

There's a total of $199, and the richest 1% have more than half the total
wealth with $100.

I'm not saying this is the distribution of the real world, but that statement
alone is not a contradiction.

~~~
mimixco
While disputed, here's the article[0] where I got those numbers (2016). It's
definitely not 80/20.

[0][https://www.bbc.com/news/business-35339475](https://www.bbc.com/news/business-35339475)

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PaulHoule
If you're so rich then why aren't you smart?

~~~
phnofive
Turns out: It’s just chance.

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aaron695
If you are so healthy, why did you get cancer?

