I am an independent researcher, entirely self-funded. And not rich.
The real barrier to independent research is the huge paywall to get at published papers. I paid $40 for a 4 page paper. That kind of expense really adds up. If you're doing "research" and not looking at published papers, you're likely to be covering ground other people already know, in which case, you're just self-educating. At least, according to my definition of research.
Research is doing something nobody in the world knows how to do.
In my opinion, paywalling research papers is the biggest drag on science ever invented.
The real barrier to independent research is the huge paywall to get at published papers. I paid $40 for a 4 page paper. That kind of expense really adds up. If you're doing "research" and not looking at published papers, you're likely to be covering ground other people already know, in which case, you're just self-educating. At least, according to my definition of research.
Research is doing something nobody in the world knows how to do.
In my opinion, paywalling research papers is the biggest drag on science ever invented.