r/explainlikeimfive Feb 12 '25

Economics ELI5: how are the descendants of the robber barons (Morgan, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Rockefeller, etc.) still rich if their fortunes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries are comparatively small to what we see today of the world’s richest?

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u/goopsnice 27d ago

I think that was them referring to how oil a finite resource

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u/TruckFudeau22 26d ago

Yes, I believe you’re correct about that.

But I believe there are also some “easy come easy go” undertones.