Beyond that level of wealth, you can also lose incredible fortunes very quickly. That's probably more common than gaining without doing anything at all, don't you think?
I don't think the 99% believe that the 1% can lose incredible fortunes quickly. The perception is that the 1% prop each other up or are propped up/rescued by someone. Yeah, there was Bernie Madoff. But when Donald Trump is facing bankruptcy, the people holding the paper work with him because they can't afford his bankruptcy. That rarely happens in the 99%. The banks and auto companies were bailed out in ways that individuals rarely are. Yes, jobs were saved...but the fortunes of the top management were, too.
I honestly don't know. My gut feeling would be no - the rich people I know personally tend to be very conservative with the bulk of their wealth, and at least one of them does just pay someone else to grow it for him. I'd love to see more data though!
