Joseph S. Moore shares five historical wealth strategies

4 articles · Updated · MarketWatch · May 6

Drawing on experiments after the 2008 financial crisis, Moore argues Americans can still build wealth, citing data showing 40% of children born poor now reach the middle class or higher.
His five lessons stress solving others’ problems through business, focusing on one main income engine, separating retirement security from investing, learning from markets and managing risk carefully.
Moore says wealth-building is easier than in past eras but requires active effort, not passive optimism, and expands on the ideas in his 2026 book on 300 years of financial advice.

With living costs soaring, are 300-year-old wealth strategies still a realistic path for the average American?

In an era of market shocks, should you ditch passive investing for an active wealth-building approach?