---
title: Why Is It So Hard to Get Rich?
description: Author and economist Sam Wilkin explains why joining the 1% is so difficult.
authors:
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published: '2015-09-03T21:57:17.000Z'
modified: '2015-09-03T21:57:17.000Z'
section: Personal Finance
tags:
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word_count: 97
canonical: https://money.com/get-rich-quickly-hard-slow/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
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![Screen Shot 2015-09-02 at 6.58.32 PM](https://img.money.com/2015/09/screen-shot-2015-09-02-at-6-58-32-pm.png)

So why is it so tough to get rich, and is it even possible to get rich quickly? Economist Sam Wilkin, author of *[Wealth Secrets of the One Percent](http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Secrets-One-Percent-Marvelously/dp/0316378933)*, says it's because of competition. "In a competitive, open free market economy, it should not be possible to make millions and millions of dollars in profits year after year after year, which is what it takes to get rich," he said. "Every economic fortune is a puzzle waiting to be solved." It is possible to get rich quickly, but it means throwing your life behind high-risk, high-return strategies.

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