I think about this regularly. Being poor is more than not having material wealth. Apple's Steve Jobs had a period of time where he had no money. But he was never poor. He had no money by choice. He knew what to do to live a comfortable life any time he wanted. But there are people that will always be poor no matter how hard they try. They just don't know how to get ahead. I think that is due to what they learned from their family. A successful family is able to teach their members how to be successful in life even if money is never exchanged. Having the right family that can teach how to be successful even if it's just by example is a great advantage.