When most people think of the rich, athletes and entertainers come to mind. But after taking a survey from the Forbes Top 400, a list that represents the 400 richest people in the United States, shows that athletes are even part of the list. But instead it is full of people that most have never heard of, even though most of us buy their products on a regular basis. The list shows that most of the people who are on the list have either a bachelors degree or a masters degree. If one did not hold a degree then most likely they had inherited their fortune from the person before them. The survey also showed that age was a determining factor in being one of the richest in the U.S. This is not because of some 401K plan that built up over time but because they were self made. Almost 75 percent of the individuals on the list were self made most because they were living in an age where most money making ideas were not tapped into. Today it is very difficult to start any kind of business that in time will expand because of perfect competition that is in this country. But not all of the self made billionaires and millionaires took the tough road by starting their own business, but instead took the easy road, which is probably the smart way to become rich today, by just buying out a company that was already established. There are a lot of different occupations that are represented in my survey. There is anything form entertainment agencies to healthcare or shopping services to oil tycoons. Even though they all made their money in different ways there is one thing that they all have in common, and that is that they all made good decisions with their money and looking at their ages had the patience to stay with those decisions. .