>Even on the assumption that the rich only have 2-3 children, a billion-dollar inheritance should be diluted to nearly nothing after 15 generations
Not if your children exclusively marry other wealthy people. Then the rate of dilution depends primarily on the growth in the overall population of the wealthy in each generation. The Italian population overall has quintupled since the 1400s, even if we make an allowance for the wealthy having more living children who reproduced, the wealth will not have diluted away completely.
Not if your children exclusively marry other wealthy people. Then the rate of dilution depends primarily on the growth in the overall population of the wealthy in each generation. The Italian population overall has quintupled since the 1400s, even if we make an allowance for the wealthy having more living children who reproduced, the wealth will not have diluted away completely.