You&#x27;re right that I don&#x27;t know MMMs specifics. But I think at this stage I&#x27;m justified in being skeptical of anyone who claims to be self-made - far too many people gloss over their inherited advantages. It&#x27;s possible he&#x27;s one of the exceptions.<p>No doubt much of his advice is correct, and all of it well-intended. But one has to be careful about advice from people in very different circumstances. They can get it disasterously wrong.<p>Landlords absolutely do make large, unearned amounts of money. Think about it for a minute: MMM is a finance expert, why would he put his money there if it didn&#x27;t generate the best return. The idle rich (rentiers) in general are hated, but landlords in particular make additional money through sharp practices. The profession inherently involves (legal) tax avoidance, because a landlord makes a lot of their money through appreciation of their properties which is not taxed, and their rental income is usually taxed at a lower rate than ordinary earnings. Finally, while it&#x27;s unfair to pin this on MMM, many landlords take advantage (wittingly or not) of their tenants&#x27; ignorance of their rights.<p>Finally, when a rich person says &quot;it&#x27;s easy to make money&quot;, it&#x27;s a very small step from there to &quot;the reason I have more money than you is that I&#x27;m smarter&#x2F;more self-controlled&#x2F;etc.&quot; Which is often a lie; often inherited privilege has a much bigger impact than personal qualities.