That’s exactly the trick. The rich don’t become rich by selling their assets. They become powerful by never having to.

They pledge their stock as collateral, borrow against it, and live off debt instead of income. No sale means no capital gains tax. No liquidation means no crash in their holdings. Meanwhile, the underlying assets keep appreciating.

Their “paper wealth” may not be cash, but it buys access to virtually unlimited credit, and credit becomes power.

At that level, wealth isn’t about liquidity. It’s about leverage, and leverage is power.