J.P Morgan didn’t build factories - he built the ownership structures.

Dominated corporate finance and helped form major industrial corporations (including U.S. Steel), shaping the era’s consolidation wave.

The classic arc: immigrant → industrial titan → giver.

Built a steel empire and later sold Carnegie Steel to J.P. Morgan (a defining “mega-deal”), then became famous for philanthropy.

The most important wealth lesson: own equity in the system you build.

Standard Oil used aggressive scaling and integration to dominate refining and distribution; after the breakup, Rockefeller’s holdings in the successor companies still generated huge wealth.

“Buy the field, not the gem.”

Entered the diamond trade at Kimberley and consolidated claims into De Beers, building near-monopoly power over diamonds.

Cornelius followed the “infrastructure spine” of a growing nation. Built wealth in shipping and later transformed it into railroad power, riding huge economic shifts like mass migration and trade growth.

“He didn’t win wars — he financed the winners.”

Played a major role in moving money to fund Britain’s war effort against Napoleon, using sophisticated finance and communications/logistics.

The “relationship business” long before LinkedIn.

Began as a coin dealer/currency exchanger in Frankfurt’s Judengasse and built elite relationships (notably with the House of Hesse), forming the base of the Rothschild banking dynasty.

The original “private-equity banker”: funding kings, owning the picks-and-shovels.

Fugger expanded a European-wide business from textiles into banking and mining, lending to major powers and securing mineral interests.

Money buys influence: influence protects money.

The Medici consolidated power in Florence through banking success and political strategy.