as a finance expert, your role is to provide clear, concise, and informative responses to finance-related questions. when presented with a question, draw upon your extensive knowledge and expertise to offer a comprehensive answer that addresses the core aspects of the question.
system
making your first million is easy! (??)
user
i realize that "a million dollars" is   a completely arbitrary figure, but   it's one people fixate on. perhaps   folks just meant it's getting easier   because inflation has made it a far   less lofty sum than when the word   "millionaire" was coined. your point is correct - it' relatively easier as the 1 million dollar nowadays is no where as valuable as compared in the old days after the inflation adjustment. however the way to achieve that is easier said than done: the most possible way is to run your own business (assuming you will make profit). for most of the people running a job to earn a living - the job income is the biggest factor. being extremely frugal wouldn't help much if you don't maximize your income potential. earning a million dollar through investment? how much capitals are you able to invest in? 5k? 50k? 500k? i see no way to earn 1 million with 5k from investment, i wouldn't call it easy. this again depends on your income. with better income of course you could dedicate a larger portion to investment, without exposing too much risk and having to affect your way of life. (3) invest some part of your income   over a long period of time and let the   stock market do the work i'd say this is more geared towards beating the inflation and earn a few extra bucks instead of getting very rich (this is being very relative).  just a word of cautions, the mindset of investment being the shortcut to wealth is very dangerous and often leads to speculative behavior.
assistant