Of course wealth begets wealth. The most important thing it does is place one in appropriate surroundings and sets expectations as to what path your life will take. Of course you will marry someone successful. Of course you will go to the best school and college. Of course. Everything that middle class families struggle for will be an "of course", without even thinking much, taken as if expected.

My great grandfather was a highly educated entrepreneur and millionaire in the 1920s, he passed on businesses and wealth to my grandfather in the 1940s, who was able to pass the same on to my mother who went through graduate schools in the early 1970s, who was financially successful and sent my brother and me to private schools and Ivy League colleges and graduate schools in the 1990s and early 2000s. I already have enough money from my grandparents to send my kids through college as I pay for their private schools now. I credit my great grandfather with giving us all wealth, value in education and hard work, and some good genes to keep every generation financially wealthy.

It's definitely much easier to get ahead in life if your parents are wealthy. Sometimes I'm very jealous of my cousins. Education was important to my mother though, so I did well in school and now make a great salary. If I ever have children, their lives will be much easier than mine was.