AOC claims extreme wealth in America is ‘unearned’ — and says billionaires create myths to justify their fortunes. Does she have a point?

"When you have these systems, when you have corporations, when you have an economic elite, there's a certain level of wealth and accumulation that is unearned," Ocasio-Cortez said (1).

Then she put it more bluntly.

"You can't earn a billion dollars," she said. "You just can't earn that."

Ocasio-Cortez argued that billion-dollar fortunes are not simply a product of hard work or talent, but can come from power imbalances baked into the economy.

"You can get market power, you can break rules, you can do all sorts of things," she said. "You can abuse labor laws — you can pay people less than what they're worth — but you can't earn that."

And when extreme wealth cannot be justified on effort alone, she argued, the ultra-rich builds a story around it.

"And so you have to create a myth," Ocasio-Cortez said. "Since you didn't earn that, you have to create a myth of earning it."

That "myth," in her telling, does more than protect the wealthy. It also shapes how ordinary workers see themselves and each other.

"We've kind of internalized this moralized system," she said. "The people at the top are smarter, better, more sophisticated — and therefore the people at the bottom are uneducated, lazy, etc."

It's a sweeping critique — and one that sparked a huge wave of reaction. Critics argue that billionaires can create enormous wealth by building companies, taking risks, developing products and services people use and creating jobs along the way.

Sen. Ted Cruz, for one, pushed back on Ocasio-Cortez's claim that billionaires can't earn their fortunes.

"Think of Henry Ford, who invented the Model T, who invented the assembly line and basically created the American middle class, you don't think that produced billions of dollars?" Cruz said (2). "Look at Elon Musk, making electric cars, making self-driving cars, sending rocket ships to the moon — he's going to be sending rocket ships to Mars."

But Ocasio-Cortez's broader point taps into a real financial divide in America: the gap between people who rely mostly on wages and those who build wealth through ownership.

And while everyday Americans may never become billionaires, there is one part of the billionaire playbook they can copy: owning assets that have the potential to grow over time.

The rich don't just earn — they own

To Ocasio-Cortez's point, for most workers, income comes from a paycheck. You trade time and labor for money, then use that money to cover housing, groceries, gas, bills and other necessities.

But for many of the wealthiest Americans, the biggest source of wealth is not a salary. It's ownership.

Billionaires often see their net worth rise because they own large stakes in businesses, stocks, real estate or other assets that can appreciate. That distinction matters. A worker's wages may rise slowly, while the value of a company, stock portfolio or real estate holding can grow substantially over time.

That doesn't mean regular Americans are locked out. It does mean that one of the clearest dividing lines in wealth-building is whether you only earn income — or whether you also own assets.

One way everyday investors can build that ownership is through the stock market. Instead of trying to launch the next trillion-dollar company, investors can buy pieces of publicly traded businesses — including companies with strong brands, durable demand and long-term growth potential.

Of course, picking individual stocks can be difficult, especially when markets are volatile and headlines are moving fast. That's where research platforms like Moby can help. Moby's team of former hedge fund analysts do the heavy lifting — breaking down the market, flagging quality stocks and making the research easy to digest.

In fact, across nearly 400 stock picks over the past four years, Moby's recommendations have beaten the S&P 500 by almost 12% on average. Their research keeps you up-to-the-minute on market shifts and takes the guesswork out of choosing investments.

And for those who want a more personalized strategy, working with a financial adviser can also help.

Through Advisor.com, you can get matched with vetted financial advisers suited to your needs — whether you're trying to build wealth, generate income or plan for long-term financial security.

Once you're matched with an advisor, you can book a free consultation with no obligation to hire.

The key is that investors are no longer relying only on wages alone. They're investing this earned income into assets that have the potential to compound — the same basic wealth-building mechanism the rich have used for generations.

Another asset the wealthy have long used: real estate

Stocks are one path to ownership. Real estate is another.

Many wealthy Americans have used property to build long-term wealth because real estate can offer two things at once: potential appreciation and recurring income.

Property values can rise over time, especially in markets with strong demand and limited supply: the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index has surged 87% in the past decade (3).

Meanwhile, rental income can create cash flow — giving owners a source of income that is not directly tied to a paycheck.

Real estate also serves as a time-tested hedge against inflation, since rent and property values tend to rise alongside the cost of living.

The challenge, of course, is that buying a rental property outright can require a large down payment, ongoing maintenance and the headache of managing tenants.

But today, investors don't necessarily need to become landlords to get exposure to real estate. Crowdfunding platforms like mogul offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.

Mogul is a real estate investment platform offering fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties, which gives investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits — without the need for a hefty down payment or 3 A.M. tenant calls.

Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team hand-picks the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide for you. In other words, you gain access to institutional-quality offerings for a fraction of the usual cost.

Each property undergoes a rigorous vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios. Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Offerings often sell out in under three hours, with investments typically ranging between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.

You can sign up for an account and then browse available properties here.