DC's rich heroes - earned v. inherited?

[Zero Hunter]

I read somewhere that Aquaman was rich by salvaging sunken treasure from old shipwrecks.

I can't remember if that was Aquaman or Namor over at Marvel. I know when Namor started his own company in the 90's he used a lot of salvaged treasure to get started. It would make sense for both of them to be sending out teams to salvage as much riches as they could from shipwrecks

[K7P5V]

In Nightwing #13, Batman reveals that Dick's parents had set aside some money. In other words, Dick has a trust fund:

[DrNewGod]

One thing about Batman and wealth that I really don't like: the inflation. Until somewhere in the 1990s-ish, Wayne was generically rich; enough to afford his toys. Since then, he's been a Forbes 5 dude.

Byrne kind of references this in Generations by mentioning where Wayne's wealth ranks as the decades pass.

If you're spending your nights punching muggers teeth out, a high financial profile is counterproductive.

[Agent Z]

I read somewhere that Aquaman was rich by salvaging sunken treasure from old shipwrecks.

I think that's how Tempest made his money too.

[Restingvoice]

I'm trying to keep track of the source of the their fortunes. Heroes only, not villains for this thread. Feel free to add others. There are a lot of rich comic book characters, and I know I've missed some.

• Bruce Wayne always inherited his wealth from his father, though that wealth has grown a lot
• Oliver Queen - I know once the business existed it was inherited (and lost), but really don't know about golden age or even the silver prior the changeup (which I consider to be bronze)
• Ted Kord - per the 1986 series, he took a "hole in the wall" company and made second to only STAR labs and earned the vast bulk of his money by being a brilliant scientist and businessman. That business acumen (and money) didn't seem to stick though JLI and beyond, from what I know. Not really sure what later status quo was.
• Mari McCabe - as far as I know, she made her own fortune, but I haven't read much of her
• Steve Dayton - he was extremely rich in the 60s-80s (5th or 6th richest man in the world and much richer than Bruce), and I know he earned a lot, but I don't know if he started off rich, less rich, or not rich
• Kon-El was temporarily rich (though I expect to a much lesser degree), and earned that money via capitalizing on his fame
• Booster Gold was also at times rich. Earned via endorsements and did some stock market investing (with future knowledge)
• Kathy Kane (silver age) - I have to admit, I'm not sure where her money came from
• Victor Stone (Before new 52) inherited from his father
• Garfield Logan - at one point he was to have inherited a million dollars, but don't know if that ever came to fruition (don't know if he ever made it to 18 to have control over it, given DC's refusal to let him grow up).

Silver Age Kathy is mentioned in one issue to be an heiress.
Same with the Morrison version, but also add her husband Nathan Kane's fortune to that. In the Morrison version, she's a daughter of a Nazi scientist, but she didn't know that until after she retired as Batwoman, so the source of her wealth would be from her foster family.