People often talk about striking it rich, but when you think it through, there aren’t actually many reliable ways to get rich overnight. I’ve put together a few of the approaches I’ve heard mentioned, and most of them boil down to luck.

Demolition and relocation can truly change a life—after all, a few properties plus several million in cash can appear out of nowhere—but this isn’t something you can choose on your own. Entrepreneurship is a relatively controllable path: you build a hit product, raise funding, or sell to a large company. There are indeed examples like that, but the success rate is extremely low, and most startup projects end in failure.

For futures trading and cryptocurrency speculation, I’ve seen people make a lot of money, but I’ve also seen more people lose everything. Futures trading comes with leverage, and the volatility is real—at least in theory, you could profit quickly, but the risks are just as enormous. In recent years, cryptocurrency speculation has attracted a lot of attention; some people have improved their lives through this approach, but others have ended up with nothing. None of these are stable ways to get rich overnight.

In the end, besides things you can’t fully control—like demolition and relocation—most ways to get rich basically come down to betting on luck. Instead of fantasizing about getting rich quickly, it’s better to work steadily and build up over time. Save money gradually and keep learning; it may not make you rich overnight, but at least it’s a path you can actually take.