Well, I guess if you define "rich" based on "annual income" instead of "wealth," it makes total sense. But for a traditional work/retirement plan, you wouldn't be rich/wealthy by 45 anyway, because you are counting on the following two decades of compounding to get you there.
My favorite part of the article, though, is the adjacent link to the article on new 2017 cars, complete with pic of a pristine Bentley. 'Cause that's what it means to be rich, right?