Significance of the word "wealth" in Jaravagga

My take on this is as follows.

According to Dhp 75 (quoted below), the highest path is pursuing the holy life as a monk, and achieving progress on the Noble Eightfold Path. This is the best.

75. One is the quest for worldly gain, and quite another is the path to Nibbana. Clearly understanding this, let not the monk, the disciple of the Buddha, be carried away by worldly acclaim, but develop detachment instead.

The second best is living the life of the lay Dhamma or faith follower and accumulating wealth, as stated in Sigalovada Sutta, Dighajanu Sutta, Adiya Sutta, Anana Sutta and so on. The lay follower must at least observe the five precepts and Right Livelihood (according to Vanijja Sutta). Please see this answer for sutta quotes and explanation.

There's a difference between the noble path followed by monks and the non-noble path followed by lay followers. Please see this answer for sutta quotes and explanation.

The worst is the case of Dhp 155-156 (quoted below), which is a person who in his youth, pursues excellence in neither the holy life nor the worldly life. He has wasted his time.

155. Those who in youth have not led the holy life, or have failed to acquire wealth, languish like old cranes in the pond without fish.

156. Those who in youth have not lead the holy life, or have failed to acquire wealth, lie sighing over the past, like worn out arrows (shot from) a bow.

This means that the word "wealth" in Dhp 155-156 of the Jaravagga indeed refers to material wealth, as per translations.

The Pali word in the Dhammapada 155-156 is dhana.

Suttas about material wealth (at least the following DN 31; MN 135; AN 3.19; AN 4.62; SN 37.30; SN 42.15; etc) appear to use the word "bhoga".

Other suttas (SN 1.73) use the word vitta.

Suttas about spiritual wealth (at least the following AN 5.47; AN 7.1; AN 7.5; Dhp 26; etc) use the word dhana.

To definitively answer this question, a thorough examination, similar to the above, is probably required.

The PTS dictionary says,

Dhana (nt.) [Ved. dhana; usually taken to dhā (see dadhāti) as "stake, prize at game, booty," cp. pradhāna & Gr. qe/ma; but more likely in orig. meaning "grain, possession of corn, crops etc.," cp. Lith. dūna bread, Sk. dhānā pl. grains & dhañña=dhana -- like, i. e. corn, grain] wealth, usually wealth of money, riches, treasures. 1. Lit. D i.73 (sa˚); M ii.180.; A iii.222; iv.4 sq.; Nd2 135 (+yasa, issariya etc.) Th 2, 464 (+issariya); J i.225 (paṭhavigataŋ karoti: hide in the ground), 262, 289; ii.112; iv.2; Sn 60, 185, 302; Pv ii.610; DhA i.238. Often in combn aḍḍha mahaddhana mahābhoga to indicate immense wealth (see aḍḍha) PvA 3, 214 etc. (see also below ˚dhañña). -- 2. fig. Used in the expression sattavidha -- ariya -- dhana "the 7 fold noble treasure" of the good qualities or virtues, viz. saddhā, cāga etc. (see enumd under cāga) D iii.163, 164, 251; VvA 113; ThA 240.

In summary it means something like "treasure": whether that's money or good qualities or virtues.

Some comments:

• It can't mean (wouldn't make sense meaning) literally only 'money' because it says, " If he had learnt to look after his riches in the first stage of his life..., if he had become a bhikkhu, he could have been an arahat" because though bhikkhus "accumulate virtue" they don't "look after money".
• An origin story of the Buddha was that someone (I have forgotten who) prophesied that he would become a world-ruler or a spiritual emancipator (and his father wanted the former which is why he tried to keep him isolated in his palace, unaware of the wide world and of its spiritual needs).
• According to what I've read e.g. (The Buddha's Teachings on Prosperity) Buddha doesn't condemn riches for the layperson. Although they're not ultimately or permanently satisfying (which is a reason why he suggests 'renunciation' instead, for monks), but riches are useful and there's some advice in the canon about how a lay person should fulfill their role within society.