Business News Daily: “Further, a second study by Fidelity Investments found that 88 percent of all millionaires are self-made, meaning they did not inherit their wealth.”
Millionaires Are Made, Not Born
In fact, the majority of millionaires didn't even grow up around a lot of money. According to the survey, 8 out of 10 millionaires come from families at or below middle-income level. Only 2% of millionaires surveyed said they came from an upper-income family.
It has become especially popular because it can potentially be a gateway to millionaire status. The famed wealthy entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie famously said more than a century ago, “Ninety percent of all millionaires become so through owning real estate.
Corley found that 41% of the 177 self-made millionaires he surveyed were reared in poor households.
Another thing that may come as a shock to some people, myself included, was that only 31% of millionaires in this study averaged over $100,000 a year throughout their careers.
While more of new billionaires' overall wealth was generated by inheritance, the number of new self-made billionaires still surpassed the number of new billionaires who inherited the money.
Someone who has $1 million in liquid assets, for instance, is usually considered to be a high net worth (HNW) individual. You might need $5 million to $10 million to qualify as having a very high net worth while it may take $30 million or more to be considered ultra-high net worth.
A groundbreaking 20-year study conducted by wealth consultancy, The Williams Group, involved over 3,200 families and found that seven in 10 families tend to lose their fortune by the second generation, while nine in 10 lose it by the third generation. However, there are ways to be at the odds.
70% of Millionaires Go Broke: How to Avoid the Pitfalls of the Wealthy.
Studies show that in recent years, millionaires are keeping a significant portion of their wealth in cash. According to CNBC's Millionaire Survey , that portion was about 24% in 2023.
The world's youngest billionaire is 19-year-old Livia Voigt, who is still in university. The Brazilian teenager is worth around US$1.1 billion as a result of her minority stake in the electrical equipment company WEG, co-founded by her late grandfather.
Myth #1: Wealth Lasts Many Generations
But the truth is, around 70 percent of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation. More so, around 90 percent of families lose their wealth by the third generation. There are many reasons wealthy families are likely to lose their wealth over time.
Probably 1 in every 20 families have a net worth exceeding $3 Million, but most people's net worth is their homes, cars, boats, and only 10% is in savings, so you would typically have to have a net worth of $30 million, which is 1 in every 1000 families.
90% of millionaires made their money in Real Estate. I became a millionaire without owning a single property. But I own 6 small businesses that make me $725k/year.
This is a huge amount of money, and yet it is not even close to the amount someone your age would need to retire. (However, if you choose to, it could get you comfortably into your first home, which might be a good investment for you.)
As of the second quarter 2024, the average American household had wealth of $1.17 million. The average wealth of households in the top 1 percent was about $35.5 million. In the top 0.1 percent, the average household had wealth of more than $158.6 million.
The two studies consistently found that rich people are more conscientious, open to experience, and extraverted than the average population. They are also less agreeable (that is, less likely to shy away from conflict) and less neurotic (as in, more psychologically stable).