With 75% of millionaires in Ramsey's study reporting regular, consistent investing over a long period of time is the reason for their success, it's clear that this is the way to hit seven-figure status.
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.
Your savings forms the core of your wealth. Especially in the early days of building wealth, the biggest way to grow your nest egg is from your savings. Later on when you've built up enough wealth, your money will be able to compound much faster than you can save from your income.
1. Earn Money. The first step in building wealth is earning money. While this might seem obvious, it's crucial—you can't save or invest without income.
The number-one way Americans become millionaires isn't through timely real estate purchases or being early investors in startups. The formula is much simpler: consistent buying, usually in the form of automatic contributions from every paycheck into a retirement account.
While some wealthy Americans drive luxury vehicles, an Experian Automotive study found that a whopping 61% of households making more than $250,000 don't drive luxury brands. Instead, they drive less showy cars, like Hondas, Toyotas and Fords.
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.
They stay away from debt.
Car payments, student loans, same-as-cash financing plans—these just aren't part of their vocabulary. That's why they win with money. They don't owe anything to the bank, so every dollar they earn stays with them to spend, save and give! Debt is the biggest obstacle to building wealth.
Ninety percent of all millionaires become so through owning real estate.
Additionally, statistics show that the top 2% of the United States population has a net worth of about $2.4 million. On the other hand, the top 5% wealthiest Americans have a net worth of just over $1 million. Therefore, about 2% of the population possesses enough wealth to meet the current definition of being rich.
The average age of millionaires is 57, indicating that, for most people, it takes three or four decades of hard work to accumulate substantial wealth.
Making $4,000 a month based on your investments alone is not a small feat. For example, if you have an investment or combination of investments with a 9.5% yield, you would have to invest $500,000 or more potentially. This is a high amount, but could almost guarantee you a $4,000 monthly dividend income.
Topping the list, being a CEO gets you the highest paying job in the world, no matter where you work. A CEO is the highest-ranked position in any organisation's structure. Irrespective of the company's size, a CEO handles all its day-to-day corporate affairs, manages resources and handles all managerial processes.
Overall, The National Study of Millionaires showed a dramatic difference between how Americans think wealthy people get their money and how they actually earn and spend their money. The majority of the millionaires in the study said they earned their money through long-term investing.
To be part of the top 1% in the U.S., a household's net worth needs to be at least $13.6 million. This measure includes everything you own – homes, investments, savings – minus debts. Wealth tends to be a lot more unevenly distributed than income.
Nearly 6 percent have a net worth of over $10 million. Again, these people skew our average upward. The typical (median, or 50th percentile) millionaire household has a net worth of $1.6 million. * On average, our total annual realized income is less than 7 percent of our wealth.