A millionaire is somebody with a net worth of at least $1 million. It's a simple math formula based on your net worth. When what you own (your assets) minus what you owe (your liabilities) equals more than a million dollars, you're a millionaire. That's it!
Just 16% of retirees say they have more than $1 million saved, including all personal savings and assets, according to the recent CNBC Your Money retirement survey conducted with SurveyMonkey. In fact, among those currently saving for retirement, 57% say the amount they're hoping to save is less than $1 million.
That's roughly 23.7 million millionaire households across the country. And with the stock market and real estate values performing strongly since then, even more households will likely join the ranks of millionaires in 2024.
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.
According to CNBC's Millionaire Survey , that portion was about 24% in 2023. While this doesn't necessarily mean a quarter of a millionaire's wealth is sitting in a checking account, it does indicate the importance of maintaining liquid assets.
Americans say you need a net worth of at least $2.5 million to feel wealthy, according to Charles Schwab's annual Modern Wealth Survey, which surveyed 1,000 Americans ages 21 to 75 in March 2024. That's up slightly from $2.2 million, compared with last year's survey results.
Spoiler Alert: It's Not As Many As You'd Think
According to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances by the Federal Reserve, only about 12% of U.S. households have a net worth over $1 million. This means that the vast majority – 88% – are nowhere near that level.
Number of people belonging to the global top 1 percent of wealth holders* in 2022, by country (in 1,000s) *The source provides the following information: a person needs at least 1,055,338 U.S. dollars of net worth to be a member of the top 1%.
Your net worth is what you own minus what you owe. It's the total value of all your assets—including your house, cars, investments and cash—minus your liabilities (things like credit card debt, student loans, and what you still owe on your mortgage).
For many people, $1 million is enough to retire. But whether it will be enough for you depends on several factors, including your anticipated lifestyle, your estimated healthcare costs, inflation, and how long you expect to live.
Rich retirees: In the 90th percentile, with net worth starting at $1.9 million, this group has much more financial freedom and is able to afford luxuries and legacy planning.
You qualify as a millionaire when your total net worth equals or exceeds one million in your currency. Net worth is calculated by subtracting liabilities (debts and obligations) from assets (cash, investments, property, etc.).
Becoming a millionaire might seem out of reach for many Americans. Yet, for one age group, this reality is not too far-fetched. Indeed, people in their 50s have an average net worth of approximately $1 million, according to the Federal Reserve Board's triennial Survey of Consumer Finance.
The higher you go up the net worth scale, the harder it is to get an accurate gauge of wealth, especially once we subset to a specific age. For example, a net worth of $1M would put you at the 98th percentile of all 34 year-old U.S. households, but only put you at the 93rd percentile of all 33 year-old U.S. households.
Regarding net worth, having $1 million in liquid assets often puts you in the 'high net worth' category. But if you want to be considered very high net worth, you might need anywhere from $5 million to $10 million. For those aiming even higher, ultrahigh net worth status could mean having $30 million or more.
“Let's say a married couple makes $72,000 a year from Social Security and pensions,” he says. “They need $100,000 a year to live comfortably. They would be fine living on $1 million saved, as they would only need to draw $28,000 a year from their investments.”
Yes, it's possible to retire on $1 million today. In fact, with careful planning and a solid investment strategy, you could possibly live off the returns from a $1 million nest egg.
Rich (or wealthy) people tend to have lots of free cash—and/or borrowing power—which they can spend on more goods and services. They can pay their bills easily, afford health care without worry, and often depend on a financially secure future. Their affluence can have different origins, of course.
Most Americans dream of being rich. But how much does it take to be considered wealthy? A net worth of $2.5 million is what Americans think it takes to earn the wealthy moniker, according to Charles Schwab's annual Modern Wealth survey.
According to recent data from the Federal Reserve, a net worth of at least $3,795,000 places you among the coveted top 5% of U.S. households.
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.
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.
Rich people are often measured by their income. Wealthy people, though, are measured by their net worth – how much they own minus how much they owe. A person can earn a huge salary but not wealthy if they have high debt or no savings.