Nine Lessons in Wealth-Building

Just some advice to all those wanna be Millionaires.


Lesson #1: Income Does Not Equal Wealth
Yes, higher-income households tend to have more wealth than lower- and middle-income households. But the size of a paycheck explains only approximately 30% of the variation of wealth among households. What really matters is how much of the income is invested. On average, millionaires invest nearly 20% of their income.

Lesson #2: Work That Budget
The majority of millionaires have a budget. Of those who don’t, they have what the authors called “an artificial economic environment of scarcity,” more commonly known as “pay yourself first.” In other words, they invest a good chunk of their income before they can spend any of it.

Lesson #3: Know Where Your Dough Doth Go
Similar to the previous point, almost two-thirds of millionaires can answer “yes” to this question: “Do you know how much your family spends each year for food, clothing, and shelter?” In contrast, only 35% of high-income non-millionaires answered yes to this question. Millionaires are more likely to track their spending.

Lesson #4: Know Where You Want Your Dough to Go
Another two-thirds of millionaires answered in the affirmative to this question: “Do you have a clearly defined set of daily, weekly, monthly, annual, and lifetime goals?”

Lesson #5: Time Is Money
All this budgeting and goaling takes time, but millionaires are willing to spend it. Prodigious accumulators of wealth spend nearly twice as many hours per month planning their investments as under accumulators of wealth.

Lesson #6: Love the Home You’re With
Your choice of home — and how often you choose a new one — will determine your ability to accumulate wealth. According to The Millionaire Next Door, that wealthy family has been next door for quite a while. Half of millionaires have lived in the same house for more than 20 years.

Lesson #7: Love the Spouse You’re With
The majority of wealthy people are married and stay married to the same person. Of course, marriage shouldn’t be just about money. We’re sure that 24-year-old Crystal Harris has other reasons for being engaged to 84-year-old Hugh Hefner; perhaps she loves his pipe. But several studies have shown that people who are married accumulate more wealth than those who are single or divorced.

Lesson #8: Don’t Drive Away Your Wealth
The majority of millionaires own their cars, rather than lease. Approximately a quarter have a current-year model, but another quarter drive a car that is four years old or older. More than a third tend to buy used vehicles. What is the most popular car maker among millionaires, according to Stop Acting Rich? Toyota.

Lesson #9: The Rich Are Different — They’re Happier
At this point, you might be wondering whether all this living below your means is worth it. Sure, millionaires having bigger portfolios — but are they happier? Danko and Stanley’s research indicates that they are. According to their research, “Financially independent people are happier than those in their same income/age cohort who are not financially secure.”