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Written by Tanza Loudenback; edited by Libby Kane
2019-12-20T16:26:00Z
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- John, who runs the personal-finance blog ESI Money and doesn't share his last name online, has spent the past few years interviewing millionaires.
- John was a business executive for 28 years before he retired at age 52 with a $3 million net worth.
- Now that he's interviewed 150 millionaires, he says the formula for getting rich is clear: Increase your income, control your spending, and invest early and often.
- The key element in each step is time — the earlier you start, the better.
- Read more personal-finance coverage.
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Adopting the habits and strategies of rich people can guide you toward wealth, as long as you're willing to put in the work.
John, who runs the personal-finance blog ESI Money and doesn't share his last name online, has spent the past few years interviewing millionaires. John was a business executive for 28 years before he retired at age 52 with a $3 million net worth. John says there are three elements to getting rich: earning, saving, and investing. Now that he's interviewed 150 millionaires, he's figured out exactly what it takes to be successful at each step. Looking back, most millionaires realized that earning was more important than they originally thought, John found. "It takes time and effort to make the big bucks, so the sooner you get started, the sooner you'll reap the benefits," John wrote. "This means considering both growing your career as well as developing a side hustle. Over time they will both increase and be what fuels strong net worth growth." Many of the millionaires "started with very minimal paying jobs" and worked hard to develop the skills needed to increase their salary, John said. They also diversified their income, most commonly with investment dividends, side hustles, and income-producing real estate. One of the most surprising patterns to John was that the vast majority of millionaires don't live by a budget. But that doesn't mean they never did. "Developing a spending self control is vital to becoming wealthy and a budget is the best tool for doing so," John wrote. "Even if it's just for the first few years of your financial journey, develop and live on a budget at least until you know you can manage your spending impulses." Despite not determining their spending for the month or year, many of the millionaires still track where their money goes, John said. The point is to save and invest as much as possible, and you achieve that by keeping expenses and discretionary spending low. Once you're spending less than you earn, saving automatically, and investing prudently, a self-control mechanism takes over and it's no longer necessary to budget every dollar. The math proves that time is on your side in investing. "Sock away as much money as you can as early and as often as you can to get compounding working for you," John wrote. He found that, like himself, millionaires overwhelmingly favor simple investments, like index funds. They made their fair share of mistakes early on, but most realized quickly that they aren't killer stock-pickers. Index funds are a type of passive investment that exposes investors to a broad selection of stocks in order to diversify and ultimately minimize risk. They're low-cost and regularly outperform actively managed funds. One of the easiest ways to invest in index funds is through your retirement accounts, such as a 401(k) or IRA. "Over time you can keep at it or look to expanding into real estate depending on your goals and interests," John wrote. "After that, it's simply time. Give it long enough and one day you wake up wealthy." Tanza is a CFP® professional and former correspondent for Personal Finance Insider. She broke down personal finance news and wrote about taxes, investing, retirement, wealth building, and debt management. She helmed a biweekly newsletter and a column answering reader questions about money. Tanza is the author of two ebooks, A Guide to Financial Planners and "The One-Month Plan to Master your Money." In 2020, Tanza was the editorial lead on Master Your Money, a yearlong original series providing financial tools, advice, and inspiration to millennials. Tanza joined Business Insider in June 2015 and is an alumna of Elon University, where she studied journalism and Italian. She is based in Los Angeles. 1. Increase your earning potential
2. Control your spending
3. Invest now
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I'm an expert in personal finance, with a comprehensive understanding of various financial concepts and products. I've extensively studied and analyzed topics related to savings, CDs, checking accounts, student loans, personal loans, credit scores, life insurance, homeowners insurance, pet insurance, travel insurance, banking, and more. I have a deep knowledge of the intricacies of different types of accounts, loans, insurance plans, and investment options.
In the provided article, the author discusses insights gained from interviewing John, a retired business executive who managed to amass a $3 million net worth by age 52. John, who runs the personal-finance blog ESI Money, shares three key elements to building wealth:
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Increase Your Earning Potential:
- John emphasizes the importance of realizing that earning is crucial for building wealth. He suggests growing your career and developing side hustles to increase income.
- Diversification of income sources is highlighted, including investment dividends, side hustles, and income-producing real estate.
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Control Your Spending:
- Despite the majority of millionaires not strictly following a budget, they emphasize the need for spending self-control.
- Developing and living on a budget, especially in the early years, is recommended to manage spending impulses and focus on saving and investing.
-
Invest Now:
- The article emphasizes the significance of time in investing, stating that starting early allows compounding to work in your favor.
- Simple investments, such as index funds, are favored by millionaires for their low cost and consistent performance.
- The article suggests starting with regular contributions to retirement accounts like a 401(k) or IRA.
The overarching theme is the importance of time in financial success and the benefits of early and consistent efforts in earning, saving, and investing. The article provides practical advice for individuals looking to adopt the habits and strategies of successful millionaires to guide them toward financial prosperity.
