Not everyone is born rich. Those who weren’t (which is most people), have undoubtedly wondered how to get rich. This guide will explore the question of how to become rich, and even how to get rich fast.
How to Get Rich- It’s All About Attitude – Change Your Mindset
How do people start with little or nothing and become wealthy? Is there some secret they are privy to that only few have access to? If not, is it possible for me to learn how to become rich? What about how to get rich fast? Can it be done?Many people think that getting rich starts with saving and/or spending money. After all, you have to spend money to make money, right? So, it stands to reason, if you don’t have money (or access to money), you’ll never be able to become wealthy.
Let’s face it: it makes logical sense.Let’s say you work full-time at a minimum wage job. And let’s say you spend no more than the “ideal” 30% of your income on housing.After other living expenses, you likely would have little if anything to put into savings if you live in 80% of the cities, suburbs and even rural areas of the USA.Saving even 10% at minimum wage, full time, won’t get you very far. It would take you years to save up enough money to start even a small to medium-size business.Does that mean you have to resign yourself to being poor?In short: NO.The reality is, ANYONE can learn how to get rich and be wealthy.
Hint: It’s not lack of job, money, resources, networks, contacts, rich relatives or higher education that prevents the average person from amassing wealth. Some of the world’s wealthiest individuals came from poverty or had little or no education when they started out in business.
Here are a few examples of people that got rich starting with nothing:
- Kenny Troutt, Founder of Excel CommunicationsNet worth: $1.41 billionCame from a poor, working class home and paid his way through college by selling life insurance. Started Excel Communications in 1988, went public in 1996 and later merged with TeleGlobe in a $3.5 billion deal.
- Howard Schultz, Starbucks ChairmanNet worth: $2.8 billionBorn into poverty and grew up in low income housing. Earned a football scholarship to the University of Northern Michigan. Joined a 60-store restaurant chain known as Starbucks in 1987, advanced within the organization and now oversees the interests of more than 16,000 stores around the world.
- Oprah Winfrey, Media personality and media company ownerNet worth: $2.8 billionBorn into poverty and worked hard in school. Earned a scholarship to attend college, went on to become the first black TV news correspondent in Mississippi. Went on to become a worldwide media personality.
- Do Won Chang, Founder of Forever 21 retail chainNet worth: $3.2 billionImmigrated with his wife, Jin Sook, from Korea to the US in 1981 seeking a better life. Chang worked multiple jobs simultaneously, including gas station attendant and janitor, to earn a living during their early years in America. The couple founded the first Forever 21 store in 1984. Today there are nearly 800 stores throughout the world.
- Jan Koum, Founder of WhatsAppNet worth: $9.1 billionBorn in the Ukraine and moved to the US with his mother at age 16. Lived in government-sponsored housing and swept floors to earn a living. Taught himself computer skills and programming. Developed WhatsApp which was purchased by Facebook for $22 billion.
- Leonardo Del Vecchio, Founder of LuxotticaNet worth: $22.2 billionBorn in Italy into poverty. Was later sent to live in an orphanage when his parents couldn’t afford to raise him. Later worked to support himself in a factory that made molds for eyeglass frames and auto parts. Started his own molding shop at age 23 making molds for eyeglass brands RayBan, Oakley and LensCrafters and others.(From Businessinsider.com)
Inspired? That’s the idea behind this “how to become rich” guide.However, this “how to get rich” guide is not about giving you some kind of a magic formula for amassing wealth. In reality, there is no formula.Surprisingly to some, getting rich is also not about:
- Having the right business model
- Copying, step-by-step, someone else’s successful business model
- Discovering the “secret” to meeting the “right” people who can help propel you towards wealth
So what is it, then, that separates the wealthy from the wanna-be’s?Want to know how to become rich? It’s all about MINDSET.Almost every wealthy person will tell you that all the privileges in the world won’t make you rich.If there is one real secret to getting rich this is it:IT REQUIRES THE RIGHT ATTITUDE.
”Poor people have big television sets. Rich people have big libraries.” – Daniel Ally, entrepreneur (On the differences between poor people and rich people.)
Step 1 TO CHANGE YOUR MINDSET
Change Your Thinking About Yourself
The right mindset is everything when it comes to getting rich. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has said: “It’s not your fault if you’re born poor, but it’s your fault if you die poor.”Changing your thinking can difficult.You may have to challenge yourself on everything you have ever learned, heard and believed about money and/or or success. You may find yourself questioning what your parents and teachers have taught you. You may even find yourself at odds with family and friends who look at wealth the same way you used to.It’s not easy to go against the grain.But, if you can press forward amidst your own doubt and the opposition of those around you, it will be worth it. This is how to become rich.You will soon find yourself attracting wealth.
Six Mindsets All Rich People Possess
1) I am worthy.
People who think they don’t deserve wealth never get rich.By the way, feeling “deserving” or “worthy” is not the same as being “entitled.” Rich people know they aren’t “entitled” to their wealth. Instead, they take pride in having worked hard to achieve it.Wealth isn’t just for the few. It’s for all. If you don’t believe this, you won’t be motivated to go after it.
2) I am willing to do what it takes, even if others around me are skeptical.
Wealthy people, particularly those who are self-made, get this.They’ll tell you that the people closest to them sometimes expressed their lack of confidence in them. They may have even called them crazy.Those who want to get rich know that people may question them. They don’t take it personally, and they don’t let it hold them back.
3) I look for windows.
You’ve heard the saying. When a door closes, look for a window.There’s always a chance that, when you go after something, a door will close. But a closed door doesn’t mean the building is impenetrable.You just have to find another way in. Crawling through a window is harder than walking through a door. But it will still get you inside. And the reward that you reap will be that much greater.
4) I don’t let failures slow me down.
Many wealthy people failed at their early attempts at getting rich. Some have even had more failures than successes. They simply don’t give up when they fail.
5) I never assume that something that works once will work all the time.
“Formulas” for success are rare. What makes someone rich in one situation might not in another. Take the Canadian Target store debacle for an example:Target, a national American retail chain, is the second-largest US department store retailer. It got its start as a humble, Mom-and-Pop dry goods store in 1902.By 1962, the company had morphed and opened its first department store under the Target brand. It eventually outsold the popular Kmart retail chain. Today there are more than 1800 Target stores in the US.When Canadian retailer Zellers went out of business in 2013, the Target Corporation saw an opportunity to move into the Canadian market. It bought out a majority of Zellers’ leases. It began opening Target stores in Canada shortly thereafter.In fact, it opened just over 133 stores across Canada in 2013, all within a matter of weeks. The openings went forward even in spite of strong misgivings expressed by corporate staff.They were plagued with a laundry list of problems that included poorly and hastily-trained staff, inability to get product shipped resulting in empty shelves and computer system glitches.Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel, a leader with an impressive performance record and charismatic confidence, chose to plunge ahead in spite of those problems.A former Target employee who had worked in both Canadian and American stores summed it up this way: “The company had never really failed before.” In other words, Target’s mentality was: “if it works in the US, it will work in Canada.”Target filed for bankruptcy in Canada just two years later. It would become one of the most notorious failures in US business history.Target’s successful US business model simply didn’t work in Canada.
(Source: Canadianbusiness.com
6) I am obligated to share.
Rich people understand that they have greater responsibility when it comes to being generous with money.You would be hard-pressed to find a millionaire who has never donated to charity. Most donate regularly. Many even start their own charities or foundations to support causes that they are personally passionate about.
Step 2 TO CHANGE YOUR MINDSET
Change Your Thinking About Money
Everyone wishes they had more money. Yet those same people are quick to toss out a negative adage about money when it serves their own mindset.It’s easy to do because everyone has heard them their whole lives, and they’re pretty catchy to boot. Here are some examples which you can probably relate to:
“It’s not about the money.”“It’s only money.”“Money is the root of all evil.”
You probably heard at least one of these growing up. It’s likely that you heard all three.People who recite these sayings like mantras likely do so because “they are making very little money, or they are undercharging for their services.” This is according to Daily Worth financial writer Hilary Hendershott.Other experts agree. Entrepreneur and businessman Myrko Thum warns that holding onto such beliefs will limit your ability to make money. “Your attitude towards money is actively creating your financial reality,” Thum contends (Myrkothum.com).
If you’re hanging onto negative beliefs, “you have to change the way you think about money. Because these beliefs are shaping how you handle your financial life… you tend to create a reality aligned with these beliefs.”
Even some money adages that seem sound and practical can warp your thinking about money, according to experts.
Consider sayings such as:“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”“Money can’t buy you happiness.”“A penny saved is a penny earned.”Makes sense, right? Or so you thought.Take “A penny saved is a penny earned.” There’s nothing wrong with saving money, be it for the retirement years or to take a vacation.
However, says author Steve Siebold, “it’s easy to develop tunnel vision around this belief. People become so “focused on clipping coupons and living frugally that they miss major opportunities. People must reject this nickel and dime thinking and focus their mental energy where it belongs: on the big money.” (Huffingtonpost.com)As for the Proverbial money tree, Siebold has this to say: “Figuratively speaking, money does grow on trees; and the trees are ideas. This belief sets people up to believe money is scarce and difficult to earn, instead of seeing money as abundant and earning it is as easy as solving a problem through persistent, creative thought.”
So how does one get beyond the negative ideas they’ve been conditioned to adopt about money?
How to become rich by using your intellect:
Replace negative, limiting beliefs with positive, more supportive ones. Money itself is neutral, neither positive or negative. It is only the beliefs you hold about money that determine whether it has a positive or negative impact on your life.”Money is a resource to do good in my life,”is one positive belief you can use to replace a negative one”, Myrko Thum asserts. Money opens doors to greater opportunities than would have otherwise been available to you. And if not for you alone, perhaps also for your children (by way of providing a college education), or for someone in need (by donating to a charity or cause).
Step 3 TO CHANGE YOUR MINDSET
Change Your Thinking About Your Work
Most non-wealthy people buy into the idea that time equals money. There is definitely a grain of truth in the idea that time is money. However, what this really means is that time is a tool and a resource to use to make money.Unfortunately, too many people equate this with clocking in and clocking out of a job. You do your time and you get paid your hourly wage.Another day, another dollar.
“Poor people think that money is more important than time,” says entrepreneur, author and millionaire Daniel Ally. Unfortunately, this attitude, according to Ally, is what is keeping poor people poor. “You can always get $500 back,” Ally contends, “but you can’t get 50 hours back.”Poor people can only cross that invisible line separating them from wealth when they realize that time is more valuable than money. “Rich people never trade time for money,” Ally declares.
So what does this look like in practice?
For one thing, they don’t do things that they can pay others to do for them. I have always said, “It doesn’t make sense for me to spend an hour mowing my own lawn. Why wouldn’t I pay someone else $20 to mow my yard so I can spend an hour working on my own business ventures for a return of $100? Instead of saving $20, I made $80.”
There are entire television series’ devoted to frugal living, pinching pennies and clipping coupons. Consumers feel a rush when they can walk out of a store with $400 worth of groceries for 75 bucks.However, what people don’t always realize is that someone who gets $400 in groceries for $75 has already paid dearly with their time. Some so-called “extreme couponers” admit to spending between 10 and 30 hours per week clipping coupons, scanning newspapers and surfing the Web for deals.Just imagine what you could do with that time if you started a business instead.Wealthy people rarely clip coupons. They still look for deals when they shop, says Ally.However, they place greater emphasis on value than saving a buck. A wealthy person values a quality product at a good price over an inferior product at a cheap price.They also look at the idea of “frugal living” differently. Try to set aside the stories you’ve heard about rich people bathing in imported mineral water and eating caviar for dinner. The majority of rich people don’t live a life of excess.They may spend extravagantly on certain items that bring them enjoyment, like sports cars or nice homes. They will also spend money on services that save them time, like maids and gardeners.However, they tend to live practically in most other areas of their lives. They recycle their cans and plastics and conserve water just like everyone else. They buy generic toilet paper if it works just as well as the brand-name one. They wear the same outfits more than once.
Because, the bottom line is: it’s not about the money. “Rich people seek fulfilling experiences that dramatically alter their lives,” Ally asserts. “Their careers are more focused on doing what they love and helping others, instead of merely clocking in for a meager paycheck.”
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NEXT Steps TO BECOME RICH
Assuming that you have made the necessary shifts in mindset, what are the next steps to actually learn how to become rich?This is not a “formula” for how to get rich. Nor should these how to get rich “steps” be thought of as linear in nature.Rather, think of them as bits of advice, points that should be practiced concurrently. Not only that, they should become lifelong habits (even after you become rich):
1) Spend less than you make.
It’s tempting to look at the wealthy and want what they have: fancy cars, extravagant homes, designer clothes. Some people give in to the temptation, in spite of an inability to afford it.It’s all about “delayed gratification,” says Daniel Ally. Work hard and sacrifice everything now so that you can become rich sooner. That’s when you’ll really be able to enjoy your wealth.
2) Pay cash for everything.
The only way to spend less than you make is to avoid using a credit card. If you can’t afford to pay for it in cash, you can’t afford to own it.Credit is an easy voice to fall prey to, but its path never leads to wealth. Debt is the fastest route to the poorhouse. If you can’t afford to pay for it in cash, you can’t afford to own it.Rich people pay cash for everything. They rarely use credit.Or, if they use a credit card, it’s for the sake of the convenience of not carrying around a lot of cash. Then, they pay off the balance right away.Rich people don’t carry a credit card balance because they know it’s a waste of money. Paying interest is like giving away money.
3) Get out of debt as soon as possible.
(And stop incurring new debt.) Almost everyone enters adulthood and their professional life with some debt.Not many college students are able to graduate without at least some student loan debt. Car debt is also common with young adults entering the workforce. Some young adults may even have credit card debt.Pay off your existing debt before you think about buying a new car or jumping into a mortgage. The faster you can stop paying interest on debt, the sooner you’ll be able to put money in your own bank account.
4) Make saving money a priority.
Entrepreneur and author Andrew Medal calls it a self tax (Entrepreneur.com).
“If the government suddenly increased taxes and forced you to pay an extra $100 each month, you’d find a way to pay it. You would have to,” says Medal. “Yet when it comes to saving money, people constantly find ways to rationalize their inability to sock away $100 each month.”
Medal suggests setting up an automatic payment that goes into a savings account each time you get a paycheck. Taking it right off the top reduces the temptation and ability to spend it. It forces you to adjust your lifestyle to live off of what’s left.
5) Live by the rule of 50-30-20
(Forbes.com). This is how you should be spending your money. Broken down, it looks like this:
50
Spend no more than 50 percent of your monthly income on day-to-day living needs. This includes housing (rent or mortgage plus home maintenance), car payments and maintenance (or alternative transportation, like a bus pass), insurance, groceries and incidentals.
30
Spend no more than 30 percent of your monthly income on wants. This includes clothing, cable TV and entertainment (going out to eat, vacations, going to a movie or to the casino, etc.)
20
The remaining 20 percent of your income should go into savings. This can be some type of a savings account. Or, you can split it up between a savings account (money that is easier to access later when you need it) and an IRA (money that you can’t access easily until retirement).
6) Focus on the big picture.
Don’t obsess over the minutiae when it comes to saving money. For instance, don’t lose your mind when you see that gas is a penny cheaper at the next gas station after you already filled your tank.Instead, develop the habit of spending wisely. Then wait to judge the results over a long period of time, say, one year.
Says Andrew Medal, “While it is important to keep a tab on how you’re doing month to month, it’s far more important to judge success over longer periods of time. A year is a good indication of your financial practices. Some months might not be great (things happen), others might be wonderful.”
So, you see, this is not some magical formula. You can’t do A plus B plus C and come out with wealth. Getting rich is a long-term process, but one worth pursuing.
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How to Get Rich Without Money
You’ve heard it said, “it takes money to make money.” This is true, to some extent. However, if this were 100 percent true in every situation, there wouldn’t be very many rich people.Everyone has to start somewhere. Many self-made millionaires started out with essentially nothing.So if you’re broke, don’t give up yet. There’s still hope for you.
First, you need cash flow.
The easiest way to generate cash flow is to get a job.Wait, what about my aspirations of working for myself?Hold onto that goal. You’ll be able to get there later.But right now, you need cash. The easiest way to get cash when you don’t have any is to work for it.This might mean working for someone else for awhile. It might even mean working a job that you dislike.Just remember, it’s not forever.
My Example (A quick side note to this how to get rich guide)
Let me tell you a quick story about how I went from nothing (no cash flow) to becoming financially free.I didn’t finish college and never got my degree. I made the mistake of marrying young. At only 21 and now having a wife and child, I had no real prospects for my future.Holding down a job was almost impossible for me. I could never cope with working for others.After being diagnosed with generalized anxiety and panic attacks, I knew I had to do something else besides work a job.This lead me to the decision that I wanted to be an entrepreneur.So, at 26, I got involved in an MLM business. It was a low cost way of getting into business. I spent years doing this but never made any real money. The one thing I got out of this experience is that it taught me how to think correctly about money and entrepreneurship.However, I found myself at 33 years of age broke and on the verge of being homeless. With four kids and a wife to support, I had nothing. NO CASH FLOW at all.What did I do? I made the decision that I had to do something to provide for my family and then get cash flow.So, I started cleaning home and offices. Basically, I cleaned toilets! This was something I did not want to do. I felt worthless. But, I knew if I was to succeed one day and have a business, I needed to have some cash flow.Over a period of five years of cleaning toilets I was able to make enough money to support my family and buy my first computer.From there I went on to start several successful niche sites and at one point was making close to $30,000 per month!I did this for around 12 years and then went on to make millions in other niches including selling on Amazon.The moral here is, YOU CAN GET CASH FLOW going no matter where you are in your life. You just need to put your head down and do things you may not want to do for a while.
Back to the getting rich guide…
Once you get that cash flowing in, it’s time to start living by that 50-30-20 principle we talked about earlier. Even at minimum wage, saving 20 percent of your income adds up over time. Then you’ll be able to afford to put that money to work.
NEXT, GET A SIDE HUSTLE
Countless self-made wealthy people urge you to get a side hustle.Basically, this means working at something independently at home, outside of the working hours of your regular job.Almost every successful, self-made millionaire you meet has worked at least one side hustle. Some had several.A side hustle can be something simple. Some examples include:
- Babysitting
- Walking dogs
- Doing yardwork (mowing/raking lawns, shoveling snow, etc.)
- Freelancing (as a writer, photographer, artist or whatever else you are good at)
- Selling online (eBay, Amazon, etc.)
You can also use resources that you might have at your disposal. For example, if you own a pickup truck, you can offer hauling services. If you have an extra bedroom in your home, you can rent it out.
Note: Getting a side hustle is not the same as getting a second job.
For me, I cleaned toilets to earn cash flow and once I had some cash flow, I started a side hustle doing web design and then eventually created my own niche websites.You will always be limited by time when you work for someone else. Your capacity to earn money ends when your shift ends.A side hustle needs to be something with more unlimited potential. For example, say you walk dogs. You charge $20 for a one hour walk. That’s $20.But, if you walk two dogs at once, you double your earnings. Walk three and…well, you get it. The potential here is much greater than working a regular job.Now you see how to become rich with no money. Of course, this only works if you save the extra money you make.It may take time, but it’s how many self-made wealthy people got their start. This is how to get rich with no money. If they did it, so can you.
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Is There Truly a Way to Get Rich Quick?
A lot of people dream of how to get rich fast. Some do.They win the lottery. They get a big inheritance. They get lucky in the stock market.The keyword there is lucky. Luck is, by definition, unpredictable, uncontrollable and impossible to manipulate.You can’t work for luck. It just happens. And unfortunately, it only happens to a few.The rest of us have to work at how to become rich the old -fashioned way: working hard and saving money.That being said, there are, historically and statistically speaking, some ways that are faster than others when it comes to how to get rich fast. Or, if not fast, how to get rich over time. We’ll discuss those in the next section.
What Are the Top Ways to Get Rich Fast?
Historically, the people who got the wealthiest the fastest did so because of some type of investment. So what did they invest in? The three types of investments that have made the most money over the course of the last 100 years or so include:
- The stock market
- Real estate
- Commodities
Cryptocurrencies
In more recent decades, some investors have gotten rich quickly by investing cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies are relatively new to the investment market.Bitcoin, the first decentralized (not controlled by any agency or government) cryptocurrency, was released in 2009. Today there are more than 30 cryptocurrencies on the market. Bitcoin remains the most popular.
Peer-To-Peer Lending
Another more recent high-performance investment vehicle is peer-to-peer lending. In fact, Forbes magazine ranks it #2 of four best investments for 2018 (Forbes.com).Peer-to-peer lending involves providing small loans (typically under $5000) or “micro loans” (under $1000) to “peer” borrowers. Loan terms are much shorter than traditional bank loans. Returns come faster, and interest is greater.
Retirement Savings Plans And Mutual Funds
Other investment vehicles that have historically performed well include retirement savings plans and mutual funds. However, while they can be effective, these types of investments are not a means of how to get rich fast.That’s not to say that stocks, real estate and commodities are a sure how to get rich fast vehicle. Not everyone who invests in these things gets rich. Some investors lose everything.Make sure you do your own thorough research before you invest in any of these things. These types of investments can make you broke as fast as they can make you rich.Comprehensive understanding, plus sound advice from trusted experts, will increase your chances of getting rich.
Start A Business
Outside of investing, the next best means of how to get rich fast is to start a business.However, not every kind of business is going to make you rich. In fact, the latest US statistics tell us that 8 out of 10 new businesses fail in the first 18 months.This high failure rate shouldn’t be a deterrent to starting a business. What it does mean is that, if you are inclined to start a business, you need a creative idea and a sound business plan.So, again, conduct meticulous research and seek expert counsel and advice. The right idea, plan and timing has great potential for making you rich.
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What Jobs Can Make You Rich?
If getting a job that will earn you lots of money is your goal, some jobs will get you there faster than others.Not surprisingly, the highest annual income earners in the US work in the medical sector. According to Business Insider, ten of the top 25 highest-paying jobs in the US relate to direct healthcare provision.
Top 25 Highest-Paying Jobs In The Us (with mean annual salary in brackets):
Historically, the people who got the wealthiest the fastest did so because of some type of investment. So what did they invest in? The three types of investments that have made the most money over the course of the last 100 years or so include:
- Anesthesiologist ($269,600)
- Surgeon ($252,910)
- Obstetrician/gynecologist ($234,310)
- Oral and maxillofacial surgeon ($232,870)
- Physician: This encompasses all other types of doctors, from general practitioners to specialists not otherwise named in this list. ($201,840)
- Psychiatrist ($194,740)
- Pediatrician ($168,990)
- Nurse anesthetist ($160,270)
- Podiatrist ($124,830)
- Optometrist ($106,140)
There are two more high-paying non-provider healthcare-related jobs to consider as well:
- Pharmacist ($122,230)
- Medical and health services manager ($96,540)
All of these jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree. Many require extensive education (Masters or doctorate degrees). You’ll have to put in years of study and a lot of money to get into these medical careers.You might have guessed that the second most lucrative profession is dentistry. Orthodontia is the highest-paying dentistry job, with a mean annual salary of $228,780. If you become a general practice dentist, you can make $159,770. A prosthodontist (one who builds oral prosthetics) makes $126,050.You might have to change your thinking about money-hungry lawyers. While they do make a lot more money than the average person, they make less than most doctors at $118,160. (And they often work longer hours, too.)
Other high-paying jobs to consider include:
Business-related professions: Marketing management ($131,180); financial management ($121,750); sales management ($117,960); operations management ($99,310)
- Petroleum engineer ($128,230)
- IT management ($135,800)
- Financial advisor ($90,530)
- Actuary ($100,610)
- Political scientist ($114,290)
All of these jobs require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Many require graduate degrees.It’s important to note that these figures are all average. Some professionals make more than the average, some make less. There is no guarantee when it comes to wages.Additionally, some have the potential for increased income. For example, a doctor or a lawyer can choose to work more hours in order to earn more money. Others, like business managers, may have capped salaries and will only make more money by earning promotions.For some professionals, it’s possible to increase your earning power in your career field through business ownership. For example, a doctor, dentist or optometrist may own her own clinic or even chain of clinics. A financial advisor can start his own business.Another way for some types of professionals to earn money on the side is through freelancing or offering consulting services.
What Jobs Can Make You a Millionaire?
As we have already demonstrated, there are some jobs/careers that will get you closer to a million dollars faster than others.However, at the the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much your annual salary is. Even the highest-earning surgeon will never become a millionaire without putting into practice the attitudes and skills we’ve discussed.Conversely, we also know that it is possible to become a millionaire with little or no money to start with. We simply have to look to examples like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg to remember that this is possible.
Percentage of People That Get Rich in a Job VS In a Business
It’s difficult to nail down an exact figure for people who get rich in a job versus in business for themselves. However, the USA’s top business publications and watchdogs generally agree that the fastest route to wealth is not by working for someone else. It’s in starting and/or owning a business.Looking at US tax data and statistics, it’s clear that the country’s richest people are in some sort of business for themselves.However, to state that all you have to do to become a millionaire is be in business for yourself is an oversimplification. Being in business is often only a part of the equation. We’ll look at this idea more closely in the next section.
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What Are The Top Ways To Get Rich?
What We Can Learn About How to Get Rich from The Ten Richest People in AmericaTo recap, we’ve learned what the most lucrative professions are in the US. We’ve also discussed the idea of making money working for oneself in some type of business.We’ve also learned that how to become rich is as much about attitude and mindset as it is about working hard. Maybe even more.So, keeping those things in mind (and applying them to what we’re about to share with you), let’s see what we can learn from the Top Ten Richest People in America about how to become rich.
First, Who Are They Top Ten Richest People In America?
At the time of this writing these are the top 10 richest people in America:
- Jeff Bezos (Amazon founder)
- Bill Gates (Microsoft founder)
- Warren Buffet (CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Investing)
- Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook founder)
- Larry Page (Google co-founder)
- Larry Ellison (Oracle co-founder)
- Sergey Brin (Google co-founder)
- David Koch (tied, Koch Industries CEO and Vice President)
- Charles Koch (tied, Koch Industries CEO and Vice President)
- Rob Walton (Walmart Chairman, retired and current board member)
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS?
- Six of the ten work in a tech-related industry
- All six started their own company
- All ten have investments of some type, either within their own company or outside of it (or both)
- All ten have a high school education
- All ten attended college and the majority have college degrees
- The net worth of all ten individuals comes from the assets that they own, not the salaries they collect
Judging by this list, there are certain things that can help set you up to be in a better position to get rich. Of all the things that the ten wealthiest people in America have in common, the most important seems to be having some type of education and being self-starters.Being a self-starter doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to start your own business (although a majority on this list did). It may mean having the drive to do what it takes to enter into an existing business in a position of leadership and improve that business.Do you have to be in technology to become wealthy? In short, no, although the tech industry is certainly one of the world’s most booming today.However, lots of people become millionaires in other industries. Just look at Warren Buffet, Rob Walton and the Koch brothers.“But Walton and the Koch’s got a boost from their families’ business interests”, you might say. This is true.However, Walton’s father, Sam Walton, got his wealth from founding the WalMart chain of retail stores. Charles and David Koch’s father Fred Koch founded what is today known as Koch Industries.Both of these founders were self-starters whose children were able to later join the family business and continue to generate wealth. Starting a business was still the foundation for that wealth.
How Many Millionaires are There in the World?
According to business and entrepreneurship magazine Inc.com, there were an estimated 36 million millionaires in the world by the end of 2017 (Inc.com).
World Millionaire Facts
- The world’s millionaires hold half of the total money in the world. This means that half of the planet’s wealth is owned by a mere .47% (less than half a percent) of its population
- 2.3 million people became millionaires in 2016 alone
- Between the years 2000 and 2017, the number of millionaires in the world grew by an astounding 170%
- A 2013 report published by Credit Suisse bank estimates that 20% of the world’s population could be millionaires within two generations (https://www.inc.com/)
- Approximately 11 million of the world’s millionaires are from the US
- In 2017, 700,000 more Americans became millionaires
- There are 172,000 US households that are worth more than $25 million
- The number of millionaires in the US has doubled since 2009, when there were just under 6 million millionaires
- There were 9 million US millionaires prior to the 2008 recession
- The number of US millionaires has risen steadily each year since 2009
- Experts predict that the number of American millionaires will continue to increase over the coming years
How Many Billionaires are There in the World?
There are significantly fewer billionaires than millionaires in the world. Forbes magazine reports that number is 2208 as of early 2018 (Cnbc.com).Billionaires may only represent a small percentage of the world’s wealthiest. Nevertheless, 2208 is a noteworthy number. It proves the goal is attainable.In fact, Oxfam, in a 2017 report, suggests that the world may produce its first trillionaire in the next 25 years (https://www.oxfam.org/).
World Billionaire Facts
- The average wealth of all of the world’s billionaires is $4.1 billion, higher than it has ever been
- Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest person and has a net worth of $112 billion
- Bezos took Microsoft founder Bill Gates out of the top spot on the world’s richest list in 2016; Gates is worth a mere $90 billion
- 67 percent of the world’s billionaires are self-made
So Remember…
If you want to learn how to get rich, it’s not about how much money you start with. Getting rich is about how much money you end with.Getting rich is a mindset, not a formula.Getting rich is about sharing your wealth with those who need it.Wealth is not a club with an exclusive and capped membership. Anyone can join, and there is room for as many people who want to be there.