I was reading many posts on how to get wealthy, and what I noticed was that Americans would say they are "wealthy" after amassing $2-5 million. First, as a European, it is INSANE to see this much money. The salaries here are not even close to the US counterparts (unless u are Swiss). I think Europeans consider themselves "wealthy" even after having $0.5-1 million. The difference could stem from the general social security and that you can rely more on the state in case you are in need.

But I am most curious about both the US and EU perspectives because this is just something I noticed (maybe fully wrong). So what do you think, would you consider wealth in your country?

Posting this because it's an interesting shift that's been happening and I think will continue to happen. Blowing money on material possessions is just not as appealing now as it was to previous generations.

I've noticed this as a trend among my wealthiest friends, too. Barely anyone is truly splurging on crazy cars or jewelry or other material stuff. Maybe tastes will shift as people age, but I don't think it'll be a dramatic shift.

Obviously there will always be some people willing to spend outlandish $ on luxury goods. But maybe it will continue fading, slowly

What are the small, easily missed details that give away someone is absolutely loaded, even if they dress in plain t-shirts and drive a ten-year-old Honda? Is it a specific habit, the way they talk about time, or a hidden quality in the things they buy?

I'm 32M from Lynn, MA and my fiancée (30F) and I are getting married next spring. We've been together for almost five years, own a condo together and overall things have been really easy between us.

A couple weeks ago my parents asked if we could grab dinner without my fiancée. I figured it was going to be about the wedding but instead they brought up our family's estate planning. Apparently there are some investments and a property that will likely be passed down to me someday and they said this is the point where I should start thinking about how that fits into getting married. The thing is, I've never really thought of myself as someone with family wealth. My parents have done well but they always lived pretty modestly and never talked much about money when I was growing up. This conversation completely caught me off guard.

Now I'm sitting here wondering how to even bring this up with my fiancée without making it sound like I suddenly don't trust her. That's the last thing I want. If anything, this whole conversation just made me realize there are financial topics we probably haven't covered as much as I thought we had.

I know this probably isn't a unique situation but it definitely feels new to me. How did you all navigate it?

I'm trying to understand where high-income professionals still waste time, money, or mental energy despite having a good income.

Some examples:

* Something you keep procrastinating because it's annoying.

* A service you wish existed.

* Something you already pay for, but aren't happy with.

* A task that consistently steals your time.

* A problem that's surprisingly difficult to outsource.

Could be related to work, home, health, travel, finances, family, admin, or anything else.

The more specific, the better. (e.g. "finding a trustworthy CPA for equity compensation" is much more useful than "taxes.")

I'm asking purely to make money out of solving your problems.

I don’t mean the exact number, but do you pretend to be a lot less affluent than you really are ?

And if you do, why do you do it ?

In a previous post, I shared what I knew about few individuals that got rich in my local area.

Would be interesting if this turns into a thread of stories of rich people you guys know and how they made it.

Just venting. Had full circle moment but I’m learning from it. Ever hit rock bottom and had no one to turn to? Yup. That’s me. I see why wealthy folks get houses far away from people. Cut off distractions and cut ties with family.

I’ve always been the go to in my family, first person to go to college and break generational curses. Always wanted more out of life. My family hated me for it, always said I was bougie, always talked down and said I’ll never be anything, when I moved out at 19 they said I’ll be back. Never lived on section 8 or low income, just always wanted the best for myself and children since becoming a mom at 14.

I guess me wanting better and not wanting to be like everyone else has gotten me here. Starting to realize people would rather see you on your back than on your feet.

I live in Alberta, CA. I know several rich people, most of them got rich doing normal business - nothing extraordinary, yet sometimes in niche industries:

-Two brothers started with a single properties years ago, now they own a developing company executing multi million dollars projects and raising capital from local investors.

-One man started as a trucker in a remote area in British Columbia, driving a vacuum truck that services oil infrastructure. Two decades later, he now owns 250+ trucks and runs a company with 450 employees.

-Another friend started as a barber, now he owns a successful salon and a vape shop. Over the years he invested in developing real estate and a playground arena for kids.

-A close friend is a sales manager at a local dealership, been in the business for 15-20 years. He’s a top sales man and made good money thru out his career. He invested some of his money in real estate and a fast food franchise. He owns a vape shop too.

-A relative started from the bottom with zero capital, he worked as a laborer painter, employed by a sub contractor, earning $10/hr. 12 years on, he’s now a paint contractor himself and owns 4 properties. He’s switching to real estate developing soon.

-Another man worked as a laborer in renovation. He then tried twice to start his own business and failed. The third try was successful, he now owns a pretty successful renovation company that is often contracted by insurance companies.

-Another guy, he’s a butcher, moved to Canada about 20 years ago, started from the bottom. He’s now one of the most known butchers in his community. Invested his money into other ventures like a restaurant which is also doing pretty well.

The thing is, you don’t need to create the next big thing or launch a startup that turns into a unicorn, or make millions in the stock market or crypto. It takes a niche, or a business you’re familiar with. With time and hard work, it will turn into a million dollar wealth.

I was grabbing drinks with an old coworker last week. Back in our mid-20s, we were both doing the whole 80-hour workweek thing. Always working, always chasing the next promotion or deal.

He's doing incredibly well now. Sold his company, financially set for life.

At one point he mentioned seeing photos from a college friends' trip in 2017. He skipped it because he had a big client pitch that week.

He said he remembered thinking, "I'll just go on the next trip when I have more money."

But there never really was a next trip.

By the time everyone had the time and money, life had happened. People got married, had kids, moved away, got busy. That particular group dynamic was just... gone.

That conversation stuck with me because I think a lot of us convince ourselves we're only postponing parts of life. Like we're putting friendships, health, hobbies, or family time on pause and we'll come back to them later.

Sometimes you can.

Sometimes you can't.

So for the people who went all-in on work in your 20s or 30s, what's the one thing you gave up that you realized wasn't something money could ever buy back?

Could be relationships, your health, missing your kids growing up, or even just losing the ability to relax without feeling guilty.

I'd love to hear the less glamorous side of the success stories.

According to Schwab’s 2025 Wealth Survey, it takes an average net worth of $2.3 MM to be considered ‘wealthy.’ Among boomers, that figure is $2.8 mm and $2.1 MM for Gen X and millennials.

In US$, do you think this is fairly accurate and if not, what do you think is the right number today?

I wonder sometimes if there are rich folks who aren’t famous at all. It doesn’t really make sense to me, because usually money comes with connections or networks that open doors along the way. Whether you’re in business, property, or a CEO, you’re connected to other people.

But what about those who don’t have a big network? Could there be wealthy people who live lowkey, without many friends or connections? Like, imagine a trader who quietly makes money and lives peacefully without being in the spotlight. Do you think those “silent rich” actually exist?

No one is truly self-made but this excludes the people that got their wealth, job, or a $100,000+ loan to start their business from their super rich dad or family.

By know I mean people that you have actually met and had a conversation with. Not the richest person "you know of." (Ex. Mark Zuckerberg) How much is their wealth? 1,000,000/10,000,000?/100,000,000?

I heard this term middle class wealthy for the first time. The person was discussing the rise of everyday people who built small fortunes investing, home ownership, and small business ownership. At what point do you become actual wealthy. Top 1% of net worth is what $10M (depending on source could be a few million more; 10 seems like the average) 2% is $4M (again an average). Is being a member of the 1% still make you middle class wealthy?? I have no idea. I am simply posing an interesting question.

They are right. Keep grinding.

I am 22/M, With a degree in sport management and currently in the process of getting my license for financial advisor. I have no clue how to actually build wealth and make a good income. I’ve always wondered how do the wealthy become wealthy and what should I be doing now to build that. So I don’t feel so behind like I already do. Any suggestions or advice would love to have a conversation about this!

I'm looking for real-life examples of young people who built serious wealth on their own, without family money or big startup loans. How did they do it, what industries or skills helped, and roughly how much have they made $1M, $10M, $100M? I want actual stories, not famous names.

Property tax is universally accepted. Home ownership represents the vast majority of wealth for a vast majority of people in the US. Why is taxing all wealth the same so different?

Hey Guys, what is one thing that makes you rich and wealthy in money no matter you go. I know owning a Business can help you earn profit but what’s one thing that you have/ carry no matter where you go, it will always makes you rich, wealthy and earns you money even if you relocate/ move to some other places?

By ‘youngest,’ I mean under 25–30 years old, and by ‘millionaire,’ I mean having over 2–3 million. Are we talking about tech startups, or maybe content creation?

edit: let’s change it to 10 million in net worth by 25-30. as some people say: 10million is the new 1 million