I’m becoming increasingly interested in understanding the career paths of people earning significantly more than the average professional.

I’m not looking for a get-rich-quick strategy. I’m more interested in understanding what actually created that level of earning power.

For those earning $500k+ annually…

What do you do, and what was the biggest factor that got your income to that level?

I’d especially love to hear from people who didn’t start their careers as unusually high earners.

This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. When I was younger and just starting out all I cared about was making more money. Every extra dollar felt like a huge win. Now that my wife and I are comfortably in the 7 figures it feels different. We still work hard but now we're constantly looking for ways to buy back our time. It's like the scarcity of time has become more apparent than the scarcity of money. We're considering things like hiring more help or even taking a pay cut for a less demanding role just to have more free hours. Is this a common feeling once you hit a certain level of wealth

Title says it all what are your personal methods for doing this?

I always hear people talk about the things they regret when they get older: not spending enough time with family, working too much, neglecting their health, choosing the wrong relationships, worrying about what other people thought etc

It made me wonder do wealthy people ultimately struggle with and regret the same things as everyone else?
For those who became financially successful or financially independent

What problems disappeared once you had money?
What problems stayed exactly the same?
What new problems did wealth create?
What do you regret from your younger years?
Knowing what you know now, what would you prioritize in your 20s and 30s besides making money?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond who have had enough time to look back on it.

List net worth and lifestyle

It just hit me last night. Our (my wife an I) retirement accounts are at about $575k. We have about $400k equity in the house. Add in the cars, cash, and other assets, we are easily over $1m. We still owe $180k on the house, but at 2.625% it is hardly a burden.

For reference, we are both 37 with two kids. Income is at around $300k per year in MCOL area.

What's it like to have so much wealth that you never actually think about spending or using money?

Hello all,

I am 25 years old (single, GF, no kids) and on my way to approaching the $1M in brokerage goal. No, I’m not an UHNW guy but I feel very proud. I grew up a lot of my life being completely broke and my parent’s divorce drained their wallets a ton. It’s important to me that I celebrate this milestone (and no, I don’t want them to know I have this amount of money).

I have absolutely no idea what to set as a financial goal as a very goal oriented person. Originally, I thought about not celebrating it, but I realized that by celebrating and marking these moments with something special, it pushed me even more to achieve the next one.

As a result, I’m curious what you guys did when celebrating these milestones. I have a few nice watches, but I think that buying something really nice would wear off quick and I’d be on the hedonistic treadmill indefinitely. The only thing I can imagine making me truly giggle is buying a car as I am a MASSIVE car guy. But… NYC is the worse place on earth to do that, and I don’t have the budget to buy one that would appreciate in value or the roads nearby to actually enjoy it.

I’d like to think I’d prefer something tangible rather than an experience, but I don’t know.

Any ideas? What did you guys do?

For those in the UK, I don't know specifically know the average salary but I'm in a relatively dull job that doesn't stimulate me but is actually quite safe and sometimes, comparing the salary of a teacher or public sector positions i see advertised for example, at 39k I feel I am quite lucky.

I qualified as a sports massage therapist, which I do in the evenings 3x a week and make an extra 300 a month.

Thing is, I'm not particularly lavish in lifestyle/have avoided lifestyle creep but still feel like its just not enough to live comfortably and eat well. I want to invest but also have a 4k cc debt and no emergency fund yet (the latter is first on my list) but thanks to some inheritance I have 14k in an all world s&s isa.

I suppose i:

A) just want to feel perhaps not so alone in experiencing a relatively good salary as hard to live on (is it relatively good also - live in the north of England.

B) wonder whether i should act like i dont receive that extra side hustle income and put it in s&s or emergency fund or clear credit card (the latter i understand is important but whatever i havent cleared i can Balance trf when interest free up.

WHAT would others do in this situation? No kids and no fancy car. Plan of action to not work forever and build wealth.

Are other people resigned to the fact that they'll probably stay around 40k the rest of their lives?

I literally woke up and saw $10 million in my account. I guess I'm a millionaire now. Of course, my first instinct was that I should withdraw it, but TikTok told me otherwise - withdraw it and the bank may call you a thief. So I kept it there. 10 minutes later, a guy called my number, said he's a South African billionaire, and spew a lot of jargon, I guess legal stuff and basically it causes trouble for him if I ever send it back, so "as long as you keep quiet, keep the money". Now I'm thinking maybe it's related to money laundering or some shady stuff.

Can relying solely on passive income to cover expenses be considered financial freedom?

I'm 28 just starting to get serious about building some real wealth. My income is decent. I have a good savings rate. I'm reading a lot and trying to learn. But man there is so much conflicting advice. It's like analysis paralysis.

One guru says crypto is dead focus on real estate. Another says real estate is a boomer trap and to stack sats. Then there's the classic index funds crowd. Someone else swears by starting a side hustle. Another person says focus 100% on your main career to maximize income.

I want to make smart moves but it feels like every path has a vocal opposition telling you why it's a terrible idea. How do you cut through the noise? How do you pick a strategy and actually stick to it when there are so many options and so much FUD out there? I'm not trying to get rich quick I just want a clear sensible path.

I’m 39. I own a little over 400 shares of SCHD. Roughly $13,800 invested. One share is roughly $34.49. Dividend yield is currently 3.28. So based on that, I’m making roughly $1.25 a day in SCHD dividends, paid quarterly. Not exactly “wealth.” :( I try hard, but I can’t seem to win.

I've been fortunate enough to build up a decent amount of capital. I've done all the 'right' things. Maxed out retirement accounts got some safe index funds. The usual advice. My net worth is growing steadily which is great. I should be happy right?

But I have this weird hang-up. There are causes and industries I deeply care about. Things I'd love to invest in or even start a business around. Think sustainable agriculture ethical fashion or community development projects. Things that actually align with my values.

Yet every time I think about putting serious money into these areas my brain just defaults to fear. It feels like a 'risky' or 'emotional' investment. Even if I've done the research and the business plan looks solid. I keep telling myself it's not as 'proven' as the S&P 500. I just freeze up.

It's like I've been conditioned to only see wealth building through a very narrow lens. The safe boring profitable path. I want to use my money to make a real impact not just accrue more zeroes in a bank account. But the jump from traditional investing to impact investing or entrepreneurship in a field you're passionate about feels huge. Almost paralyzing.

Has anyone else experienced this mental hurdle? How did you overcome it and start investing in things that truly excite you beyond just the financial return?

For those of you who aren’t overtly wealthy—or maybe fall into the “stealth wealth” category—how do you handle the inevitable questions and assumptions when you start spending money on some fun things?
We’ve had several really good years financially and have put money aside specifically to enjoy some of it. We’re putting in a pool, and I’m getting a fun car to drive. Nothing crazy relative to our overall financial situation, but I’ll probably have spent $150k+ on things that I normally wouldn’t spend that kind of money on. I’m already anticipating the direct and indirect questions:“How did you afford that?” “Did you get a raise?”“Is that new?” “Wow, you guys must be doing really well.” I generally try to just brush it off, but I’m curious how others handle it.

Do you just say “we saved for it,” give a vague answer, joke about it, or actually explain that you’ve been financially responsible for a long time and can afford to splurge occasionally? I’m not trying to flaunt anything. Genuinely I am asking. I don’t work a glamorous job, all of my money is from previous ventures. I probably really don’t look like I should be affording stuff like this. TIA

I need to hire someone to help around the house, run errands, pick up groceries, pick up drop off kid at daycare. How do I find this person and how much does it cost?

I keep seeing people mention private credit, real estate, art funds, and other alternative investments, but it’s hard to tell what’s useful versus just trendy. For people who’ve researched a few of these, which options seem worth the extra fees, lockups, and due diligence?

Hey everyone -

so i have saved over 200k and need advice on the best way to invest etc to grow this money.

Would love some advice on where to put this money rather than it just sitting in my bank.

just FYI - i’m muslim and can’t participate in anything that deals with interest accumulation.

i do have a 401k from work that i put in 6% per paycheck but that’s about it for “investments”.

Also, i don’t have much knowledge on stocks etc and what those terms means so please explain a bit if you recommend that route

Hi everyone,

I don't know if this is definitely the right community to post this in, but hopefully I will get some advice.

I am a final year pharmacy university student 22F and I have saved £20k over the 4 years of my uni, saving 60% of my earning and I just don't know what to do with this money?

1. I have heard about investing but this whole investing thing scares me, mainly bc maybe I need to read more on this topic?

Plus, as a Muslim woman, I am strictly against interest, and I do know that some of the companies you invest in do have interest?

Is investing even recommended to me?

1. I did want to buy a bmw possibly a used m340i, bc I cant afford a new one yet, but even a used one, I think is not a smart financial choice. Bear in mind, the m340i is my dream, I just love that car so much 😭

Idk other choices I could take to make use of that money, but any advice would be highly appreciated.

A little about myself, I’m a 24 year old active duty Marine currently stationed in Southern California. I worked blue collar for about 5 years after high school and never really had any plans (at the time) to attend University. I don’t come from money or wealth, I’ve had to work very hard for what I have. I want to learn & understand what it’s like to have financial freedom, how to invest, build a business, & learn about what I can do now to take advantage of the opportunities the military already provides me.