In an earlier blog, I mentioned that the typical Balance Sheet Affluent (millionaires) had an annual realized household income of $89,167 (median) when he first became a millionaire ($1 Million: Something or Nothing? Part I, and Stop Acting Rich, pp. 17-29). In other words, one half of the BAs had incomes that were less than this figure. What …
Among the millionaire types profiled in Part I, what are some of the occupational groups that tend to have higher wealth indices than the norm? Some of these include: self-employed business owners (non-retail); executives of privately held corporations (see: The Millionaire Next Door); educators (and those married to an educator, see Stop Acting Rich, pp. …
Recently, Dave Ramsey magnanimously invited me to be a guest on his show. During the interview, Dave asked me about the changes I had noticed among Americans since the recent economic meltdown. One of the changes I mentioned was the precipitous decline in the number of people who advised me that “$1 million (in net worth) – …
A producer from ABC’s 20/20 news magazine television show once asked if I could identify neighborhoods where the millionaire next door types live. After checking my database, I pinpointed several neighborhoods where these people resided. The resulting televised program certainly raised eyebrows. Most of the homes depicted were in the $200,000 to under $400,000 price range. …
As long as we are headed towards a controlled economy, I would like to add my two cents worth and perhaps a bit of comic relief. We can encourage people to become more fiscally responsible! I suggest that we begin by altering the spending habits of the hyperconsuming/income statement affluent (IA) population. I mentioned on Twitter that …
One of my earlier blogs, The Downside to Understating Your Wealth, apparently hit a chord with many of you. Mrs. Davis, a teacher, told me that her memory was jogged after reading about the Honda driving doctor who couldn’t get into the hospital’s parking lot. Here is her contrasting story on the upside of understating your wealth. …
Is being frugal fashionable today? Perhaps, considering the severity of the economic times. The more important question is: how long will it be fashionable? The following is an excerpt from my new book, Stop Acting Rich, highlighting the focus on hyper-consuming, highly compensated members of our society and their spending habits. America is a nation of excesses. And these excesses, …
I would like to share a short tidbit from my new book, Stop Acting Rich. You can read more in Chapter 7, The Road to Happiness. I admire people who drive Buicks. They show wisdom in buying a car that ranks high in both quality and value. Plus, according to Automotive News, people who trade …
Apparently, my interview with Dave Ramsey on September 30th hit a cord when I mentioned that only a minority of people who own/occupy homes valued at $1M or more are millionaires. In my latest book, Stop Acting Rich, I use the term millionaire to refer to those households with net investments of $1M or more. This is not the …
The Money Pit and The Decline of Enhanced Millionaires Read More »
In my interview on The Dave Ramsey Show yesterday, I discussed the relationship between where one lives and the ability to accumulate wealth. Here is a continuation of the discussion from my new book, Stop Acting Rich. Most of the self-made millionaires I have studied have one thing in common: They were able to build wealth …