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Getting to a net worth of $100,000 is a major financial milestone. Reach it more quickly with quality advice from former financial advisor Humphrey Yang.
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Your first $100,000 is a crucial milestone on the path to financial success. Starting from $0 and saving $100,000 is difficult, and some even say it’s the most difficult part of building wealth. But once you accomplish it, you’ll have the financial habits you need to reach bigger and bigger goals.
Former financial advisor Humphrey Yang recently shared advice on saving $100,000. The first thing he explains is extremely important for those starting out with building wealth — “getting your first $100K is rarely about investment gains.” He says the first $100,000 usually consists of about 85% savings and 15% investment returns.
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As your money grows, more and more of it will come from investment returns. That’s the power of investing in the stock market and earning compound interest. In the early stages, it takes a lot of saving to get your portfolio off the ground.
It normally takes years to save $100,000 in your bank accounts and investments, but what if you want to speed up the process? Yang provided three valuable tips on how to potentially reach this milestone in 2023.
1. Be irreplaceable
The amount you can save depends on your income. As Yang correctly points out, “the more irreplaceable you are, the more money that you are going to make.”
If you’re one of few people who can do a job, then you can command a high salary. An example Yang mentions that most are familiar with is professional athletes. Some people complain about the salaries of sports superstars, but they earn those salaries because hardly anyone else can do what they do.
On the other hand, if anyone can do a job with a week or two of training, it probably doesn’t pay all that well. Since there are so many people who could fill that role, there’s no reason for an employer to pay a premium.
Nobody’s completely irreplaceable. But the better you are at what you do, compared to the average person, the more you can make. This is where Yang’s second tip comes into play.
2. Find your high-income skill
The key to increasing your income is leveraging your skills. Think of areas where you have more knowledge, experience, or natural ability than the average person. A good way to find your skills is to consider what you’re better at than your friends and family. Once you’ve found a potential high-income skill, brainstorm ways you can monetize it.
Remember that you don’t need to be the best in the world at something for it to be a skill. If you’re above average at it, then you could make money from it. That’s especially true if you’re easy to work with.
What if you can’t think of any high-income skills you have? There’s a good chance you have some that just haven’t come to mind yet. However, if you’re really stumped, dedicate a year or two to developing a high-income skill. Here are some options that Yang suggests:
Graphic designVideographyCopywritingSocial media marketingWeb design
3. Be as frugal as possible
The first two tips are all about boosting your income so you have more money to save. This final tip is about getting into the habit of living on less so you save more.
Yang recommends being as frugal as possible until you have a net worth of $100,000. When you’re going to spend money, he says to first see if there’s a lower-cost alternative available. For example, instead of going out to eat, try meal prepping.
Frugality is important, but to be honest, you don’t need to take it to an extreme. An easier approach is to simply commit to saving a certain portion of your income per month. A good target is 20% of your income to your savings accounts and retirement accounts, but this depends on your financial situation. If you can only afford 10%, then do 10%. If you can afford 50% and still maintain a good quality of life, go for it.
To set realistic expectations here, even with Yang’s advice, the average person won’t go from $0 to $100,000 in 2023. After all, the average U.S. salary is under $100,000. What this advice will do is get you on the right track toward saving that much and continuing to build wealth from there.
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