Yahoo Finance 10 Tips on How to Become a Millionaire
It's easier than you think to become a millionaire.
For most Americans, becoming a millionaire may seem as unlikely as winning the lottery. In reality, it's not as difficult as it seems to become a millionaire if you are committed to working hard to get there. By starting young and making smart financial decisions, anyone can become a millionaire over time. You don't need a million-dollar idea or a six-figure salary to reach the million-dollar mark. What you do need is consistency, commitment and good financial habits. If one of your life goals is to become a millionaire, here are 10 things you need to do to get there.
Make a plan.
You wouldn't try to drive from New York to Los Angeles without a road map. Why would you try to grow your savings from zero to $1 million without a plan? Unfortunately, hoping for the best is not a good way to make it to $1 million. Start your plan to become a millionaire by deciding on a timetable. Once you have a timetable, calculate how much you will need to save per year, per month, or even per week. Investing $500 per week at an 8 percent return gets you to $1.03 million in 35 years.
Put your money to work.
How can a 30-year-old become a millionaire by age 65 saving $500 per month? Just putting the money away would get you to $210,000 in 35 years, but that's where the power of compounding interest takes over. The Standard & Poor's 500 index has been remarkably consistent throughout history, providing a rolling 30-year annual return between 8 percent and 15 percent since 1926. Historically, investing in a low-cost S&P 500 index fund would get you 8 percent, and that would boost your nest egg to $1 million in 35 years.
Get some help.
Making a financial plan and investing your savings responsibly can be a bit overwhelming to someone with limited experience, but there's no shame in seeking professional help. Even if you're confident in the plan you come up with on your own to become a millionaire, it never hurts to have a financial advisor take a second look. Of course, professional money managers can be a major expense in their own right. Rather than simply turning over your money to a costly active money manager, consider implementing most of your financial plan as independently as possible after initially discussing it with a professional.
Create a budget.
For people earning $60,000 per year, $500 per month is only 10 percent of their paycheck. Still, it can be difficult to find that financial flexibility on a monthly basis without a budget in place. Think about how much money you spend each month on different expenses and prioritize that spending. Groceries and mortgage payments are top priorities. Most everything else, including savings, is a matter of personal preference. Going out with friends several times a week, taking an Uber instead of driving and even buying name-brand products are all small decisions that can add up over time and derail your dreams to become a millionaire.
Forget about your neighbors.
If your goal is to become a millionaire to impress your neighbors, friends or family, you have a difficult decision to make. People impress the neighbors by buying the fastest car, the biggest boat, the latest tech gadget or by posting pictures of luxurious family vacations on social media. Unfortunately, all those things that impress your neighbors are also poison to your finances. Aggressive long-term saving and investing involve living well below your means. The good news is that you may eventually have a million dollars or more to spend to impress your neighbors during your retirement.
Avoid debt like the plague.
Interest on debt, whether it be credit card debt, auto loans, student debt, mortgage debt or any other kind of credit, is like a hole in the bottom of your savings bucket. Each month, some of your hard-earned money drips out the bottom in the form of accrued interest. The worst part about interest payments is that you get absolutely nothing in return for that lost money. Paying off all debt, starting with debts with the highest interest rates, should be one of the first steps in the journey to becoming a millionaire.
Stay disciplined.
It's a marathon, not a sprint, to become a millionaire. Getting to the finish line requires putting one foot in front of the other every day and every week for decades. When times get tough or unexpected personal expenses arise, it can be easy to rationalize missing a monthly contribution. But one week or one month can quickly turn into one or two years if you don't maintain discipline. A solid financial plan is nearly guaranteed to get you to the million-dollar mark, but the plan is only as effective as the person following it.
Check your progress.
Part of staying disciplined is to remain vigilant about monitoring your progress and making sure you are still on track. If life events knock you off your plan for even a few months, the long-term effects could have much more of an impact than you realize. By taking the 35-year, $500-per-month example and simply removing a single year from the calculation, the total drops from $1.03 million to about $950,000. Missing a month here and a month there can quickly add up to a lost year or two over time. Checking progress regularly is critical.
Be positive.
Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), once addressed the power of positivity. "Whether you think you can or you think you can't -- you're right," Ford famously said. It may seem trivial, but staying positive and believing in yourself and your financial commitments is a key component to become a millionaire. Many people simply don't see themselves as millionaires or don't believe that they can make it to that point. For millions of people, the only thing standing between them and that magic number is themselves and their ability to execute a long-term financial plan.
Don't panic.
Even if you aren't fully invested in the stock market, almost every long-term financial plan approved by a financial advisor will have some degree of exposure to stocks. The stock market can be a scary thing when the U.S. economy experiences a cyclical decline. Historically, however, investors who have lost their nerve and sold during downturns have been punished in the long run. Many people panicked in 2008, when the S&P 500 lost roughly half its value during the financial crisis. Today, less than a decade later, the S&P 500 is now more than 76 percent higher than its 2007 peak.
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