From $0 to $1 Million by 35: A Simple Wealth-Building Strategy

TL/DR:

I worked hard to steadily increase my income over time until I could save half of it every month and max out my retirement account. Only after that did I start investing in a total stock market index fund and cash-flowing real estate. Nothing fancy. No crazy meme stock picks. No ultra-frugal lifestyle cuts. Just hard work, sensible investments, and enjoying life along the way.

Here’s how I did it and how you can too:

1. I Increased My Income Over Time

I didn’t grow up wealthy. I didn’t have a trust fund. I paid for college by working two jobs and taking on $60,000 in student loans. My first job out of school paid $15 an hour because the staffing agency I worked for took half my pay as a placement fee. I leveraged that temp job into a full-time, salaried position. Then I made myself an essential part of the company by busting my ass and negotiated for salary increases every year.

2. I Invested Simply and Consistently

By age 28 I was making $90,000 a year and had already saved a nice little nest egg – about $50,000 in my 401k and $50,000 in a personal investment account. How did I save $100,000 after working for just 6 years? I followed a beginner-friendly investing strategy: saving and investing $1,000/month in total market index funds through Schwab and Robinhood. Simple as that. No trading. No meme stocks. Just boring index funds, every month. Most of my portfolio is in total market ETFs like VTI. What’s an index fund?

💡 $1,000 / month invested with 10% annual return over 6 years = ~$100,000

$1,000 per month invested with a 10% annual return over 6 years = $98,928

3. I Maxed Out My Retirement Accounts Every Year

At that point, I decided my income was high enough that I could start maxing out my 401k retirement account contributions. Here’s why compound growth and tax advantages make maxing out your 401k retirement account contributions so important.

4. I Bought Real Estate That Cash Flows

Buying a house was a priority for me and my wife. So we decided to cash out some of our investments for a downpayment. We each contributed about $40,000 and were able to put 15% down on a $500,000 home in a major metropolitan area with a strong rental market (in case we ever needed to move and rent the house out). Here’s why I think buying a home is almost always better than renting.

5. I Prioritized a Realistic Savings Rate

My wife and I were able to save about $6,000 per month (one third of our gross salary) for the next seven years and buy two more properties along the way.

After that, it was basically auto-pilot to $1 million.

If you think our income or savings rate sounds crazy – it’s really not. Check out my budget breakdown here.

💡 Starting with $100,000 and investing $6,000/month with 10% annual return for 7 years = ~$932,000

Starting with $100,000 and investing $6,000 per month with a 10% annual return for 7 years equals $932,542

6. I Tracked My Net Worth Every Month

I love tracking my net worth. I used to calculate it myself in a spreadsheet every year when I did my taxes. Recently I started using the free version of NerdWallet’s app to track my monthly cash flow and net worth. It’s just easier to see it all in one place and be able to check it anytime without having to do a bunch of calculations.

7. I Didn’t Let Mistakes Stop Me

There was a point where I did a 401k rollover right in the middle of the COVID-19 market crash. The transfer took longer than expected because I messed up the paperwork. The impact was huge because I sold all my stocks from the old 401k account, and in the week it took to transfer the funds to my new 401k, the market had fallen 10%. I lost 10% of my retirement savings in one week because of bad timing and a paperwork error. Shit happens and you just have to move on. We all make mistakes, but the power of long-term, steady investing will smooth those mistakes out over time.

8. I Made Some Very Limited High-Risk, High-Return Investments

Once I had all the basics locked down – emergency cash fund, maxed out retirement accounts, excess savings in index funds – I let myself put a small amount of money in some higher-risk investments like cryptocurrency, targeted growth funds, and venture capital funds. Here’s how to decide when you’re ready for higher risk investments.

The Bottom Line

I didn’t do anything flashy. I just:

  • Increased my income over time
  • Saved consistently
  • Invested in index funds
  • Bought income-producing real estate

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to get started, keep learning, and stay consistent.

If I could do it — starting at $15/hour with $60,000 in student loans — you can too.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I grow my net worth in my 30s?
A: Focus on increasing your income, saving a high percentage, and investing in low-cost index funds and cash-flowing real estate.

Q: Is it possible to become a millionaire by 35?
A: Yes—with the right mix of consistent income growth, disciplined saving, and smart investing, hitting $1M by 35 is absolutely doable.

Q: What’s the best way to invest $1,000 per month?
A: For beginners, low-cost total market index funds like VTI or FXAIX offer a simple, diversified, long-term strategy.

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