What Real Estate Creates 90% of Millionaires (2024)

FAQs

What makes 90% of millionaires? ›

Real estate investment has long been a cornerstone of financial success, with approximately 90% of millionaires attributing their wealth in part to real estate holdings. In this article, we delve into the reasons why real estate is a preferred vehicle for creating millionaires and how you can leverage its potential.

Building Wealth

“Ninety percent of all millionaires become so through owning real estate. More money has been made in real estate than in all industrial investments combined. The wise young man or wage earner of today invests his money in real estate.” - Andrew Carnegie, billionaire industrialist.

Real estate offers a tangible and stable asset class that can withstand economic fluctuations. It's not just about making money; it's about preserving and growing wealth over generations. One of the secrets to millionaire wealth is the creation of multiple streams of passive income.

Federal Tax Benefits

The government encourages real estate ownership. Buying real estate often lowers your taxes. With depreciation, it can appear as though you're running at a loss. Even though you're making income, you have lower taxes and no self-employment tax on rental cash flow.

Ninety percent of all millionaires become so through owning real estate. More money has been made in real estate than in all industrial investments combined. The wise young man or wage earner of today invests his money in real estate.

One reason commercial properties are considered one of the best types of real estate investments is the potential for higher cash flow. Investors who opt for commercial properties may find they represent higher income potential, longer leases, and lower vacancy rates than other forms of real estate.

Donald Bren

His net worth is US$15.1 billion, owed in large part to his 110 million square-foot Californian real estate portfolio. His company owns, manages and develops everything from apartments, to shopping centres, to golf clubs.

Many self-made millionaires have money coming in from several places, including their salaries, dividends from investments, income from rental properties and investments they have made in other business enterprises, to name a few examples. If one income stream slows down, there's another that can take its place.

JP Morgan Private Bank

“J.P. Morgan Private Bank is the more elite program serving ultra-high-net-worth individuals,” Naghibi said. “It offers comprehensive services in savings, checking and retirement account management. But, more than anything, it gives clients access to their bank and team with a concierge feel.”

What is the easiest asset to buy? ›

A cash bank deposit is the simplest, most easily understandable investment asset—and the safest. It not only gives investors precise knowledge of the interest that they'll earn but also guarantees that they'll get their capital back.

If you use a credit card, you're more like millionaires than you may think. Although most adults have credit cards, millionaires are even more likely to use them. According to the Federal Reserve, almost all adults with incomes over $100,000 have a credit card in their name.

But just because it's the "American Dream" and a tangible sign of success for many, it doesn't mean it's your best option if your goal is building wealth. While real property can boost your balance sheet and play a part in growing your wealth, it's critical to understand that you don't have to buy property to get rich.

Investing in real estate can be one of the best ways to accumulate wealth. Wealth grows through compounding, which means putting money into something on the expectation that you will receive more money back later.

Real estate investing stands as one of the most time-tested and proven methods for building wealth and securing financial freedom.

Dave Ramsey recently conducted a study of over 10,000 millionaires. Although some millionaires have high-paying jobs, only 31% average $100,000 per year during their careers. The keys to becoming a millionaire are spending wisely and investing consistently.

Choose the right career

And one crucial detail to note: Millionaire status doesn't equal a sky-high salary. “Only 31% averaged $100,000 a year over the course of their career,” the study found, “and one-third never made six figures in any single working year of their career.”

You need more money than ever to enter the ranks of the top 1% of the richest Americans. To join the club of the wealthiest citizens in the U.S., you'll need at least $5.8 million, up about 15% up from $5.1 million one year ago, according to global real estate company Knight Frank's 2024 Wealth Report.

Here are the cold, hard facts: Almost 7 out of 10 millionaires (69%) did not average $100,000 or more in household income per year—and (get this) one-third of millionaires never had a six-figure household income in their careers.