5 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Become a Millionaire

The easiest way to be a millionaire is to be born into money. Since most of us haven’t had that luxury, we have to earn our own way – and our own millions.

Sound impossible? It isn’t.

The average person has a good chance at earning that mythic million, or multiple mythic millions. It’s actually fairly simple.

First, observe tried-and-true financial practices, such as “never spend more than you earn” and “invest regularly and wisely.”

Then, combine those old-school tactics with modern money marvels, such as online financial counseling and fractional investing.

Just because you weren’t born into wealth doesn’t mean you’ll never be rich. Get your million(s) the old-fashioned way: by combining hard work with savvy choices. The following strategies can help.

1. Invest in iconic paintings by Banksy, Warhol and Basquiat

Fine art investing was once the sole province of the wealthy. Now a company called Masterworks lets ordinary folks become part of the global art market.

For as little as $20 per share (“slice”) plus fees, you can own a portion of a blue-chip artwork. It’s like the way you can own a piece of Apple or Amazon: by buying in at an amount you can afford.

Like stocks, art won’t necessarily soar in value and stay there; past performance doesn’t imply future results. Yet when it does appreciate, the returns can be startling. Here are a few examples from a November 2021 auction in New York:

• Still-life by Claude Monet: Purchased for $6.7 million in the late 1990s, sold for $50.8 million
• Mobile by Alexander Calder: Purchased for $1 million in the early 2000s, sold for $16.9 million
• Portrait of a child by Tamara de Lempicka: Purchased for $2.9 million in 2009, sold for $7.8 million

Want to buy a slice of art history — and get one step closer to your first million? Request your invitation to join now.

2. Add $1.7 million by hiring an adviser

Let’s face it: Most of us aren’t financial experts. And it shows.

A recent Vanguard study indicates that, on average, a hypothetical self-managed $500,000 investment will grow into $1.69 million in 25 years. Not bad, huh?

Except that the same money, under the care of an adviser, would turn into $3.4 million. That’s 50%, and $1.7 million, more!

If you’ve been going it alone, at least consider talking to a pro. Fortunately, finding the right one for you has never been easier.

A free matching service called SmartAsset can match you with an adviser who can make your dollars work both smarter and harder. You fill out a short questionnaire and are instantly matched with up to three local fiduciary financial advisers, all legally bound to work in your best interests.

Of course, there’s no guarantee a professional will do better than you, but with so much on the line, it would be crazy not to at least check it out. The process only takes a few minutes, and in many cases, you’ll be connected with an expert immediately for a free retirement consultation.

Want to close the gap between “getting by” to “getting paid”? Find your adviser match today.

(Please carefully review the methodologies employed in the Vanguard white paper, “Putting a Value on your Value: Quantifying Vanguard Advisor’s Alpha.”)

3. Build wealth with real estate

People will always need a place to live, which can make real estate a pretty solid choice for investing. But maybe you figure that’s out of your reach since you don’t have a couple hundred thousand bucks lying around.

How about $10? Could you swing $10? That’s all you need to get started with a real estate investing platform called Fundrise.

Just as you can get a piece of a company through stocks, you can purchase a piece of commercial real estate with Fundrise. Real estate investing can not only increase your net worth, but it also helps diversify it – and diversification is another smart money move for all millionaires-in-the-making.

The price of homes (even small condos) has gone berserk in the past few years. Again, while past performance is no guarantee, the average Fundrise participant saw their investment go up 25% within three years and more than 50% over five years.

If you’re ready to join more than 170,000 active real estate investors with more than $124 million in net dividend earnings, enter your email address to get started.

4. Crush your debt with this company

As they say, poor people pay interest and rich people earn it. If you have consumer debt, every dollar you pay in interest is a dollar that can’t be invested toward millionaire-hood.

Don’t keep throwing good money after bad. Get some help from the professionals at Freedom Financial Network.

A free initial consultation will determine what’s best for your particular situation, such as a balance consolidation loan or a debt management program. Freedom Financial also offers free credit counseling, which can decrease your current money stress while helping you develop stronger money habits for the future.

Some people land in the hole due to bad financial decisions, sometimes based on a lack of financial education. Others wind up in debt due to circumstances beyond their control: illness, unemployment, divorce.

How you got there doesn’t matter. What matters is how quickly you can get out. Let Freedom Financial help resolve your debt today.

5. Invest smarter with this robo-adviser

Again: Investing is key to wealth-building. But maybe you’re too busy to meet with an investment adviser, or wondering whether you can afford to invest (and pay for the investing advice).

No problem. An app called Public has your back. You can start with as little as $1 – and you won’t pay a dime in fees.

Public offers “fractional investing,” i.e., small slices of companies, funds or crypto assets. The app, whose creators call it an “investing social platform,” offers thousands of stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

When you sign up, you tell the app how much investing experience you have and define your investing goals. Nine out of 10 Public users are mostly investing for the long term, according to the company.

It doesn’t cost you anything to join Public, and as mentioned there are no fees (although it’s possible to leave a tip on a transaction). Got a dollar and a dream? Download the app now.

Bonus: Get smarter with your money in just five minutes

You get it. This is the time to sock away money, to save more, to get your finances in order.

But you also get that it’s not always easy. If there were just one easy thing you could do, every day, to move the needle, to get ahead of the game, you’d do it, right?

Well, here it is: Take five minutes every day and check out the totally free Money Talks Newsletter. More than a million Americans have, and they’ve reported saving an average of $991.20 each by checking our news and advice.

If you want the best tips and strategies to help you make more and spend less, delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our free newsletter today.