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It\u2019s easy to think that once you crack six figures, you\u2019re financially in the clear. But that assumption doesn\u2019t always hold up.<\/p>\n
One-third of Americans earning over $200,000 a year say they\u2019re still living paycheck-to-paycheck, according to a 2024 report by PYMNTS Intelligence [1]. Some members of this group are sometimes referred to as a HENRY, or \u201chigh earner, not rich yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turns out wealth isn\u2019t just about how much you earn, it\u2019s also about how you think, what you do with it and how effectively you avoid lifestyle creep.<\/p>\n
Here are the top five ways wealthy people approach life, career and finances differently from the rest of us.<\/p>\n
Contrary to popular belief, most multimillionaires are not cruising around in neon orange Lamborghinis or reaching for cigars stashed away in Gucci bags. Instead, many wealthy Americans try to hide their wealth rather than flaunt it.<\/p>\n
This \u201cstealth wealth\u201d or \u201cquiet luxury\u201d trend was highlighted in the 2024 National Millionaires Survey by Ramsey Solutions, which found that the top three car brands preferred by the wealthy were Toyota, Honda and Ford [2].<\/p>\n
Simply put: Wealthy Americans stay wealthy by resisting the urge to flaunt it or spend it unnecessarily. For instance, they make sure they\u2019re getting the best value for their money with monthly expenses, like car insurance.<\/p>\n
Shopping around for different rates used to take hours of research, but now free services like OfficialCarInsurance.com<\/a> can help find the lowest rates on your behalf.<\/p>\n OfficialCarInsurance.com lets you instantly sort through policies from car insurance providers in your area, including trusted names like Progressive, GEICO and Allstate. With rates as low as $29 per month<\/a>, you can find coverage that suits your needs and potentially save you hundreds of dollars per year.<\/p>\n To get started, fill in some basic information<\/a> and OfficialCarInsurance.com will provide a list of the top insurers in your area within minutes. Keep in mind that you can usually switch your insurance policy at almost any time, not just at the end of the policy period. Just watch out for any early cancellation fees.<\/p>\n Read more: Rich, young Americans are ditching stocks \u2014 here are the alternative assets they’re banking on instead<\/a><\/p>\n Another major psychological difference between the rich and the poor is their ability to delay gratification.<\/p>\n In 2016, the National Bureau of Economic Research [3] surveyed Americans over the age of 70 to see what bonus they would need to delay getting $100 by one year instead of right now. Would they need $10 or $30 to hold on until the cash came in? Those requiring less compensation were said to be better at delaying gratification, which turned out to match their actual wealth levels and financial well-being.<\/p>\n In short, the ability to resist instant gratification is a key sign of future financial success.<\/p>\n It can also be a valuable skill when it comes to investing in assets with long-term wealth potential. For example, gold is known for being a safe-haven asset as it tends to be less volatile than stocks in the long term. The yellow precious metal has also been on a bull run for much of 2025, striking highs of $3,500 per ounce in late August, according to GoldPrice [4].<\/p>\n With Priority Gold<\/a>, you can invest in gold for your retirement with a gold IRA, combining the tax benefits of an IRA with the inflation-hedging benefits of investing in gold<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you make a qualifying purchase with Priority Gold, you can also receive up to $10,000 in silver for free<\/a>. Silver has also been on an impressive year-to-date surge, climbing from about $30 per ounce in January to just over $40 an ounce by the end of summer, according to KITCO [5].<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious if gold is the right investment for you, you can download Priority Gold\u2019s\u00a0 2025 guide on investing in precious metals<\/a> for free.<\/p>\n Aside from gold, there are plenty of other ways to invest your money to make more money. A 2024 Gallup poll [6] found that 31% of upper-income Americans believe stocks are the best investment. Only 7% said a savings account was a good investment.<\/p>\n In contrast, 20% of lower-income Americans chose savings accounts as the best investment, while just 14% preferred stocks.<\/p>\n To put this in perspective, the average APY on a standard savings account was just 0.39% in August, according to the FDIC [7].<\/p>\n This difference in strategy highlights a key mindset shift. Many lower-income households avoid risk and prefer safety, while wealthier households are more familiar with the potential rewards of riskier assets.<\/p>\n Alternative assets like art can be riskier than stocks, but they can also come with greater returns.<\/p>\n Over the last 10 years, art prices rose by 91%, according to the Knight Frank Wealth Report [8]. In comparison, the S&P 500 delivered 9.8% annualized returns, over the same period. This can make investing in fine art ideal, depending on how long you\u2019re willing to hold the asset.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, for many investors, there was no way to invest in art unless you wanted to spend millions buying an entire painting \u2014 not to mention sourcing it, negotiating and managing storage. Or at least, that was the case until Masterworks<\/a> launched.<\/p>\n Masterworks gives you the ability to invest in shares of contemporary art<\/a>, including paintings by well-known artists like Banksy, Picasso and Basquiat.<\/p>\n As an investor using Masterworks, you can select the fine art you want to invest in \u2014 with every piece of artwork thoroughly vetted by their team of industry experts. Less than 3% of all artwork passes the vetting process \u2014 making each investable asset a potentially prime candidate for future appreciation.<\/p>\n While every piece of artwork sold performs differently, out of 23 exits Masterworks has delivered representative annualized returns like 17.6%, 17.8% and 21.5%<\/a> among assets held longer than a year.<\/p>\n See important Regulation A disclosures at Masterworks.com\/cd<\/a><\/p>\n Debt isn\u2019t inherently good or bad \u2014 it\u2019s all about how it\u2019s used.<\/p>\n Lower-income households are more likely to rely on expensive forms of debt to cover daily spending. About 18% of households earning between $25,000 and $49,999 used buy-now-pay-later programs in 2023, compared to just 10% for those earning more than $100,000, according to the Federal Reserve [8].<\/p>\n Wealthier Americans tend to use debt for productive investments, such as real estate. These assets have the potential to grow in value, while consumer goods like cars or electronics lose value over time.<\/p>\n Rethinking how you use debt could be a game-changer on your path to building wealth. But you don\u2019t necessarily need to take on a mortgage to tap into the real estate market.<\/p>\n FNRP allows accredited individual investors with a minimum investment of $50,000<\/a> to access institutional-quality commercial real estate investments \u2014 without the legwork of finding deals themselves.<\/p>\n FNRP has relationships with the nation\u2019s largest essential-needs brands, such as Kroger, Walmart and Whole Foods<\/a>. And since these retailers provide necessities, they tend to still perform well during times of economic volatility and can act as a hedge against inflation. This could make FNRP a good option for those looking to get into real estate for wealth generation, but who aren\u2019t sure about committing to a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.<\/p>\n You can engage with experts, explore available deals<\/a> and easily make an allocation, all in FNRP\u2019s personalized portal.<\/p>\n Another way to take advantage of the real estate market is through Homeshares<\/a>, which provides accredited investors access to the $34.9 trillion U.S. home equity market.<\/p>\n Historically, this has been the exclusive playground of institutional investors. But now, with a minimum investment of $25,000, investors can gain direct exposure to hundreds of owner-occupied homes<\/a> in top U.S. cities through Homeshares\u2019 U.S. Home Equity Fund \u2014 without the headaches of buying, owning or managing property.<\/p>\n Homeshares offers risk-adjusted target returns ranging from 14% to 17%<\/a>, and can be an effective, hands-off way to invest in owner-occupied residential properties across regional markets.<\/p>\n Investing wisely in real estate and other assets is important, but it\u2019s only part of the equation for securing your future \u2014 especially if, like HENRYs, you\u2019re putting your all into long-term growth.<\/p>\n To truly accelerate your net worth, you need expert guidance across all areas of your wealth \u2014 and that\u2019s where the trusted team of financial planners at Range<\/a> can come in.<\/p>\n For individuals earning at least $250,000, or households making over $200,000, Range offers a smart, streamlined way to manage your full financial life \u2014 especially your real estate investments.<\/p>\n One powerful tool they offer is cost segregation analysis \u2014 a strategy that reclassifies components of your property to accelerate depreciation and boost early tax deductions. This shortens depreciation timelines \u2014 from the standard 27.5\u201339 years down to just 5\u201315 years \u2014 allowing you to claim significantly larger tax deductions<\/a> sooner and keep more money in your pocket.<\/p>\n But Range delivers proactive advice across your entire financial life \u2014 not just real estate or taxes<\/p>\n From stock options and tax strategies to real estate and big-picture planning, Range integrates it all under one roof. With a transparent, flat annual fee \u2014 no hidden costs or percentage-of-assets surprises \u2014 you get AI-powered insights<\/a> and comprehensive guidance designed to scale with your wealth.<\/p>\n Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. Subscribe now.<\/a><\/p>\n At Moneywise, we consider it our responsibility to produce accurate and trustworthy content people can rely on to inform their financial decisions. We rely on vetted sources such as government data, financial records and expert interviews and highlight credible third-party reporting when appropriate.<\/p>\n We are committed to transparency and accountability, correcting errors openly and adhering to the best practices of the journalism industry. For more details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n [1]. PYMNTS<\/a>. \u201cPaycheck-to-Paycheck Economy Moves to Higher-Income Brackets\u201d<\/p>\n [2]. Ramsey Solutions<\/a>. \u201cThe National Study of Millionaires\u201d<\/p>\n [3]. National Bureau of Economic Research<\/a>. \u201cTime Discounting and Economic Decision-making Among the Elderly\u201d<\/p>\n [4]. GoldPrice<\/a>. \u201cGold Price Performance USD\u201d<\/p>\n [5]. KITCO<\/a>. \u201cLive Charts\/ Silver\u201d<\/p>\n [6]. Gallup<\/a>. \u201cStocks Up, Gold Down in Americans’ Best Investment Ratings\u201d<\/p>\n