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Accelerate Your Wealth: 10 Financial Habits of Millionaires

Written by Samantha Parrinello, Viking Capital | Apr 3, 2024 3:16:35 PM

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Every day, individuals achieve success, with many ultimately building wealth. Those who consistently generate wealth develop habits that propel them to millionaire status. Often, these individuals cultivate healthy financial practices, which not only accelerate their earnings but also ensure long-term stability. In this article, we delve into 10 key financial habits among millionaires.

1. Keep Your Money in Motion

If It's idle, it's losing value. The wealthiest individuals understand that even while they sleep, their money should be working. Millionaires are built on investments and strategic capital deployment. Amassing significant wealth demands proactive money management. Consistent capital reinvestment is a hallmark habit of millionaires. 

2. Financial Discipline

Creating and adhering to a budget remains a significant challenge for many Americans. The allure of life's temptations often disrupts even the best intentions. Easy access to credit cards and the appeal of instant gratification can derail budgetary plans. The discipline exhibited by the wealthy stands as one of their most crucial habits, permeating all aspects of their lives. 

3. Relentless Investing

Millionaires perpetuate their wealth by continually multiplying it. They achieve this by engaging in consistent investment practices. Whether automating deposits from their earnings into investment accounts or reinvesting profits from sales, they maintain a relentless commitment to investing. 

Diversification stands as one of the most advantageous principles in investing. The world's wealthiest individuals maintain highly diversified investment portfolios to mitigate risk and unlock remarkable potential returns.

4. The Art of Wealth Preservation

While wealth generation focuses on accumulating assets, wealth preservation is about safeguarding what you have. Even the most successful business leaders recognize that achieving wealth doesn't guarantee its longevity. Wealth preservation demands a nuanced approach, encompassing investment, growth, and meticulous management. 

High-net-worth individuals prioritize shielding their assets from various risks, including inflation, market fluctuations, taxation, and legal liabilities. Implementing protective measures entails securing sufficient insurance coverage, establishing an effective estate plan, and diversifying your investment portfolio.

5. Mastering Financial Literacy

The cornerstone habit of millionaires lies in acquiring financial knowledge. Possessing the ability to analyze investment opportunities, assess market conditions, foresee economic trends, and ask pertinent questions is invaluable. It not only unlocks opportunities others might overlook but also mitigates risks that others fail to perceive.

6. Maximizing Tax Efficiency

As your income grows, navigating the complexities of taxation becomes increasingly critical. Understanding the intricacies of tax filing and identifying eligible rebates are essential skills.

Millionaires recognize the significance of tax efficiency in their financial strategies. These tactics play a pivotal role in augmenting net worth by minimizing tax liabilities and optimizing returns. There exist various avenues to achieve this, tailored to specific investments.

Examples of Investment Tax Strategies

For instance, investors can establish and manage trusts, which are subject to distinct taxation rules compared to standard investment accounts.

Another approach involves leveraging funds from a cash-value life insurance policy, where premiums remain untaxed. As this concept pertains to multifamily real estate investing, individuals engaged in real estate transactions often utilize a 1031 exchange to defer capital gains taxes. This tax-saving tactic enables investors to reinvest profits from a like-kind real estate transaction into another property, thereby deferring their capital gains taxes to the subsequent deal. By keeping their money in motion instead of paying it to the government, investors can maximize their returns and continue building wealth.

7. Take Calculated Risks

Millionaires possess a profound understanding of the complexities surrounding risk in investment decisions. Instead of shying away, many strategically leverage risk, aligning with their risk appetite and objectives, whether focused on wealth accumulation or preservation. 

Risk tolerance generally evolves throughout an investor's growth in portfolio and net worth. Often external factors such as age, lifestyle, marital status, salary, and available opportunities also play a significant role in shaping risk tolerance.

The most successful individuals embrace these changes, enabling them to craft a resilient portfolio that withstands the test of time.

8. Embracing Long-Term Investments

Successful investing isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. Those who aim for long-term success understand that patient investing often leads to superior returns. As markets fluctuate between periods of opportunity and prosperity, exercising patience becomes paramount. Many of the world's wealthiest individuals have mastered the art of patience, transitioning from millionaires to billionaires over time.

Examples of Long-Term Investments

Multifamily real estate stands out as one of the most lucrative long-term investments. Real estate is unique in its ability to appreciate over time and serve as a hedge against inflation.

Another notable example is a diversified stock market portfolio. By resisting the temptation to sell during market downturns, investors often reap substantial rewards over the long haul.

9. Prioritizing the Signal, Not the Noise

For affluent individuals, maintaining a holistic perspective on personal finances is key. Rather than getting bogged down in minutiae, concentrate on achieving year-over-year growth in total net worth. Cultivating a habit of prioritizing tasks based on their impact level accelerates wealth accumulation more effectively.

Furthermore, entrusting detailed tasks to professionals in specialized fields allows for the delegation of work, freeing up valuable time for other pursuits. By focusing on the signal and delegating the noise, individuals can enhance their financial well-being while enjoying greater time freedom.

10. A Healthy Relationship With Money

The affluent see money as a versatile instrument, akin to how a pilot regards an airplane. They grasp that mastering its complexities can create stability in times of turbulence. They acknowledge that each day brings unique challenges and adversities, likened to headwinds in flight. Yet, with resilience and skill, they navigate through obstacles, ensuring a steady course and a smooth landing. By maintaining a healthy relationship with money, they empower themselves to achieve their financial goals while weathering any storms along the way.

Key Takeaway

To become a millionaire or grow your wealth significantly, adopting these habits is crucial for success. These practices are upheld by some of the wealthiest individuals in the world. While advice from millionaires often highlights these strategies, not many people have the discipline to follow them consistently. 



About Viking Capital:

Viking Capital is a multifamily boutique with nimble investment sourcing, structuring, execution, and asset management capabilities. With $800 million in assets acquired, more than $230 million in equity raised, and over 5,000 units under management, Viking Capital is your path to early retirement. You can download Viking Capital's free passive investing course here.

 

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any securities or to make or consider any investment or course of action.