Thoughts from a Millionaire Couple

Dave Ramsey shares the story of a millionaire couple. Here are the highlights:

Jeff and Dee of Atlanta have a net worth of $2.8 million. But they didn’t win the lottery. They became wealthy after decades of smart saving and sensible spending.

When he began working as a computer technician decades ago, Jeff’s salary was just $13,000. So when the opportunity came to work extra hours, he jumped at it. His workweek went from 40 hours to 80 hours—and his income doubled in the process.

These days, the couple saves upwards of 25-30% of their household income for retirement. How? They don’t hoard money, but they also don’t waste it. They still shop at Walmart and buy $20 shoes. They’re just normal folks.

"It’s probably been five or six years since we’ve been millionaires" Jeff says. "But again, it didn’t change our lifestyle or what we did or how we did it."

To them, being a millionaire isn’t about hoarding your money. It’s about securing your future. It’s about leaving a legacy for your kids and giving generously. And it’s about enjoying the rest of your life without worry.

A few thoughts here:

• They didn't have a high income -- at least at the start. It doesn't say how much they make now, but $13k a year wasn't much, even many decades ago. So they had to have kept their spending low to create as much gap as possible.
• He worked hard. Working 80 hours a week is amazing. The article says he spent at the 80-hour mark too and when his time went back to 40 hours a week, he was in trouble. So the path to wealth wasn't a straight line for them.
• Saving 25-30% of your income is pretty good. Looks like they do it by being frugal when they need/want to be.
• Nice net worth growth if they just became millionaires six years ago and now have $2.8 million. Something is working! Just another illustration that the first million is the hardest. 

Overall they are a lot like the millionaires we interview here at FMF and have applied the same millionaire principles to become wealthy.

If they can do it, so can you!

Comments

[Robert]

I have almost reached the millionaire status, one way I think I got there is by not ratcheting up my spending as my wealth has grown.

[Steven Goodwin]

Learning to live on less than you make and saving/investing/giving a portion will almost always lead to wealth building. The faster you can do it, the faster it will accumulate.

I love the lesson in this that with little steps you can make big progress. Ever since we started following the Dave Ramsey baby steps, we've been having tremendous success due to doing one thing at a time and focusing with intensity on finishing it. Making things a priority has really helped set us up for where we are today!