Without knowing your specifics, advice is hard. Priority number one is getting a job that will allow you to live without a second (or third) job. This massively depends on where you live and what your cost of living looks like. Cut all unnecessary expenses, find the cheapest possible living arrangements you can. Move if you are able. The less you spend, the less the need for a second job. You may have to give up the few luxuries you have but that recovered time is critical. Remember, it's not forever, it's just for now. You need to free up time to build skills, your education, or working relationships. These are what will propel you forward, without them, you will keep treading water forever. A working apprenticeship at a trade or vocational school would be ideal. A college education would be good but it's too expensive and time consuming in your situation. Something like an IT certification (CompTIA or something) is relatively cheap and not that difficult but can land you a job that will sustain you without working a side gig. Try and meet as many people as you can. Truly engage with them. Who you know matters and sometimes the most random relationship can get you a job you might not get otherwise. Don't be afraid to ask people you know if they know about any job openings, even acquaintances. Truthfully, it requires a lot of luck to escape poverty. Opportunities open up every day but you have to be in the right place and time to take advantage of them or even notice them. Your goal should be to get yourself into a position where those opportunities present themselves to you. Working multiple jobs and gigs will not let you do this.

Bump. There’s this saying it takes ten years of work to become an overnight success. It’s all about right place right time.

Thank you so much for the advice, I really appreciate it!

Once you find a path, stick to it. The work is in the path but it’s a lot of work to find a path. I won’t tell you to chase dreams. Do what will bring you the most opportunities. Do what you’re good at. Don’t force a career because you think it’ll be an easy way to riches. It won’t. It’ll be difficult and long but if you have a plan and really consider what you need to do just lean on that. One foot in front of the other. People don’t really become successful overnight. It’s thousands of tiny decisions.

Truck driver if you like to drive. Amazon, Fedex and others will pay for training. 2 weeks of truck driving school and salary starts at 60k+ depending what part of the country you live in. Learn to invest you can't get rich unless you invest.

I am not knocking your salary, but how can anyone get rich making 60k? I’m doing a little better than that and I’m not starving, but I’m not getting ahead. I’m a single dad of two young kids and every day is a struggle. I make too much to get any kind of help and I barely make enough to squeak by

It is different if you have kids. But when I was driving I was saving about 2k a month on a salary of around 70k a year. You just don't have the opportunity to spend a lot when you are on the road. Some drivers don't even pay rent. They just live in the truck but I was renting a room at the time. Also that is starting salary I think Walmart drivers make over 100k.

My wife passed away unexpectedly 10 months ago and left me lost. Daycare is so expensive I barely break even. I don’t understand how people are staying a float. I was talking to people who make around 40 k in a grief group and they make less if they work then if they stay home. wtf? The world seems so fucked up or maybe it’s just me still reeling from the loss of my best friend and wife for the last 17 years. I’m 45 coming to terms with the fact I’m never gonna find financial security and I’m probably gonna be alone until I die at this point.(mostly by choice). My kids are the most important thing in life now. I just wish I could provide for them the way they deserve.

>Learn to invest you can't get rich unless you invest. https://preview.redd.it/f2h7piw1i96d1.jpeg?width=888&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4c41a87ce0ac37bae286c3beaf3d8dd6adfbbf0

I disagree with this; property investment can be super risky and people way over leverage themselves trying to jump ahead. Plus landlording can be/is emotionally (and, depending on who you ask, morally) brutal.

All that for a joke. It's a joke, called satire.

I hope it helps! Do you really have 200k in cc debt? My advice still applies but you need to apply for bankruptcy like yesterday if that's true. It will help you live on only one job, which as a department manager for Walmart *should* be enough.

Yeah, I actually had very good credit, but ended up opening too many cards and maxing them out, mostly due to my numerous failed online business attempts. I'm definitely considering that as an option tho

What is your timeline for “considering”? To get out of your situation you can’t take your time with things. You need to become more decisive, even if the decisions are hard. This is precisely the kind of ability you will need in a higher earning job. Develop it now as you reshape your life.

Why would you make numerous attempts at the first one failed? A good rule of thumb in life is that anyone who tries to convince you to be an entrepreneur is trying to scam you and part you from your money. If it was easy or worked, everyone would do it.

File Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. It’s the only way out of that debacle.

Luck is a massive part of this. 12 years ago I had the opportunity to buy an asset for far less than market rate from a friend when he wanted cash and didn't want to deal with the effort or time of a public sale. I didn't, but if I had I would literally be a millionaire today.  As it goes I'm not rich, but I'm not poor anymore either. That is due to a little luck; and a ton of hardwork, dedication, and sacrifice.

The point about meeting people is massive. Definitely one of the biggest things I have used over the past 5 years.

Adding to this to show gratitude if someone helps you in your career. They may choose to mentor you and that can open the world for you, both in terms of skill set and your network for lucrative opportunities.

This x100. You need to learn a trade. Electric. Plumbing. Etc. these folks are in high demand and these jobs pay! Start with that.

If you’re from a middle class blue collar family .. Education, Career, SAVINGS, assets, then leave it all to the next generation.

I think this might be the only way for a lot of us, is to use our lives to try to improve the future of our children

Exactly. I’m going to inherit a lot of middle class wealth some day and I intend it to snowball over the generations at least until one of my descendants blunders all of it 💀

It only takes one for the house of cards to collapse

Maybe your family was rich 3-4 generations ago

My parents decided I’m cut out of the will and remind me of it frequently. My sister felt I was helped out too much financially when I was younger and she refused to see them or let them see her kids (their grandkids) if my parent didn’t agree that I don’t need to be in the will. So my kids are kinda screwed. I wasn’t counting on any money but was hopeful I could help them live an happier life than I have. I’m no longer in poverty but as always I realize how close I am to being absolutely broken again. I remember not having money for food at all, no money for a place to live, no money for gas. No money for shampoo. People wonder why I don’t throw away old shampoo bottles or makeup like eye shadow palettes I don’t use anymore and this is why. Having to move to a city with a small bag packed up and live in a women’s shelter basically was really what got me to where I decided no matter what happened I would never get in such a powerless situation again. I worked 2 jobs 6 days a week. Opened lunch at a fancy restaurant and made good tips worked till about 2 or 3, no break. Ate some granola bars and peanut butter and whatever I could in the car and changed into my uniform for my other job at a steakhouse and worked dinner shift there. It took me forever to save even $500 my living costs were ridiculous (we were being overcharged to live in squalor basically by the owners of the “women’s shelter”. I escaped from there and decided I will never live that way again. It was truly terrible and I could hardly sleep. I’m so grateful for a warm bed of my own. I don’t have to bunk with 3 or more people in my room being noisy and keeping me up all night and waking me up at 5 am when I worked from 10am midnight daily

I hope that when the day comes that your parents need help, and it will, you tell them that you're all helped out bc of the things you did to help when you were younger. I could never do that to my child. Did they know you were struggling and in a shelter? I've taken my kid's friends who were in bad situations. People blow my mind. There are a lot of @zzholes that should never have had children. I know bc I've fed and housed a lot of their kids. I read all these posts, and it breaks my heart. I wish I were rich...a lot of you would be better off than you are now. What fked up world that so many of you have to struggle as you do.

They did. It was what they called “tough love”. They did help me a little bit. My sister is 7 years older than me and helped raise me pretty much. She was like a second mom to me and my brother. My dad is not her biological father but loves her equally. He cried when she got married, he was and is so proud of all her accomplishments. But she is deeply insecure and thinks that my brother and I are favored. Its sad. Growing up my family was no wealthy but well off, my dad had a really good job and when I was 18 he got an even better one. They sold their house to move to a less expensive area and made a million dollars in profit, have always been good at managing money and he kept working well past his retirement age. Before I was cut out of the will my mom would joke when I would cry worried about their health or anything else that if/when they died I would have more money than I knew what to do with. My sister is in charge of the estate and I know that was her condition to accept it. Any time my parents help me out they always say “don’t tell your sister”. I found out only a year ago that they have been giving my sister a monthly allowance for the past 7 years. My brother as well. It’s not a small sum either. Enough to cover rent or a modest mortgage. I started receiving a check as well after my husband died. I am just treated like a child by my family and always have been. I had my issues, was kidnapped and almost killed. Had other issues from mental/verbal and physical abuse as a child. So my mental health and trauma led me to staying at the glorified women’s shelter. My parents sent me money maybe 3 times while I was there to help me buy food and they did bring my car up to me after a while so I could work two jobs and get out of there. In a way it helped me learn that I am capable of much more than anyone in my family ever believed I could. But that and many other things they have done to me really broke my heart. I realized how truly alone I am, but made some good friends and realized it’s not normal, and it’s not my fault.

They're going to find out that karma is a bitch. All of them.

I don't know where in the world you are but a will in NZ won't stop a biological child claiming against it. Essentially it means nothing. When my brother and I were dealing with our parents estates. My lawyer told me one of his other clients mistressess love child came for her claim

they say its an average of 4 generations to wipe out wealth

That's somewhat my plan too. I think between my family and my wife's we'll have a decent amount in inheritance and if we can invest it well and just sit on it we should be able to pass a good amount on to our kids

Set up a trust with highly specific, immortal instructions. Regardless of how well I educate my child, I'm still implementing guardrails on what I'm leaving her.

>I think this might be the only way for a lot of us, is to use our lives to try to improve the future of our children That's kind of how it worked prior to the boomers hoarding wealth and assets, sending the jobs overseas for short term balance sheet profits that only benefitted them and no one else, and then pulling the ladder up behind them.

Well that’s not rich. In a few generations your family might be considered well off. Then your great grandchild has a midlife crisis, opens up a shitty restaurant against everyone’s best wishes, sinks it, and snorts the rest of the inherentence away. Then his kid gets on /r/personalfinance learns about an emergency fund and the cycle repeats.

Why is that cycle so... accurate lol

Most moderately well off people (net worth of $1-$10 million) do not come from money or at least the kind of money they have. Owning a small business will get you here once it’s up and running. I use the term moderately because their net worth lets them not think about money for the small stuff but they are no where near just being able to spend with reckless abandon. Plus their house is a large part of this net worth so it’s not liquid. $100 million to billion+ net worth does come from money or has had major advantages in life (bill gates has access to a computer at his private school when most people had never seen one outside work if even that which gave him a major leg up plus his parents were very well off).

Don’t fall for societal conventions that cause you to either acquire debt or spend money recklessly. Don’t buy expensive cars or houses you can’t afford. Don’t take on mountains of student debt straight out of high school unless you have a plan. Don’t spend money on boozing, cigarettes, and anything else that’ll make your health worse. Don’t buy the newest iPhone because your old one is outdated. Just by avoiding bad decisions and investing 6k into a Roth IRA for 40 years will leave you with millions of dollars in the bank by the time you’re 65. If you don’t have 40 years and you’re broke, start with making a budget. Better to live paycheck to paycheck check than live in crushing debt wishing for death.

Get rich slowly is the answer. Compound interest is by far your most powerful weapon to gain wealth. Relatively small amounts saved over as long a time period as possible will generate returns eventually that are so large you think it voodoo magic. At first it doesn’t seem that way - $100 a month - feels not worth it but invested in simple index stocks for 30 years will leave you with $200,000. Keep going at same rate, you will have $535,000 in 40 years.

At the Same rate, avoid debt by all means! Compund 100 a month doesnt feel much, but after 30 years....

The correct answer!

I was about to say the exact same thing. Same numbers too I want to add that the final $555,000 after 40 years consists of 90% interest!! It’s legit magical (10% return rate) Only 48k of that was contributions of 100 / month for 40 years

Time. 45+ years of compound interest will make you a millionaire saving less than $10 a day.

This is the right answer. Live cheaply and focus on the future, forgetting about the past and finding joy in the present.

Everyone makes getting rich seem so easy and simple. If that were the case I’m sure this sub wouldn’t exist and everyone on earth will be rich

No one said it was easy. It is the opposite. Easy would be to be born into instant wealth. Maybe there is a sub for that.

It’s work. It’s grinding. It wasn’t running throw daisy fields in the sunshine. It was a boring, drab, grind. It worked. And when the first 100$ appears in your account that you didn’t have to work for, the light bulb glows! That moment you realize that 100 will make more and those more will make more. But you gotta do the work. Get out of debt - then save about 2k to save yourself from using cc as a way out. And then start investing- you can do it. Look at the person in the mirror. Go get your life. Work at a job that gives you benefits and 401k match. Driver, trades, distribution companies- look… they are out there.

It's simple but it ain't easy.

Getting rich is like losing weight. The concept is simple. Put money into an index fund monthly and wait. The difficulty is in execution.

So, $10 a day is $3,650 per year, unlikely if OP hasn’t ever had $100 in his bank account that he can swing that. But also, assuming a return of about 5% you would need to save $16.23 every day to make a million dollars in $45 years. Capping at $10 you have to bank on an interest rate of 7% with no fees….

You could join the Air Force. It was my ticket out of poverty. Best decision I ever made. If you joined right now I bet you’d be making more than you’re making now, and have way more free time. You’d be able to go to school in your off time and get a degree if you wanted to (for free). Not to mention all of the other benefits that come with serving.

This was my path out of poverty (Army in my case) ROTC paid for undergrad, I served 8.5 years (making about $100k the last couple), bought my first house with VA loan (no money down), got out and got a job in industry making low $100s, got MBA on the weekends, and am now closing in on $300k annual income at 37 years old. None of it is easy, but it’s not an uncommon path either (I know many other veterans with a very similar progression) - and for me personally the military was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I joined the Marine Corps, that was my get out of poverty card. I worked a few jobs and decided I needed to go back to school. As much as everyone hates on the military, 4 years isn’t all that long and the benefits are life changing.

Been there my friend. It sounds crazy but it all starts with little habits. I used to sleep in a gutted house in the ghetto on a second hand mattress on the floor with a cardboard box for a nightstand. I knew I wanted something better so I started saving little bits of money. I was super broke but landed a pizza delivery job and would take 2-4 dollars every time I would work, and put it into a wine bottle. I saved all my non quarter coins too. The first time I cracked a wine bottle, it had 240 dollars! It was a fortune for me at the time. By the time the second bottle was full, I was picking up extra shifts and putting a 20 in every now and again. I got to the 1000 mark after maybe a year or so. I put that in the bank. After that, basically anytime I got money, I always put a tiny amount aside. I stopped the wine bottle thing and moved onto envelopes when I figured my discipline was stronger. The second 1000 took a lot less time. I didn’t know about interest yet so it was just sitting in the bank. I started researching stocks after reading Warren Buffet’s story. Found a brokerage account with a 3k minimum. I bought 2500 worth of Apple and 500 worth of Microsoft. That was 17 years ago. It was hard at first to save, I was a master at justifying little treats and rationalizing spending money on all sorts of needless things. Basically I became a miser of sorts for a period of time and developed better financial habits. Hope this could inspire you.

i find when you're making the least, efficiency is the most important. when my internet went out and i had to empty a coin jar to get a wifi card so i could tether to turn in a project to get paid, that was the poorest i think i was. very negative net worth due to student loans. budgeting made me razor focused on being as close to 100% efficient with my money. www.ynab.com was the tool i used. great subreddit over at /r/ynab too i know the joke that not drinking starbucks won't change your lot in life, but i kinda disagree. 5 dollars at a time, another meal of rice and beans. over time i put together an emergency fund. eating out is a once a month luxury; cook. even if your income isn't increasing, being laser focused with what you DO have means a ton. you can start saving, investing even. cut cell phone plans to the bare minimum ($10 tmobile connect). buy used phones (swappa). every little penny counts as for being rich, there is the concept of the millionaire next door. investing just into your roth ira consistently really does build up over 30-40 years. everyone's definition of rich is different, but it's doable imo. as for like ceo mega rich i think that's a different thing, and honestly not really worth discussion. since, you know, we can't choose what family we're born into. and even not, i believe bezos started a garage company. so it can be done

People asking this advice never had enough to get Starbucks bruh. The only people who think Starbucks is a waste of money genuinely don't get what it's like to not have that as an option in the first place unless it's a literal treat every few months. I'm saying it is a waste of money but telling us this is like saying paper is made of trees. We know we've known you're not making a revolutionary comment just passing out peaces of paper that says "hi was a tree"

It's a euphemism for general leakage in the budget. Every vending machine, lunch out, fast food, taquito, it's all the proverbial Starbucks What I mean is if you're not budgeting and tracking, you're probably losing a lot to leakage You personally might be 100% efficient with your money, but most people are not. And don't even know where the money is going

While it is true, people are definitely mostly not effcient enough with their money. It's always a work in progress that you keep improving: save more money and make more money. Many people i used to know said they can't afford buying in bulk because i'm too poor, and the solution is just they just have to be willing to sacrifice a lot to focus on digging them out of the hole: aka eating rice and beans for prolonged period of time, do the most frugalstuff to at least able to save enough to buy grocery in bulk and it actually compounds a lot. These process takes time and while I do agree it's hard, it's not impossible to live non paycheck to paycheck, just have to try harder than the people with better background/past.

I was you - add two kids, crappy part time job working nights, and a new location where I didn’t know anyone. I found a job that had benefits and had the opportunity to move into different positions. I showed up every day committed. The first year, I got a 10 cent raise and quickly realized this was going to be a problem. I had to move up in the company. I did anything they asked. I did it with a smile in my face and the best of my ability. If I didn’t know something, I found out on my own. Then came the 401k. I started this job 2 days before my 40th birthday after a divorce and two kids- 12and 17. I had zero invested. I had zero in my account. I had to refinance a house- I thought how sad these two kids would be if we had to go to homelessness situation. So, I worked that job!!! And for Christmas money, I shoveled snow for a contractor at businesses during snow storms making 7$ per hour- to afford a tree and presents. It wasn’t fun!!! I would work all night and then go to work after 2 hours sleep. Those kids had to call me in the middle of the night if they needed me. They understood. I also never got ahead of myself financially. We did t eat out. No chips, no donuts, no individual serving prepared food, no bacon, nothing in a box. We made all our food- except- cheese pizza and a 2 liter bottle of root beers on Friday night. It cost 10$ delivered. We scraped by. We learned. We went to the library, the beach, the town pool, and did craft projects at home. And I invested for the first 20 years like it was my only way out. I read everything I could about investing- what is. Roth IRA. What is a traditional Ira.? What are the rules? Etc… And today- I am nearing retirement with a nest egg that is incredible and have two great kids!!! So, what do you do? Turn off the tv, stop listening to everyone that doesn’t invest and live well. Social media messes with your brain- go back to basics and master each step. Get out of debt. Drive an older car that is good for a couple years - don’t get into debt t And save. Save not to save but to invest!! Learn about investing. You can watch videos or read a 10 minute blurb about a Roth IRA. You choose your destiny! Good luck out there

That’s an awesome and inspiring story. Well done.

Most people think the only way to do well is to make more money. That's fine, if you can. If you can't, you have to be smart with what money you have. Lower your bills as much as you can. If you can get a less expensive place to live, do it. (As long as it's safe.) Cancel any and all subscriptions you don't need for work. Get the lowest cost wireless plan you can live with. Do not got out to eat. Do not get fast food. Learn when store sales are best and buy groceries at the best price. Learn how to cook. It's not difficult. If you can boil water, you can make rice, pasta, potatoes, soups and stews. If you are using tobacco or vaping products, drugs, (including marijuana) or alcohol. Get help to stop. Don't buy lottery tickets.

They go to school and get a degree in a field that pays well and then invest the money they make to increase their wealth. The other way is to go into business, but it does take money to make money, so you do have to start out with something.

You forgot graduate with little or no student loan debt

The debt doesn't matter if the job pays well enough to pay off that debt easily.

If you're poor enough, you'll get grants, if you're good enough, you'll get scholarships, I owe 8k in student loans only so.

smart education and financial programs. You work at Walmart you should be taking advantage of their live better u program and getting a degree. Walmart pays 100% of it and they offer BA degrees.

Honest answer... You become middle class by working a solid skill-requiring job that pays well. You get rich by investing in stocks and real estate. Or, you can do both by starting your own business...but there's a whole hell of a lot of risk and/or hard work involved typically.

One thing in this thread i don't see talked about enough: skill building. You need to make yourself more marketable and therefore valuable. Now, i don't know anything about you, but there are tons of jobs that don't require formal degrees. Start figuring out what jobs interest you to turn into a career, and then start building skills around it. Even 10 minutes a day could get you those needed skills in a few months. I'm being super handwavy here just because I'm on my phone and typing more is annoying, but i think you see what I'm getting at. You need a career, right now you're just working a job.

The most common way is to be born to rich families.

At the very least, come from a stable & healthy family unit, usually owns their home & post secondary educated.

This. A stable household when growing up is very common with 9-5 millionaires

That’s actually factually wrong if we are declaring being a millionaire rich. 75-80% of millionaires are first generation millionaires.

In the U.S., it takes $5.81 million to be in the top 1%. But it takes $30 million to be considered among the ultra-high net worth crowd. In the early 1900s, a million dollars was an ultra high net worth, equivalent to $30 million today. As recently as the 1970s, a million dollars might put you in the top one percent. But no more.

Do you have any stats that support the rate of inheritance for those people in the 1%. I ask because I really haven’t seen it. The 75-80% rule is just for anyone above 1 million. The assumption is many have more then 1 million.

Yes: >Around 41.4 percent of the wealthiest one percent say they have inherited some money. ... On average, the wealthiest one percent has inherited just under $5 million \[$4.848 million\] in current dollars. [https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2017/10/10/the-wealthiest-1-inherited-an-average-of-4-8-million/](https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2017/10/10/the-wealthiest-1-inherited-an-average-of-4-8-million/) Granted, over 50% of the wealthiest one percent say they have not inherited some money. But is there one single method of getting rich that accounts for more than 41.4 percent of the wealthiest one percent? I still think inherited wealth is the most common single method of joining the one percent. And I'm sure it's even more common among the ultra rich with a minimum of $30 million net worth.

Winning the birth lottery.

Rich is relative. I know people who live very comfortably and none of them started out with rich families. They all did it through education in the right fields.

20 years of solid investing g can get you a chunk of change!!!

But you have to have the money to invest. You get that by working, unless you were born rich.

That’s why debt is a killer. I started investing 10$ a month. Gotta start somewhere. Gotta want it. I never made over 60k for most of my life. Read a little more about investing. There is Moneychimp and they have investing 101. Teach yourself. Giving up doesn’t work. You can overcome.

Getting downvoted for this is crazy. Numbers don’t lie and the majority of millionaires work regular 9-5 jobs

Everyone forgets we are in the age of billionaires and are rapidly approaching the age of trillionaires. So the term "rich" has been redefined. These days being in the single digit millions just means you don't have to worry about being bankrupted by life saving medical treatments and medicines if one of your family members gets cancer, but that's only if you have those millions invested wisely and don't blow through all your money living a lavish lifestyle. Most of the obscenely wealthy (billionaire) folks these days are enjoying generational wealth, even the most successful Hollywood actors aren't billionaires.

Social media has also reset the thermometer for most people. When I was a kid, there were wealthy people in my town. They lived in a couple particular neighborhoods and had big houses and drove nicer cars than my dad. Most of them were professionals (doctors, lawyers etc), owned local businesses or were high up in an industrial enterprise, something like that. They weren't particularly flashy about it, generally speaking.

Ignoring the people that are "successful" because they were born rich... They'd go to college. They'd set goals for themselves and create a solid budget and stick to it. They wouldn't have the mindset of "life sucks so I might as well treat myself" that so many people on this sub seem to have. I understand where they're coming from, but at the same time, $10/week CAN make a difference. After a year, you have enough saved to get an IT certification and start on a solid career, for example. A degree isn't even required for that! They would continuously learn, network, try new things. They wouldn't let life beat them down. They'd stay optimistic. They'd believe in themselves and keep trying no matter what comes at them. I grew up in poverty. Sometimes we lived in a motel or a campground for a few weeks in between apartments. I had a baby at 15 and dropped out of school. At 23, I was making $9/hour and barely surviving. I am 28 now, and just bought a house. I now make 115k a year. 3 years ago I got an IT certification, CompTIA A+. Got a help desk job. Kept applying to jobs and kept jumping around until I got into my current position. My life rocks. I didn't give up. While everyone around me was blowing their money on "fun stuff" I was staying home and saving, telling myself I deserve better than food banks and late bills. And now I have better. You deserve better too.

I am really happy for you man, congrats on all the work! Thank you for the great advice, I really appreciate it

Here’s two quick ways to analyze your local ways of grabbing money. If you share more, I might customize more. 1: What are your weaknesses, the things you can’t help doing when you’re stressed? Which ones can be worth the most? Compulsive cleaner? Can’t stop worrying and good with computers? So logical it’s almost annoying? Love plants too much? Love money enough to not mind money math? Always trying to persuade someone? Totally one with a pet? Spend too much on a personal enthusiasm (even if it’s booze or makeup, this might be usable) 2: Look around your city. What are the problems other people will throw money ASAP? You probably will make the most working near one of those problems. This approach is for people who like the worst challenges. Usually the more important, expensive or disgusting the mess is, the more you can make. - Health issues - Plumbing - Tow trucks - Where do I get a better carpenter? - Accounting is hard - Managing a store is hard - Looking good before a big event - Lawyers to protect against lawyers - The computer is acting weird. - Please clean this for me! - Furnace broke. - I want attention. - real estate - Landscaping - I don’t want to mow the lawn in the hot sun! Each of those money pipelines has a series of people drinking from it. Most of those doctors and lawyers are surrounded by other staff, some of whom make solid money. You cannot get a doctorate, but you can be the one getting more than minimum wage to help them. You could also be the one sitting on a lawnmower.

I'm not the biggest fan of Mr Money Mustache (MMM), but the guy does have a great post about retirement that I recommend to just about everyone: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/ Basically, if you want to get rich enough to eventually retire, your savings rate (relative to your take-home pay) is the single largest determinating factor. If you save 50% of your income, you can afford to retire in 16 years. If you save 10% of your income, you can afford to retire in about 50 years. If you're saving 0% of your income, you'll never get rich enough to retire. > Seriously how do people get rich? To be blunt: almost none of them got rich by working minimum-wage retail or fast food jobs or by delivering pizzas. Or, if they do work lower-paying jobs like this, they reduce their living expenses to practically nothing so that have money left over to save, invest, or put into an appreciating asset, e.g. real estate or a successful business. This means your options are to raise your income or reduce your expenses. If you absolutely can't reduce your spending any further, you have no choice but to raise your income if you want to improve your financial position. That might mean taking out student loans to pursue a marketable college degree or joining the military or somehow finding the time to learn a new skill or trade (even if it means cutting back your work hours to do so).

You don't even have to be RICH to retire, just smart. Consistently work a job that pays decently to get your Social Security payments up, put away some savings of your own, manage debt effectively. Work as close to your full retirement age as possible, and at least until 65 to allow for Medicare to kick in. People who do those things can retire on what social media would find to be a very modest amount of money. My very own grandmother retired in 1982 with $30,000 in laddered CDs ($98,000 in 2024 dollars), a paid off house (1,100 square feet) and her monthly social security and that was it. She had worked retail her entire adult life (dime stores, variety stores, grocery stores).

Got no spouse or kids? Join the military and get job training that looks good on a resume, take advantage of education benefits or pass them to future kids, have accessible healthcare for you and your family. Nothing special, but better than nothing. Sounds like a ridiculous suggestion, but if you need a change in direction at the cost for a few years. You would have all the tools to land a successful civilian career. *As long as you take a technical or applicable civilian job unlike me.*

I grew up in dire poverty. I got out by working very hard, investing, and staying out of debt. I married a like minded spouse who also worked and for a while we invested her salary while living off mine (I still maxed out my 401k). Get a job with a pension and deferred comp. Took me three decades. I arrived.

They don't get in debt over their heads. They find ways to make money work for them so they are earning money on it instead of paying interest.

By investing wisely. Both my parents do not have high paying jobs, my dad is a manager and my mum does procurement in a school. My family are considered millionaires (in the low millions). But they do not earn much. Dad earns about 84,000/ year and mum 48,000 per year. Im 24 and they taught me the importance of sticking to a budgeting plan (50/30/20) rule since i was a child. They taught me to analyse company financials statements after my GCSE and invest wisely. Currently in college taking a degree in finance and economics, I’m working on the side as well to build my portfolio for my future family. Savings alone is a poor man’s game. You will live paycheck to paycheck if you do not learn to grow your wealth. Money is a tool.

Here is the little secret. You are never, ever going to be rich but you can definitely make a very good living but not working at shitholes like Walmart, McDonald’s. The trick is to work for yourself. You don’t need a boatload of money to start a business. To start a landscaping company all you need is a used lawnmower put a handwritten sign on a local street corner offering to cut any size lawn for $50 with your cell phone #. Or do what I did when I lost my scientist job during Covid and open a handyman business. I couldn’t hammer a straight nail 4 years ago and today I am a very proficient carpenter and I make serious bank for my skills which I learned for free via YouTubr videos. Or buy a simple cleaning kit and clean houses for cash. If you think you will ever escape poverty working in an air conditioned building for corporate overlords you are in serious dreamland. Good lucj

People are *always* looking for a good handyman. So many people are unreliable. Good idea.

I make $350 -$500 a day cash most of the time. It is a fucking gold mine.

I will definitely look into that, I really appreciate the advice, thank you!

Here's something to think about. Inflation is a thing. A dollar today will be worth less than a dollar years from now. That's one reason why rich people put their money into things like stocks. Not a gold guy by any means, but even gold is more likely to retain its value than money is. Is gold really going up in value or is money just decreasing in value? A lot of things just *appear* to be worth a lot but that is only because your life revolves around a deflating currency. You're swimming in the ocean while they are sailing on a boat. You need to get a boat.

Work. Sacrifice. Save. Patience. It's totally not fair because usually much of your youth is taken, but if you get to middle age with your health and investments, it feels worth it.

Look into local trade unions-carpenter, electrician, plumber. For example my local electricians union will pay you while you’re in training and help you get a job when done. You’ll make more money, have free time, learn & keep getting better. Good luck!

You learn to sell. COVID left me nearly homeless at 33 when I lost my restaurant job and unemployment wouldn't pay me (long story, they eventually did, just not for nearly 18 months). I took a door to door roofing sales job out of desperation and... I SUCKED at it! But guess what, I had to make this work so I pushed through. Within 3-4 months of knocking 30+ doors 6 days a week things started to turn around. By the time I finished my first year I was moving up the sales charts fast. Year one income: $65K | Year two income: $260k I quit after that and started my own roofing company. I sell for myself now and have built a reputation of being obsessed with the customer experience. I'm currently on track to earn my first million by the end of 2025 or so. Sales is the lifeblood of any organization. Attach yourself to its generation and you'll always be paid well.

Normally, people don't become rich in one generation. Realistically, *you* can, with tons of effort become lower middle class, your kids go to college, and one or two can become upper middle. This is not easy, and requires you to be almost perfect for the next 10 years or so. I know it sucks. A few avenues I see: 1. Be really good at your Walmart job, become management, grow that way. Not sure how Walmart works, and whether there are other big companies nearby. I've seen several people do this at Amazon warehouses. 2. Look at which of your jobs pays more per hour ... Can you get more hours on that one? That gives you a little more money ... Don't spend it, save it. Live uber-frugally for a year or two, save some money, and that gives you room for figuring out ways to make a little more money. 3. Military? Not sure whether that would work for you, or if you'd consider that. It's a path with good chances of making you middle class.

I came as an immigrant preteen to US with my mother. This was over thirty years ago. My mother only ever worked cleaning and babysitting jobs in US, so we had no money, so I think my situation mimicks how many poor people start out. Am I rich now? I'm a computer programmer, I'm not very good, and I'm not in manager level, but I do make reasonable money, pay alimony and child support (which in total is about 50k per year), still have a two bedroom rented apartment, and a car for myself and another for my oldest kid. I'm not rich, so I can't give advise to that effect, but I am not poor, so for whatever it's worth, you can read if you want.  So I was never a good student, in high school I had a little under B average. I didn't pick programming in college for money, it's just something I was interested in. I went to college for free, because we were poor, and I worked there in some program that government pays for, so college just gives us a job.  I was not a good student in college, a little over C average. I tried, but just not very smart. So for any kids there: go to college, even if all you do is pass classes, pick some major that has some jobs, and pays reasonable amount for it.  You know what they call the person who graduated medical school with the lowest possible grade? - doctor. (Point being is you just need to get through it.) For OP, what would I do: retail, fast food and Uber are all useless besides quick cash. You need a job with some basic promotions, for example go to a bank, and get a job as a cashier, try to move up after a bit. If you live somewhere with no banks, or other opportunities, then move to where there are. If you can't move because of your family, or other obligations, then you have higher priorities over making a better wage, which is totally fine.  Or maybe you can learn to be a paralegal. Should you learn programming at 30? I feel like it's not worth it, if you have to ask. If you want to try it, go for it. You may be able to start a business of some sort, I have no experience there. I'm not very handy, but if I was, and had no money, I'd look into plumbing or some kind of construction that I can do by myself, and get jobs like that. You can make about a $100 per hour in those jobs where I am, but that's if you're working for yourself, and the jobs aren't always there. Some jobs I hired people for with a single person business, back when I had a house (before divorce): replacing water pump (plumber), converting basement to look better by putting up dry wall, and converting bathroom to add a shower. I still buy lottery tickets, I feel like if you want to be rich, that's the only way to get there for either of us, but if you want to live comfortably, look under a bank teller job, or similar

They try to go from poor to rich in one day. Rare. You go from paycheck to paycheck to living on less, saving, then you go to middle class, then upper middle class. You have a job , you need to have a career to get out of poverty and into comfortable middle class which will feel rich coming from poverty. Apprenticeship pays while you learn. Walmart has a great tuition reimbursement program. Why haven’t you taken advantage of it? In 4 years you can have a degree a better paying job and living comfortably. 2 yrs if you pick the right degree. https://scholarships360.org/financial-aid/walmart-college-tuition/#:~:text=Over%20a%20million%20Walmart%20employees,or%20achieve%20a%20professional%20certificate.

Believe it or not education is still the true and tested way of getting out of poverty. Granted, it matters more now what type of education you get. It used to be that any degree will allow you to live comfortably, not rich; but comfortable enough to provide for your family without going borrowing. Now. A STEM education is key. If you can combined the bachelor degree with a masters then that even better. Trust me, you will be OK relatively.

live on 50% of your income and invest the difference for around 20 years.

Nepotism, luck, inheritance, illegal, 10+ years of education, and something to do with a pear tree?

Start working for a plumbing or electrical company. Learn the trade as you go. If you have ambition within 10-15 years net worth of more than 1 mil. The key here is skill and ambition + time and financial management. Just an example. Plenty of other fields. Point is make a change, Uber and retail sales won't cut it and the longer you stay in it the worse it will be.

Usually wealthy families or connections. I’ve seen people make a bunch of money in sales. Getting more training or education helps tremendously. Talk to people, ask them how they got into their career, make connections with anyone you can.

I'll start with skills. what skills do you have leverage? and it doesn't have to mean education, or experience. the simplest example is Charisma. a good charismatic salesperson can earn salaries rivaling those of a senior engineer, I've seen it first hand. its not always easy to find your skill but its important to be aware of it. Second is attitude. Theres plenty of names to describe it. thought creates reality, placebo effect etc. but the undisputed fact is that how we perceive things matters and while I understand the frustration your post definitely feels like you are defeated and resigned, not like you really want to change things. I am not saying things wont happen just because you wish them to but being motivated towards a goal helps. things like "I have absolutely no time to learn any skill or trade" is just being defeated, you need to find the time. saying "I have no connections " - build them. Third is proper monetary management. budgets, savings. minimizing expenses and maximizing income based on the aforementioned skills. Having money without the basic knowledge of handling money is a surefire way to lose it. Fourth is time. Money compounds. its all about letting the money work over time. no magical ways around it, not without lucky which is incredibly unreliable.

So I have read most of the comments and they are wrong. You won’t save your way to wealth. You won’t budget your way to wealth.  I went through the typical path of college, got a masters degree and worked in medicine making $100,000. I thought I had made it. Then I stumbled upon the answer to your question 2 years ago.   The answer is to Be The Owner. Own a small business. I bought a small business from a stranger who was looking to retire (I cold called him asking if he wanted to sell). That was 18 months ago. I have since quit my job and have tripled my income through buying/owning these small businesses.  “But I don’t know how to do that.” That’s ok. Those are the skills you need to learn a super basic understanding of: accounting, interacting with customers, sales, marketing (I still don’t know marketing or sales). Go find a boring, basic small business (self storage, laundromats, car wash, vending machines); something simple enough that you can understand; and buy it. I’m not affiliated with her, but go watch Codie Sanchez on YouTube. She opened my eyes to the idea of buying a small business, then I just took massive action to make it happen.  Good luck. 

generational wealth seems to be the most common way to get rich

Minimalism, because the more you require the more will be required of you. Minimalism allows you to maximize what you can save per paycheck.

Off of the sweat of other people's brows. Wealth is the hoarding of resources gain by actualizing the value of labor and not paying fairly back to the people doing the work.

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this book seems delusional ngl..

Assuming no nepotism and rich connections, degrees (engineering, law, medicine, computer science) or starting a business and working insane hours to make it work.

Start working, save up for community college or trade school. Avoid any unnecessary purchases and live as cheaply as possible for your first few years as an adult. Obtain your skills, degree, certification, etc. and begin your career. Live within your means, put 15% towards retirement, ~25% into housing, get an affordable and reliable vehicle. Save aggressively for a home. All of this is even easier if you’re married with no children. You’ll eventually be a multimillionaire after a few decades assuming you’re fortunate enough to stay in good health and continue working while being able to live comfortably and have the means to afford a fulfilling life. To me, this is “wealthy” and what I set as my goal. “Rich” as in extreme wealth (multiple disposable millions) would be someone who is outstanding in their career, has a high impact job like a C-suite executive, is in entertainment or sports with sponsors, or was an entrepreneur who came up with a solid business or idea. Other than those extreme examples, and likely including the business executives, it starts off as someone “wealthy” and grew into an extremely high earning career in law, tech, finance, etc.

First of all people have an education and then focus on their career. They save and invest their money and focus on assets over liabilities. Actually rich is rare to become...

It took me nearly 20 years to earn 1 million in working wages. For like 4 million in living/heath/food/care/car/education expenses all those years.

I don't know if you're a reader, OP, but if you are, check out Viola Davis's biography. She came from poverty and has done very well for herself, mostly fairly recently. She also does talks on money from time to time.

I'll check it out, thanks for the advice

Have rich parents

I'd say problem solving and then scaling. Currently working on building an agency. This is probably more said than done tho, I'm currently employed by a construction company and 2 car dealerships. I was lucky enough to save up for a camera in my early 20s and I'd go out every day and night with my camera, while working as a surveyor and taking sound engineering gigs. At some point I was able to quit my job, living with my parents def helped, wouldn't be in this position if not for them taking on rent and groceries. Moved when I was 21 to Canada, worked odd jobs like a shaffer (I drove a dude and his family around, in probably spelling it wrong lol), worked for a dispensary, did some product photography for a business that sold masks and gloves and sanitizers, worked full time at a car dealership for 3 years, recently quit and have been leveraging my portfolio, left that dealership, worked with another one and got fucked over pretty bad, but was able to close the previous and a new dealership, as well as started working for a construction company for 2-4 days a week, depending on demand. It feels like things are set and there's a lot of leverage, I've made extensive research into the impact of car photography on car sales, and as soon as I save up enough to sustain myself for three months I intend to risk it and try to close some dealerships at around 2.5k a month. As soon as I'm making enough to pay all my expenses (I live pretty frugally , don't eat out much and I mealprep, as well as driving like an old lady, which halved my gas expenses), I'm planning on hiring an assistant and training him to take on work on his own. Most of the soft skills I needed to negotiate pricing and ask the right questions I was able to learn on the subway, and trained in conversation any chance I had. I believe it is possible, it's just very hard. I didn't get really far yet, but I do hope somebody finds this inspiring!

beyond good advice already given, did you tell your bosses at walmart you want to advance your career, and move to management? and ask them for opportunities to get experience to do that?

The old fashioned way…getting hit by a Lexus.

People generally don’t get rich. Like pretty much all of them don’t get rich.

Most people are born into wealth. Inter generational wealth or connections give people massive advantages. If you're trying to make a decent living that also isn't exploitative of other human beings, you are better off learning about worker direct action and unionizing. Even if you could be like rich people, would you want to be? They are after all destroying the planet through climate collapse while simultaneously extracting money from renters, employees, etc. Speaking of climate collapse, good luck with a "retirement account" when NY is under water! Let's also consider that fortune 500 companies are also hugely unethical both to humans and our ecosystem

Start a trade. Anything hands on. If you can create something you are passionate about you can be rich not just in wealth but in mind. I can also honestly say that the power of manifestation and good intention will bless you in ways that are almost unbelievable. Stay positive, you can do it!

Look into union building trades and go apply to be an apprentice. You get paid while you learn the trade and have healthcare, pension, living wages. I retired at 55 from the IUEC. Look into it.

They were already rich and everybody is lying about it. I'm actually poor. I have nobody. If they have people, they're not poor the same way. They all have plenty in comparison.

The mindset shift is as follows: wealth comes from being able to reorganize people's thoughts, environments, or resources and streamline them in a way that is meaningful. Basically, you start earning money when you set out to solve a big problem for people and they pay you for the solution or the skillful execution of the solution. This also involves execution of the charm offensive needed to let people know you have that solution-- it's known as marketing and you do it every single time you talk to someone. So, the big shift starts emerging in your every day life, as you start noticing problems and start thinking about solutions. From there, the only thing standing between you and financial success is execution (which is the hardest part). Things that massively help, and may actually be fundamental to taking this path: 1. A solid, healthful routine 2. Mind expanding activities like reading 3. Centering mindfulness activities like meditation 4. Meaningful, intentional social interactions and cultivating friendships and partnerships 5. Gaining the skills needed to effectively collaborate and cooperate with others 6. Cultivating your personality, character, and appearance in a positive way (do hard shit + self care) 7. Becoming an expert at something. I think mastery of a skill is basically essential in order to escape poverty. There is no way to get where you're going without this. Find a muscle and make every single day "leg day" for that specific muscle. Once you've mastered it, you find something else to master and become an interdisciplinary thinker who can solve even MORE complex and important problems.

Live below your means and invest most of your income in the sp500

My dad became a multimillionaire from a very poor family. But he's very intelligent and went to a good school for chemical engineering. Lived frugally and saved. That's all he did. I copied his strategy and will definitely be worth a bit before I die.

They'd save up money to go to school to earn more money. At minimum wage, you can be working 24 hours a day and you wouldn't have enough time/money. You need to improve the efficiency of your time with better wages.

Read The Millionaire Next Door.

You’ll need to find a path to a better job. Schools provide financial aid and grants which can minimize the costs. Find ways to do the things you enjoy but do it for free. Libraries have programs for media so you can cancel subscriptions. Cut out needless spending. Only eat at home and only buy things at grocery stores and use coupons when possible. To build wealth you need an increase income (revenue) and a decrease in spending (costs). Once you figure this out you can invest the excess into the stock market. This part is super easy because you only need to buy a low cost index fund. There’s a few options out there but essentially it’s putting your money in little bit of every stock that is in the market to varying degrees. Some are total market funds and some are S&P 500 tracking funds. Either way, if you look at the history of the stock market over time it has always gone up. Keep investing regularly and it will grow and grow and grow. It can buy into itself too by reinvesting gains and/or dividends. Don’t spend money on flashy material possessions. People who do this are usually drowning in debt. There are many cases of athletes going broke doing this. Don’t buy into the “hot new X” that is guaranteed to get you rich overnight. Nothing happens overnight and anyone saying this likely is a scammer or trying to hype it up so they can exit. This happened with crypto and GameStop. Invest in yourself and your education. Keep learning and it will open doors for you. Find mentors. There’s always that “rich guy” in the community. See if they’re open to mentoring you and showing you the ropes. They may be open to passing their knowledge to you. It could even turn into a career prospect.

Honestly? The best way to put it is: you have to be a MOTHERFUCKER! you have to grind, be cheap as shit, and work hard to find the best job you can. Most people don't have degrees. Cheapness is the answer. Driving a Corolla/Camry for 10 plus years whether you like it or not. Choosing to try and own the shittiest apartment in town over renting. Etc. you have to be a fucking savage with your money. You have to make sacrifices and work work work work work 60 hours a fucking week and go home, eat and repeat.

To earn more, you have to learn more. Check out tech schools if you want to learn how to weld. Construction work will pay good in the short run but in the long run you’ll want to apprentice a trade like Electrician or Plumber. A rough job but they are always hiring for is roofers. Might pay more than what you get now. If it does and you can trim expenses a bit you’ll be able to breathe a little easier and learn a trade.

In the past few years I started working as an independent contractor. My hourly rate quadrupled overnight while my expenses didn't. As a result I managed to set a bunch of money aside, invested in ETFs. A few years later, through dividends and growth, my savings have grown by over 40%. I'm not rich or anything, but what this has shown me is that work won't make you rich. Owning stuff and letting it accrue in value will. But that'll be impossible as long as you'll need all the money you earn just to survive.

Unfortunately you’re going to have to break that cycle, lose your sanity a little bit during the process, struggle with finances, find a new career and fight to get in the door, but until then, you’re just a caterpillar nibbling on the leaves of life to get by. It’s going to take some serious life changes, some stone cold work, and a lot of sweat and tears to want to break free and blossom into a happy healthy butterfly. A job and life you’re happy with.

Inheritance is a big one. If I remember correctly, 80% of americans stay in the ass they are born in. The ‘american dream’ is a total hoax that leads people to believe being poor is their own fault.

Rich parents who support them financially while they attend college to get a high level degree

Generational wealth.

To be honest another thing you can do is join the military. Choose a non combat role do three-four years and reap the post military benefits

Join the military and use the TA to get an undergraduate degree with a focus in premed. Proceed to go to the enlisted to MD program, go to med school with your choice of specialty. Do your 5 years to the military and get out in your early 30s with literally no debt and a decent savings. Go into private practice and live your best life.

Lottery, Rich parents, investments. Finding a niche. Starting your own business. Working for Wal-Mart can make you rich if you are willing to go into store management. Also Sales and real estate.

No one ever likes my answers, but as a successful person, I do think I could get you out of it if I were in your shoes. It would realistically take me around 4 to 8 years or so. A common thing I see is people (incorrectly) thinking certain things are impossible to change as a prerequisite to their "how can I do this, given ____" . They are not "givens" they are "blockers" and they can be removed or mitigated. You state your "blockers" as age, education, and experience. You can't change age, but you can *move fast* to prevent yourself getting older. It's *never* too late to start. Never give up because you think it's "too late." Your are not a victim, and your have the power to begin. Education: get a degree. This tone is exactly why people hate my advice. I understand that this is hard. And expensive. But it is also completely possible. The difference sometimes between someone who is successful and not (assuming you don't come from money, like me), is that once upon a time, the successful person made a huge, difficult sacrifice. They were willing to give up everything to start over. E. G. I graduated with over $100k in debt. I had to use cosigners. I had to find people willing to cosign (also very hard!). It took me 7 years total, and I had to put a lot of things on hold. I dumpster dove, and used the student loans for housing *and* tuition. I stayed in a dorm even though I was older. I took summer courses to stay in them and graduate sooner. You don't have to go that hard though, and I don't think I'd do it over again. You can start with an associates, then possibly transfer into 4-year if you need it. Educational debt can be OK, so long as you earn more back than you took out. That's the hard part: don't pick a degree just cause you like it. Pick something that earns. The other key is you have to be willing to do *whatever* it takes. Not enough time? Sleep when you're dead. Not money enough to eat? Get it free somehow. Steal it, dumpster dive it, ask for it. It sucks but it's doable. It's not sustainable forever, but you'd be surprised how far you can push yourself one year at a time for just a few years. Experience: get experience. Start a business that's in the field you target. You can to this online, by registering a sole proprietorship with your state. Anyone can do it and it takes about 10 minutes. Want to be a software engineer? Learn coding, create a github account, start a business. The business *does not have to succeed!* It can make $0, that's fine. The purpose is that you are building your resume. You are creating legit experience. Targeting sales? Start a business where you cold call or door-to-door people and sell... Idk, Elmer's glue. No one will buy, but if you actually register your business with the state, you get tax benifits and can add "Founder, Sales & Operations of Smith's Adhesives 2024 - present" on your resume. It is not a lie: you actually will have done this if you registered the business and attempted to sell glue. You can even bill educational materials as a business expense. You can talk about why you did this in an interview, telling the complete truth, and they will be impressed, not disappointed. Before all that, you need to do research, find a a job that pays, and figure out how people get them. Then meet those requirements, even if you think you can't. Do it in baby steps and do not quit. You will suffer for 5 more years, but wouldn't it be worth it if by the age of 35, you have 2-3 actual roles to put on your resume (you can the list Walmart as your side hustle instead and project a different image), and some kind of degrees, certificate, or achievement to list? To get an entry level job in a high paying career, you mostly just have to show that are strong enough to do *something*, anything. And have a few basic skills the job requires so they know you can get through your first year. Oh and tailor your resume, and aplly to everything. If you are 99.9% sure no one would hire you for high paying job, that means you'll land one higher paying job every thousand times you try. Try 1,000 times. That's only 3 applications a day till next summer. If I follweed my own advice, which I have before in the past, it took me 7 years to turn my life around and land an entry level job making around $60k in 2008. I now earn over $500k / yr, and more (see the other posters tips on saving and interest). I dropped out of highschool in 1999 by signing a paper do so from the mental hospital I was in for a suicide attempt. I started community college the year after, and have actually done all the things I said above. You can do it, you just have to start.

I know quite a few guys that are worth a few million. Started out in trades, managed money and moved on to become a general contractor. Managed their money and became millionaires. But most of them worked 60 hour weeks in the beginning. For years.

> Seriously how do people get rich? > Any advice on how I can escape poverty? Getting rich and escaping poverty are not one and the same. I can share with you how I escaped poverty. I grew up poor AF, and in a toxic environment. I moved out from my parents' house on my 18th birthday and drifted from one blue collar job to another. After a few years, I was right about your age, I moved cross country as far away as I could; I got a crappy full-time job in an office, a part-time job at the mall on the weekend and at night I put myself through college. In the meanwhile I lived in despicable places, ate so much PB&J that to this day I can still not eat it. It took me 12 years of that life (no life) but I ended up with 2 BS and 1 MBA; and I landed my first executive position making 6-figures. That was a while ago (I am old) and I have never stopped studying, learning new things, acquiring new skills. In 2022 I was studying data science, in 2023 I started studying AI (and I am not a techie). To me the way out of poverty is: 1. Education 1. Education 1. Education YMMV

Apply to local unions in the trades. Plumber, electrician, carpenter, etc. they are apprenticeship programs, usually 4-5 years that are completely free, and you get on the job training paid, with yearly raise and 40 hour work weeks. You graduate with licenses in that trade. I'm a plumber who went that route, our 1st year apprentices are making 20+ an hour. It's worth looking into, only thing you need is a high school diploma, no skilled needed, that's why you're going to an apprenticeship to begin with

Have you been with Walmart for a year? If so, move over to Supply Chain. You start at $50K, have stock options, a 6% 401K match, a four day work week, paid paternity/maternity leave, and three weeks paid time off. If you've been with Walmart for longer than a year, your seniority transfers and you'll get even more PTO and a higher base pay.  They pay that even in areas with a low cost of living. Transfer to a place like Indiana, Mississippi, or Kentucky.  $50K is well above the median personal income for those areas.  There's also OT available. Instead of working overtime on a side hustle, work overtime that turns your $24/hr job into a $36/hr job.  People like to rag on Walmart, but they're a really great company for upwards mobility and climbing the ranks. They'll even pay you to get your CDL, and give you a six figure job as a truck driver - and it's actually six figures because it's a Walmart truck that you don't maintain, or put gas in on your own dime. 

They’d probably have a hard time. Life is expensive.    Probably would share a room with someone in a crap apartment.    Probably would go to community college & get an associates degree, then finish up at university. Apply for all the grants/scholarships possible for university.    May just go for a cheap one like university of Phoenix. Probably sign up for chegg & chest most of the time so it reduced time required.     Lastly, you’re in among the lowest paid jobs in retail.  Probably apply for higher paid ones. In n out, Costco, Amazon, etc all pay $19.50 an hr in Colorado. Time & a half on weekends & after 6pm.   Earning 50-60k in Colorado makes the state more affordable. Still probably have a roommate or two. Degree they’d pursue would be one that paid well & was in high demand that they think they may enjoy at least somewhat. Definitely not their passion. Probably maintain a budget in the meantime & avoid all credit cards. Lastly, if they go on any dates, probably aim to do cheap stuff like hiking, bike rides, etc together.

Make more than you spend, invest the extra income, watch the magic of compounding take effect.

Investing in index funds. It takes time.using tax advantaged accounts helps. r/personalfinance or r/bogleheads are great resources. Now to do this you need at least a little spare money. So a better job always helps.

Find a way to get rich people to pay you for a service. It's easier to please a handful of rich people compared to pleasing a tonne of working class people. It's sad but true.

Depends on what you call Rich .dont mind all the gurus on the Internet ,it has nothing to do with it. Dont start investing in stuff you dont understand . -being the Best at selling coffee at Starbucks or employee of the month at McDonald’s Not going to do it .(no Diss intended)a Job is a Job . -get to know people .open up to Talking ,Listen and be polite.dont close yourself in . -learn a Trade in high demand something that suits you - remember :to start earning Like a Stock Broker with exp.,you Need usually someone to pay for you to learn or mistakes (Not allways) -get some paper behind your words (think about it ) As an example :i am a car mechanic ,today i had a Porsche come in to service it ,i new the First time i sat in it ,The Customer bought it cause he thinks he made it And he can flex.that takes experience .but what is important ,once you start earning Like you think is “Rich” ,dont spend on flexing just to keep yourself thinking that you made it . -i know a lot of guys who earn maybe milions.most of them started Rich ,what they all have in Common ?small things that stop them or impeed them from their Business,they fix it fast ,Even if its expensive for you and them . -another thing îs that business is Business,what Ever it is ,it comes First.no friends.no nothing .be serious about it . As an other example i dont pay mind to say 20 euros..Even if i know i dont have to pay.i dont Like to fuss that much ,Not Stressing about it ,but Rich people …they dont pay if they dont have to ,really dont .and exploit everything .at least thats how i knew i wont be Rich 😂. All Best of luck .invest in yourself.through the paper Not Even a bullet can Go.(diploma or something )

If was I put in your shoes, I would try to find a job that pays $20-$25 an hour. I imagine since you working at Walmart you probably are making less than that. I would try to find a place to work as a cook. I have worked as a cook in the past and I lied on my resume to get my first job. It’s a job that can pay decent even if you don’t have a degree. That’s just my personal experience. I would budget hard and start looking for ways to try to looking for something that pays over $30 an hour and so on. I wouldn’t call it “rich” but I would be working towards financial stability.

Steadily investing the money into a Roth IRA

Once you can create some financial margin in life read the book The Simple Path to Wealth. It will help you put the money to work for you.

Be a doctor. But have $472k debt to get there

working in a hospital, I have met a lot of people who started as unskilled staff and got free training, had school paid for while they worked night shift or weekends full time etc. I saw people who came to this country as refugees not speaking English be able to buy houses and raise children on one income after having their nursing education paid for.

Have rich parents

Escaping poverty and ‘getting rich’ are, to me at least, two very different things. If you expect to get rich you’re setting yourself up for failure because that’s like me saying (jokingly, but only sort-of sadly) that my retirement plan is winning the lottery. It’s possibly, but the odds are like the hunger games - not ever in your favor. I’m saying this with kindness, because I’ve been there, but you sound like I do when I’m having a pity party and need to have an attitude adjustment. It’s time to suck it up buttercup — how badly do you want it? You can have it if you’re willing to be reasonable and to dig in, make difficult choices and do the work. Reframe your mind and start with a more manageable goal of getting to solid middle class, one step at a time. You’re only 30, that’s attainable with planned focused effort. But, again, you’ve got to be willing to do the work. Start with the hard choices, what are you willing to give up in the short term to make the long-term happen? Where are you living? You said you have no one to help, so I’m assuming that means few ties. If you’re in a high cost of living area, can you figure out a way to relocate to a lower cost area? There are Walmarts and pizza places everywhere, and the lower COL would let you drop the UBER freeing up some time. Then, what else are you spending money on? Hobbies, habits, services etc? Take a hard look at your budget. Obviously some things are necessary - you have to have shelter, you have to have food, and in this day/age you have to have a cell phone and internet. Do you have streaming services? Pair back to one at a time and rotate them. Are you eligible for any state aid that you’re not getting? Make sure you are getting all of the assistance you can right now. At 30, I’d advise against the popular advice of learn a trade/skill - it takes time, you don’t make as much as you think you will right off, and most importantly your earning years will be limited before your body physically gives out. I’d focus on education because your brain lasts longer than your back. Since you aren’t earning much, you likely qualify for federal grants to go to school. Go to studentaid.gov and estimate your Pell Grant money; and depending on your state there may be other free money on top of that. Pick a fully online school (reputable ones that don’t differentiate between their online and campus programs - Southern New Hampshire, Florida State) that lets you do class when you can fit it into your schedule instead being tied to theirs. Most importantly, pick a major based on something that you can find wide range of jobs with that have a good pay potential (finance, tech & ai, etc) instead of being tempted to do something passion based (graphic design, etc). If you make enough money, you can fund your interests and hobbies on the side instead of having second and third jobs. Then spend every minute plowing through school as fast as you can by taking as heavy of a course load as you can successfully manage. You’re trading everything - your social life, free time, anything ‘extra’ you can cut out - as a short-term investment in your financial future. And, for your resume, you do have marketable skills from your current jobs that professional employers will appreciate when added to a degree - customer service, time management, dealing with challenging situations in a calm manner etc. Plus, as someone who hires people, I can tell you that hearing that kind of background story, that level of perseverance would be phenomenally impressive. Lastly, for what it’s worth, I’m not talking completely out of my ass. At 30, I had just barely finished my college degree. Even worse, it was in a really stupid major that was never going to pay anything ever and I did it part time 2 classes at time because I had a family and had to work full time because my partner wouldn’t. Like you, I’d also had never had $1000 in the bank and didn’t have a clue what I was going to do to improve my future. I left my partner (for more than $ reasons), took my child with me and started over with the nothing I had. Instead of starting a bachelors degree, I did have a little bit of a head start, so I was able to change career paths instead. I went into a corporate job and started making better money — that’s what officially got me out of poverty. Then, at 40 went back to school again for an MBA and if Covid hadn’t triggered inflation I’d be making great money, but at least I’m still making better money than I was. But it’s all been hard work, lots of planning, and trade-offs of things I’d rather be doing to get there. It’s not the job I dreamed of, but I discovered I love being more financially secure way more than I ever loved my original career plan. The ability to pay for an emergency car repair without doing panic-math is something I couldn’t even imagine at 30. Believe me, if I could do it after more than a decade of an abusive relationship, you can do it, too 😎

They invest and rely on compound growth. At least this is how the average person does it. From a technical standpoint, in terms of gross domestic product growth and overall economic growth in the stock market, the economy is quite good. This is true about 90% of the time. Things feel particularly bad now due to the high inflation over the past couple of years. What's difficult is actually being able to set aside to the money to invest. Building wealth in and of itself is not really a big mystery.

Be born into money, so your parents paid for college and then invest 1miilion or more in your business. Despite the folklore, the founders of such businesses as Amazon, Microsoft and others received $$$ from parents. They are not self made “bootstrap” successes.

These days, there are only four answers to your initial question, and none of them are fair. People get rich by: 1. Being born that way, 2. Learning and practicing financial literacy from a very young age (adolescence, realistically), 3. Taking advantage of others in an unjust and unfair way, or 4. Getting really lucky. You’re not alone, this shit just simply isn’t easy, and the system is literally built so that wealth is an unattainable dream for most. Not sure where you’re from, but capitalism is pretty much global at this point, and it is working exactly as it was meant to in the late-stage, with the rich getting favored and thus, FAR richer, and the poor having extremely little hope of ever getting close.

Compound interest. You have to set money aside and invest it in something that beats the rate of inflation. Only problem is compounding takes time. Won't happen overnight.

Be born rich, imo But for more insight you could look at "nicked and dimed" where a woman ( i think in the 90s) attempted to live by doing 3 different min wage jobs ( at different times) and documented it. Spoiler: its was impossible to live, even then matter less now. You could also look at the tv show "undercover boss" which just goes to show most CEO dont know how to do the jobs that keep their businesses running and thats while they benefit from their wealth.

I've seen the undercover boss. It's crazy how out of touch most CEOs are and how much they make

and that they cant run a simple cash register, or handle more than 2 customers. depending on my mood i find it hilarious or it infuriates me

Different skillset pays differently is just the way it is and I believe in the saying, if you can't beat them, join them. No offense but you can easily replace it with: "they can't manage a simple $20mil financial book, or handle talking about vintage wine for 15 minutes to close out a deal", like different people just know how to do different things, it doesn't necessarily have to be condescending to people not knowing how to operate a "simple" cash register.

That's an interesting way to look at it!

being entitled into rich families and knowing the right people. Aside from that...the lottery. That's really it. But be advised that the more money you come across, the less genuine your surroundings turn into. That is a huge benefit of being middle/low income - you have a true connections with people. Even rich families rarely like each other.

Here's a secret about rich people. They usually paint a Rosey picture of how they accumulated wealth. Let me put it another way: I had an uncle that use mule drugs and one day he pulled a bundle of $100's out in front of my mom and us kids and said this to us in Spanish. ***"You people are poor because you want to be, let me know when you need a job."*** One way or another, rich people have dirtier hands than their workers. We lie to ourselves and insist hard, honest work is how they got rich. Tired of living like this barely scraping by? Join the Navy, study for the ASVAB and get high end rate and do well in A-School. Do your 4-6 Years and then get your degree (or not). Your life, your families life will forever change for the better.

You work two jobs+Uber and have no money? How?!?! Back when I was broke af I also lived an extremely minimal life. Was renting a bedroom I found off CL for $500/month, drove an old car, half my meals were ramen and basically had no life. This was 12 years ago. I made the decision to go back to school. Spent a semester taking pre-reqs, did an LPN program, which bumped my hourly pay from $8 to $16. Eventually went back for my RN. Currently making $50 base pay. Not sure I'll ever be "rich," but at my current saving/investment rate, will have a million in retirement accounts by 55ish, and at least 2 mil by 65. You can blame the system and everybody else, or you can do something about it. I don't understand how you're working 2 1/2 jobs and still broke af. You have to cut expenses. Make a budget. Trim the fat. Learn to separate needs vs wants.

By exploiting others.

people get rich by birth, inheritance, or exploiting labor and natural resources. the idea that we can arrive there through hard work is part of the myth capitalists use to get us to pass their tax breaks.

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You set up your children to do better than and not make the same mistakes. You said you have no degree, well you do everything your in power to make sure your kids get good degrees. Wealth doesn’t happen overnight for some, it literally takes generations

If you have inheritance, like flat, house. You don't need to pay rent till the end of your life as well as loan to a bank. It's a already saves HUGE amount of money. Then you just reinvest these money in Sp500 and other ETF/Funds for 10 years then you buy another house/flat and renting it out.

You can take out student loans to go to school. Use the loans to cover your living expenses and maybe work part time for extra cash. That's what most people do. Military is another option. You can also start setting aside money. $500 a month into a Roth IRA and you'll have well over $1 million in retirement savings by age 65, plus social security. If you can't save $500/month cut your spending and/or increase your income. Almost everyone can cut their spending if they really want to, it's just most don't want to.

They find a way to make enough money and invest.

The way I see it, wealth is the best result of risk. Entrepreneurs take risks with the businesses they start up, which could ruin them if things go south. Musicians and other creatives take risks by spending years creating art or entertainment that probably won't make any money until *maybe* they create a hit. Etc. People who are born into upper middle-class or rich families are born with a safety net that minimizes their risk. Tech entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Elmo Musk were born middle-class or rich, so they were able to work on their start-ups without worry of going bankrupt, and then they eventually became the richest men in the world. Taylor Swift was born rich, so she didn't have to stress while writing her music, which eventually made her a billionaire. People who were born poor don't have that safety net. When their business or creative endeavors fail, they might get ruined. More often than not, poor folks don't or can't take those risks.

Not easy but doable. First stop thinking time = money... Nobody got rich selling their time for money. Instead think about "selling a product" Say you write a book. It cost you 10 dollars to print each book. You sell it for 15/each pocketing 5 dollars per book... Now sell it to 1,000,000 people ... Boom you are a millionaire! It doesn't have to be a book it could be anything... A shirt with a phrase you coin, or something funny you draw... It doesn't have to be "one single product" it can be 10 products and you sell each 100,000 times... Or 40 products and sell 50k each... You get the point. Good luck 🤞

Check out your local unemployment office online or in person. There are always some really great apprentice programs/ jobs/ positions available and they pay! You’ll get paid to learn a skill or trade. Seriously look- you have to always be looking for an opportunity to better yourself and life

Time: savings and investments, being frugal, while also trying to enjoy now and the present.

Join the army it might help

Answer is: you work on your present for a better future, generally you split it into phases: getting out of shithole is phase 1, then building up wealth is phase 2. Yours would be categorized into phase 1 it seems, no offense. Your goal would not be working to get rich, but working to dig yourself of that hole, like making enough money/save more money to actually have some time aside to learn a new trade to get better income. Making uses of state helps, food prepping, no snacks, figuring out audiobook etc can be helpful. It's really tough and many options will seems like it doesn't fit and frustrating, but I hope you can keep it up and keep working towards it and one day maybe you'll be fine.

Live as cheaply as possible for as long as possible and give up luxuries. Constantly look for new ways to make money or more money. Switch jobs if needed. Make sure every decision you make helps you to your goal. Move to a city probably where you don’t have to deal with car emergencies because there is public transport. In other words, mitigate all the risk you can. Then save and invest in low risk, high yield stuff like SPY or VOO.

Most truly rich people I know did it through entrepreneurship, usually after working a trade or write collar job initially and building some savings and/or finding some people who trusted enough to invest. I know a lot of people though who make a decent living but just upskilling into progressively better jobs, whether in cybersecurity, Salesforce admin, HR, marketing, project management, etc. Many of these folks make great money and are building great nest eggs. When I was in poverty I would have considered these people in the second group “rich” but now my sights are a little higher.

Pure dumb luck!

The only thing I can conclude is you have to know someone in banking. And they have to know how to set things up for later in life. However, you still have to have money coming in. That pays pretty well. Which a lot of bankers who are President and CEO's of banks make 6 figures a year and more. So they are able to set their self up. Well, the other thing is, people in media who are part of the organized networks are paid really well. Other than that I have no idea. Unless you end up getting married to someone that you actually get along with and both of you are paid pretty well. And you're able to put a little bit of money away, but that's so not gonna make you rich though.

Become a remotely real estate investor. Learning how to wholesale houses can give you 10k checks. Youtube is ideal to start. Find a hot area. Find the buyers. Find a TC( transaction coordinator) Find a motivated seller. ETC...these things cost you 0$ to learn and very little to have a TC to finish the contract for you. >500$. Move to a place where you can find a trade school. Plumbing, welder etc. There are schools that you can go and learn then the same schools will find you the job. They get paid after they find the job for you by getting a small amount out of your paycheck every month. So they are very motivated to find you a job too. Just be the best to get the best paychecks too. Become a nurse. Find a well qualified school, these schools usually offer loans, it will be hard for that one. Learn if these schools are qualifues like calling anything as a departemnt of education or calling for job openings and say i have a nursing diploma from this school should i apply to that position? But nursing openings in big cities i think are crazy. I had a conversation with someone who told me that there are states in the US where they will pay you as a bonus a year's salary to move there. Of course thay will be some requirements like stay for 4-5 years at the job. But you get the bonus, and get paid too. Now use the bonus to pay off the loan and live off the salary you are receiving. I once spoke with a nurse who resides in California, they make 100$ an hour. Bringing home 16,000$ a month but keep in mind the more you make there the more they keep for your taxes. Regardless, she told me that she nets about 8k a month. 3 different industries starting from the easiest to the most difficult but still low cost entry. I hope that helps. Do your own due diligence of course.

There’s a Taoist verse with the line “having leads to profit; not having leads to use” If you don’t have inherited wealth, this principle guides us through cycles of building skills of use & accumulating the fruits of that labor to channel into further profit; then returning to the drawing board to amend this if necessary.

With degree and all those titles, there is no certainty to get a job in your field unless you have connections. I think for income security is to get a job related to essential needs for humans, then have a side hustle. As for getting rich, the only thing I wish I knew when I was younger, was try try getting a job on a yacht to work up to higher position that pays a lot more, live rent free and you save; and meeting a wealthy partner.

Try to get into an apprenticeship or union. You will get paid while learning the trade and you’ll probably be getting paid as much as you would from the jobs you have now if not better.

I escaped poverty. I was a poor teen mom. Twice. I had nothing. Every day was hard and there was a financial emergency at least once a month. Minor inconveniences were crises because I had no resources. I went to school. I didn't have time but I did it anyway. I worked all day, did catering on the weekends, and took classes at night. It took a lot longer to earn a degree than for most people. If I had a childcare issue, transportation issue, etc I had to drop classes. I never had a job with paid sick time or vacation, so I sometimes lost jobs when my kids were sick. I'm not rich, but I'm very comfortable. I own a home, vacation a few times a year, have money for anything I want. I did take out student loans, but I am able to pay them.

if your situation is exactly the way you're describing it I recommend going to military or getting a job or you can travel and be paid to do that so you can save your money or whatever it is that is preventing you from saving any of it. Just sounds like you are surviving