How Do You Make A Million Dollars?
A million dollars just isn’t what it used to be. Thanks to inflation, there are more millionaires today than ever before. Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that there were 7.5 million millionaires in the world in 2004 — a record number. At the end of 1999 there were 2.8 million Americans with $1 million in investable assets (meaning the value of their homes is not included among those assets). These are high-net-worth individuals (HNWI). About 2.5 million people had $1 to $5 million of investable assets; 200,000 had $5 million to $10 million, and the rest had more than $10 million. That’s not counting the number of people in this country who have a million-dollar net worth if you include their principle residence. Before we get into becoming a millionaire, let’s define the target. What makes someone a millionaire? Is it having a million dollars in the bank? Sure, unless they also owe a million. Is someone who owns a house that’s worth a million dollars a millionaire? Not if
