Six Reasons High Earners Fail to Get Rich

It seems logical that the more money you earn, the more money you would manage to accumulate over a lifetime. Starting with a decent tailwind on the income side must surely lead to a easier time scrapping your way to multimillions, right?

In fact, there are often hidden headwinds that can affect a high earner more than someone with a more modestly paid “regular job.”

Some of these obstacles get in the way of just stacking the benjamins far and wide. Here are six things that can torpedo your quest for getting rich.

Six Reasons High Earners Fail to Get Rich

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A $300,000 or even a $500,000 salary may sound punchy, but in reality, it’s far from being an obscene amount of money that will make you rich.

#1: You Aren’t Making THAT Much Money

Another great way to sabotage your financial future is spending like you are making $300,000 (or more) BEFORE you get there. It’s an easy trap to fall into, especially as you watch your more senior colleagues rake it in.

#2: You Spend Before You Make

Here in London, I do know some couples where both husband and wife hold down high-earning jobs as lawyers, bankers, or private equity professionals. Usually, that means outsourcing pretty much all household and childcare chores.

#3: Your Spouse Doesn’t Work

Most people, however, decide that one of the spouses will take a step back professionally to allow the other one to pull those 80+ hour weeks with a highly unpredictable schedule. But make no mistake, it’s a decision that bites hard financially.

In many industries, the way to ascend the career ladder is to move around geographically. But most importantly, moving around may preclude your ability to build home equity.

#4: You Keep Moving Around

You either end up renting for big chunks of your life, or you end up selling and buying houses so often that transaction costs decimate any equity you’ve built up. In other words, tread carefully.

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