They say your first million is the hardest, and that was certainly true for me. These charts usually slope down and to the right, with each successive chunk of money coming faster and faster. Mine was a little bit bumpier. I’ll break each one down:

• 1: I graduated college at 22 and started my own internet company as I was finishing up school. I spent 12 years living on a salary of $36K or less. I drove used cars I paid for in cash and lived with roommates. At the age of 34 I sold my company for just over $5M. My share after taxes was about $2M. I had already saved/invested my way to about $100K on my salary, giving me a net worth of about $2.1M overnight.
• 2: My second million came in the same wire as my first million, so it took 0 seconds!
• 3: When I made my $2M, I dumped most of it into index funds, and some into the stock of the company that acquired my company. I was also working for the new company making a healthy salary and saving most of it. Between saving that salary, growth of the index funds and growth of the stock, my next million came quickly.
• 4-5: I used that company stock to buy my house around million 3, so millions 4 and 5 came from basically holding the same index funds and the appreciation of my home.

Is YOUR path going to look like this? Probably not. But I think pretty much every wealthy person can agree, the hardest part is at the beginning. Once your money starts making money (by investing) things go faster and easier.

As always, reminding you to build wealth by following the two PFC rules: 1.) Live below your means and 2.) Invest early and often.

-Jeremy