What do the 1% invest in?
On the face of it, the lifestyles of the rich and famous might as well be a million miles (or, er, dollars) away. But here's the thing: the 1%ers tend to invest much the same way as you might – in plain old stocks and bonds. Some might just be good at picking more (or bigger) winners, and some might even get lucky.
Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab , said stocks represent a growing share of the assets of the top 1%. Stocks accounted for 37.8% of the overall share of household assets for the top 1% at the end of 2023, up from a recent low of 36.5%.
| Rank | Asset | Average Proportion of Total Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primary and Secondary Homes | 32% |
| 2 | Equities | 18% |
| 3 | Commercial Property | 14% |
| 4 | Bonds | 12% |
Two decades ago—in the wake of the dot-com bust—the wealthiest 1% held 40% of the wealth in public markets; today, their share is 54%.
But being counted among the highest net worth individuals can be much "easier" in some countries than it is in others. To belong to the 1% in America, your net worth would have to be about $5.8 million or higher, according to the new Wealth Report from real estate company Knight Frank.
This effectively means the top 1% are those with more than $10 million (~25m) and the top 0.1% are those with roughly $1 billion. There are estimated to be a little over 8 million households in the US with a net worth of $3 million or more. I very much doubt that any of them have that amount in savings.
The 95th percentile, with a net worth of $3.2 million, is considered wealthy, facilitating estate planning and possibly owning multiple homes. The top 1%, or the 99th percentile, has a net worth of $16.7 million and represents the very wealthy, who enjoy considerable financial freedom and luxury.
What makes up Musk's net worth. Musk lacks significant tranches of cash; his money is largely tied up in ownership stakes of his companies. To buy Twitter in 2022, he leveraged his large share in Tesla and solicited investors, rather than relying on liquid sums.
Billionaire investors are aggressively buying both Chevron and Altria Group stock. It can be very profitable to track what billionaire investors are buying. After all, these investors typically became billionaires by amassing a long track record of savvy investing.
Cash equivalents are financial instruments that are almost as liquid as cash and are popular investments for millionaires. Examples of cash equivalents are money market mutual funds, certificates of deposit, commercial paper and Treasury bills. Some millionaires keep their cash in Treasury bills.
What would it be worth if you invested $1000 in Netflix stock ten years ago?
So, if you had invested in Netflix ten years ago, you're likely feeling pretty good about your investment today. A $1000 investment made in March 2014 would be worth $9,728.72, or a gain of 872.87%, as of March 4, 2024, according to our calculations. This return excludes dividends but includes price appreciation.
"Billionaire CEOs like [Jeff] Bezos, [Mark] Zuckerberg, Jamie Dimon, and the Walton family are selling off massive amounts of their own stocks, and analysts think the CEOS may be bracing for an economic downturn," he said, adding, “An overheated stock market continues to climb to new heights as investors feed that ...
He is not the only billionaire who has sold stocks and opted to accumulate cash. In mid-2023, news began to spread about the world's super-rich reducing their ownership of shares in public companies. The reason behind this move is to secure their wealth amidst rising interest rates and economic uncertainty.
Key Takeaways. The top 1% of household net worth in the U.S. was just shy of $13.7 million in 2023. An individual would have to earn an average of $407,500 per year to join the top 1%. A household would need an income of $591,550.
| Countries | Region | Wealth (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 U.S. | N. America | $5,813,000 |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | Asia | $5,227,000 |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | Europe | $4,761,000 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Oceania | $4,673,000 |
| Age by decade | Average net worth | Median net worth |
|---|---|---|
| 40s | $713,796 | $126,881 |
| 50s | $1,310,775 | $292,085 |
| 60s | $1,634,724 | $454,489 |
| 70s | $1,588,886 | $378,018 |
The Federal Reserve also measures median and mean (average) savings across other types of financial assets. According to the data, the average 70-year-old has approximately: $60,000 in transaction accounts (including checking and savings) $127,000 in certificate of deposit (CD) accounts.
Yes, it is possible to retire with $1 million. Retiring at the age of 65 with $1 million can seem like a lot of money to a lot of retirees. But the truth is, that amount depends entirely on your household, your finances and your needs.
Will $1 million still be enough to have a comfortable retirement then? It's definitely possible, but there are several factors to consider—including cost of living, the taxes you'll owe on your withdrawals, and how you want to live in retirement—when thinking about how much money you'll need to retire in the future.
Net worth is the difference between the values of your assets and liabilities. The average American net worth is $1,063,700, as of 2022. Net worth averages increase with age from $183,500 for those 35 and under to $1,794,600 for those 65 to 74. Net worth, however, tends to drop for those 75 and older.
What net worth puts you in the top 5%?
Additionally, statistics show that the top 2% of the United States population has a net worth of about $2.4 million. On the other hand, the top 5% wealthiest Americans have a net worth of just over $1 million. Therefore, about 2% of the population possesses enough wealth to meet the current definition of being rich.
| Age Range | Median Net Worth | Average Net Worth |
|---|---|---|
| 55-64 | $212,500 | $1,175,900 |
| 65-74 | $266,400 | $1,217,700 |
| 75+ | $254,800 | $977,600 |
Swift's inclusion comes after Forbes declared the singer a billionaire in October 2023 and reported her net worth at $1.1 billion. In a rare feat, Swift is the first musician to reach the milestone solely from songwriting and performing.
He remains the executive chair of the company. He holds traditional investments, such as real estate and shares in other companies. Bezos has funded several education projects through the Bezos Family Foundation.
She also owns numerous pricey properties across the U.S. Both Bloomberg and Forbes pin her net worth at an estimated $1.1 billion on the low end, based on analyses of her fortune. Swift first achieved billionaire status in October when she released a re-recording of her nine-year-old album "1989," Bloomberg reported.
