You're wealthy when passive income equals or exceeds living expenses
Corley believes the benchmark for being considered "wealthy" is when a person generates enough passive income to cover their expenses. In other words, they don't need to earn a consistent paycheck from a job to live comfortably.
Someone whose lifestyle costs $150,000 to $160,000 a year would need investments totaling about $3.2 million, he says. Those who live on much less, say $50,000 to $60,000 a year, would need $1.2 million invested to generate their annual income.
"The key to being wealthy, therefore, is standard of living costs that are less than your passive income. Your standard of living can make you wealthy — or not," he says.
Self-made millionaires live relatively modest lives
Self-made wealthy people don't always have the fanciest car, house, or jewelry. In fact, it's rare, says Corley.
Eight-three percent of the self-made millionaires in his study lived in a modest house, purchased good used cars, ate most meals at home, and bought cheap clothes. They also overwhelmingly avoided spontaneous and emotional purchases.
"Never buy anything on impulse. It is almost always the wrong thing to do," Corley says. "That spontaneous or emotional purchase will lose its luster after only a few weeks. Then you're stuck with something you don't need and that does not generate any income."
Financially successful people know when to say 'no'
Millionaires are selective about the tasks they take on and the opportunities they accept, says Corley.
Importantly, they've grown comfortable saying no to things that don't support their own progress, and yes only to things that align with their dreams and goals.
The easiest way to wealth is saving and investing
Corley found that one of the most common ways to wealth is also the most widely available to people. Almost half of the millionaires he studied took the Saver-Investor path.
These people didn't grow up rich, have high salaries, graduate from elite universities, inherit money, or possess unique skills — they saved diligently, invested prudently, and waited.
"You would never know they were rich by looking at them," Corley says."They are your neighbors, family, friends, colleagues at work, assistant coaches, teachers, union workers, plumbers, electricians, construction workers, Accountants, government workers ... the list goes on."
Scheduling time to think is a top habit of rich people
Self-made millionaires are dedicated thinkers, Corley found. In most cases, "it's the key to their success."
The rich tend to think in isolation, in the mornings, and for at least 15 minutes every day.
Corley says they ask questions such as, "What can I do to make more money? Does my job make me happy? Am I exercising enough? What other charities can I get involved in?"
Rich people seek out friends who are encouraging, optimistic, and constructive
Interpersonal relationships have an outsized effect on our ability to achieve success.
Corley says the millionaires he studied tended to seek out and surround themselves with people who possess qualities like optimism, confidence, humility, emotional stability, patience, authenticity, and mindfulness.
They also provide constructive criticism and focus on adding value to the lives of those around them, not just themselves.
On the other hand, people who become rich avoid 'poverty by association'
As humans, we tend behave like the people we surround ourselves with. Whether it's neighbors, family, coaches, or friends, Corley says, we often adopt their money habits regardless of whether we intend to or not.
"One of the hallmarks of the self-made millionaires in my study was the conscious effort they made to associate with like-minded individuals. If a close relationship was a spendthrift, they limited how much time they spent with those individuals," Corley says.
Only 1% of self-made millionaires got rich before age 40
Wealth doesn't materialize overnight for most financially successful people.
Corley says only 1% of the self-made millionaires he studied got rich before 40. For the other 99%, it took at least 18 years of practicing good habits to get there.
"Success, for the vast majority of the self-made millionaires in my study, was about doing the little things every day that helped build momentum in their lives. This momentum kept them moving forward, growing in knowledge and skill," Corley says.
The vast majority of millionaires inherited crucial habits from their parents
Many millionaires learned their most fundamental rich habits from their parents, Corley found, giving them an advantage on their path to wealth.
For example, over 95% said they were taught to take responsibility for their actions, respect the law and other people's property, work hard for what they want, and improve themselves daily. Importantly, their parents taught them that acquiring wealth is a good thing, not evil or greedy.
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