3 Signs Your Friends Are Secretly Broke (By Age)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Money Guy Show

Episode: 3 Signs Your Friends Are Secretly Broke (By Age)
Host(s): Brian Preston & Bo Hanson
Date: November 21, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the subtle signs that friends—despite outward displays of wealth—could be “secretly broke.” Hosts Brian and Bo dissect these signals across four different age groups (20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s), contrasting poor financial habits with the often-unnoticeable habits of the truly wealthy. The discussion aims to empower listeners to avoid common traps, emphasizing foundational wealth-building behaviors and mindsets at every life stage.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The 20s: The "YOLO Crowd"

Theme:
Impulse-driven spending justified by “you only live once.” A lack of deferred gratification leads to short-term pleasures at the expense of long-term security.

Secretly Broke Signs

• Social media highlight reels:
  • Obsessed with projecting luxury lifestyles online—often financed through debt.
  • “A lot of people are affording this lifestyle through debt, through credit card and other things.” —Brian [02:54]
• Sports betting & gambling:
  • Many mistake gambling for investing; 69% of Gen Z gamble, and 25% of Gen Z gamblers think it’s investing.
  • “They consider that to be investing. They don't even recognize the difference…” —Bo [03:30]
• Mindset of futility:
  • Belief that financial independence isn’t achievable, leading to apathy.
  • “I'm never going to be able to retire. Financial independence isn't even a real thing that's actually attainable… so why even bother?” —Bo [04:09]

Lessons from the Secretly Rich

• Belief in financial independence:
  • Early conviction that “anyone can be financially independent.”
  • “If you could just save $100 a month, you'd be a millionaire. You too have that opportunity.” —Brian [05:32]
• Compounding matters more than starting big:
  • Small, consistent investments yield big results over time.
  • Example: $160/month from age 25 at 10% yield can result in $1 million by retirement.
  • “It's not difficult to build wealth. ... but you have to have the discipline to actually do it well.” —Bo [06:59]
• Living simply and creatively:
  • Embrace frugal but fulfilling experiences (i.e., "bedazzle your basic life"), especially when young.
  • “You can actually bedazzle your basic life so you build those blossoming memories. It just doesn't have to break the bank.” —Brian [07:18]

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2. The 30s: The "I Want It Now Club"

Theme:
Increased responsibilities (family, career) bring time/money pressures, tempting shortcut-seeking and lifestyle inflation.

Secretly Broke Signs

• Luxury purchases to impress:
  • Focus on name brands, not true asset-building.
  • “It's not the richity rich, it's the typical American just trying to impress people who truly don't care.” —Brian [09:26]
• Buy Now, Pay Later:
  • Millennials lead in usage (48%), spreading out expensive purchases.
  • “I'll just pay for it over time. ... This is higher than any other generation.” —Bo [09:58]
• Chasing get-rich-quick trends:
  • Meme coins, NFTs, and speculative assets distract from proven wealth strategies.
  • “You don't get that back. And that breaks my heart.” —Brian [11:36]
• Comfort with unhealthy debt:
  • Over-leveraging mortgages, car loans, etc., suppresses wealth creation.

Lessons from the Secretly Rich

• Value being rich over looking rich:
  • Focus on core values, not external markers.
  • “Spend some time understanding what your why is. ... It doesn't have to be driving an exotic car or going on exotic vacations.” —Brian [12:54]
• Debt as a mindful tool:
  • Use debt only for purposeful investments (education, a home), have a clear payoff plan.
• Patience and steady progress:
  • True millionaire status is earned over 20+ years, not overnight.
  • “True wealth building might be slow and steady…if you waste another day, another dollar ... you're stealing against your future self.” —Brian [13:58]
• Stay motivated—track net worth and surround yourself with like-minded peers:
  • “Are you doing an annual net worth statement?... Do you surround yourself with other sound financial decision makers?” —Bo [14:33]

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3. The 40s: The "Move-the-Goalposts" Trap

Theme:
Rising incomes create temptation for lifestyle inflation and financial complexity.

Secretly Broke Signs

• Disdain for cash:
  • Shunning liquidity, assuming emergencies won’t happen.
  • “They think, man, you know what, I'm too good for cash. ... Either that cash is not being invested for me…it’s a flawed thought process.” —Bo [16:00]
• Complex financial strategies as status markers:
  • Attracted to complicated (and often risky) investments, seeking “doctor deals,” private placements, or intricate tax products.
  • “They want the more complex … because they believe that that's what wealthy people do…” —Bo [17:32]
• Obsessed with income over net worth:
  • Belief that earning more is the only solution, neglecting conversion of income into assets.
  • “If you're unable to convert lower incomes to net worth, there's a high likelihood that you're also going to be unable to convert higher incomes to net worth as well.” —Bo [21:43]

Lessons from the Secretly Rich

• Focus on what you keep, not just what you make:
  • Regular net worth statements to track growth and behavior.
  • “It gives you that dashboard so you can make much better decisions…” —Brian [24:08]
• Cash equals security and opportunity:
  • Emergency funds aren’t just for crisis—they enable smart investing during downturns.
  • “Cash is a sleeper wealth builder and people just don't recognize that opportunity.” —Brian [25:08]
• Embrace simplicity:
  • Proven strategies (buy and hold, always be buying, spending less than earned) outperform complexity.
  • “If complexity will naturally find you, there is absolutely no reason for you to go seek it out.” —Bo [25:39]

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4. The 50s: The "It's Rigged Club"

Theme:
Jaded by years of missed opportunities, some blame the system rather than personal financial behavior.

Secretly Broke Signs

• Home-rich, cash-poor:
  • Net worth heavily tied up in primary residence; little to no liquidity or retirement savings.
  • “Their house represents way too much of their net worth.” —Bo [28:22]
• Avoids financial discussions:
  • Discomfort or embarrassment about financial situation leads to denial.
  • “They don't want to talk about it anymore…tough decisions ahead of you.” —Brian [29:01]
• Cynical mindset about investing:
  • Belief that the markets are a scam, and wealth is unattainable for regular people.
  • “They begin to think, you know what, the only people that make money in the stock market are the rich people or the insiders…” —Bo [29:47]

Lessons from the Secretly Rich

• It’s not too late to change:
  • People from all backgrounds and incomes can achieve financial independence if they use the right strategies—discipline, living below means, wise investing.
  • “Same sort of behaviors for people from all different walks of life…are able to reach financial independence.” —Bo [31:05]
• Immediate action is critical:
  • It’s never too late to start, but delay makes the road harder.
  • “Waiting is not going to make anything better. You have today to be the positive influence on your life.” —Brian [31:46]
• Adjust expectations, but act now:
  • Social Security might matter more, retirement could look different—a shift in tactics, not a reason to give up.
  • “You can make, no matter where you are, meaningful decisions today that can have positive impacts for your future self. But you got to…begin…right now.” —Bo [32:29]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On comparing to others:
  • “Just, I'm telling you, doing what they do and keeping up with the Joneses is a bridge to nowhere.” —Brian [15:33]
• On starting early:
  • “Anyone and everyone can be financially independent.” —Brian [05:32]
• On complexity vs. simplicity:
  • “Think like a brilliant engineer…keep it as simple as possible because it's going to be easier to maintain.” —Brian [26:26]
• On the compounding effect and lost time:
  • “The majority of Americans just don't do it. So you can fast forward through your 20s, 30s, 40s…you can imagine if you haven't been doing, you've been procrastinating. You get to your 50s, when a young person asks you about the system, you're probably pretty cynical.” —Brian [27:26]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:31 - 07:41]: The secretly broke and secretly rich in their 20s
• [08:23 - 15:33]: The 30s – materialism, buy now/pay later, and shortcuts
• [16:00 - 26:52]: The 40s – complexity, lifestyle inflation, and simplicity
• [26:52 - 34:39]: The 50s – cynicism, home as net worth, and late-stage turnarounds
• [31:46 - 33:09]: Calls to action for any age: it’s not too late, act today

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Concluding Advice

Brian and Bo urge listeners not to be taken in by appearances or external pressures around wealth. No matter your age, the key to financial independence lies in consistent, simple behaviors: believe in your ability to grow wealth, track your actual progress, keep lifestyle inflation in check, and understand that discipline and small actions are more powerful—and attainable—than flashy shortcuts. It's never too late to correct course, and their team is there to help you build your “great, big, beautiful tomorrow.”

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“Today, your friends may be secretly broke, but that does not mean you have to be. There is a better way to do money, and we want you to do money better.” —Bo [34:39]

Transcript

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[A]

Do you ever scroll through your friends feeds and think, how in the world do they afford all this?

[B]

Brian, I am so excited to talk about this because looking rich and actually being R rich, two very different things.

[A]

It's easy to feel like you're falling behind when you look at the lifestyles of everyone around you. But today we're going to expose the truth. The sneaky signs your rich friends might actually be broke.

[B]

And we'll share the habits of people who are quietly building wealth so that you can become one of the secretly rich. Let's dive right in. In true money guy fashion, Brian, we thought, okay, let's not talk about what the secretly broke and the secretly rich look like, but let's actually break it down by age. And what better place to start and at the very beginning with folks in their 20s.

[A]

Yeah, and why not put a little language that kind of ages me. The YOLO crowd of the 20s, you only live once.

[B]

Yeah, this is the people that want to live their dream life. Right now the idea of a 40 or 50 year career sounds daunting and they want to escape that before they even get started. And so they begin thinking, how can I live my dream life right now, today? Because ultimately that's what matters.

[A]

Yeah, I hate this because instead of understanding the concept of deferred gratification, a lot of times these people are saying, hey, tomorrow's not promised, so I'm going to live exclusively for today. What they don't understand is that that sacrifice or that mindset might actually have a bigger cost than you realize.

[B]

And there are some signs. So what are some of the signs that you can look out for for the secretly broke in their 20s? Well, here's the first visual sign. They love and I mean they love to post about their luxury trips and their amazing life that they're living. They cannot wait to get that on their feed on their reel so that you can see just how wonderful their life is.

[A]

Well, it's important to remember social media is the highlight reel. Nobody ever actually puts the way their life really is. They're always putting out this highlight reel and I do hate that. I think a lot of people are affording this lifestyle through debt, through credit card and other things. And you'll see it also in the behavioral signs and when we talk about this look, I can't believe for young people this trend breaks my heart is all of the sports betting, I mean you can't turn on. I was listening to Pandora this morning and there it was all over every one of the ads because I'm on the free version is sports betting left and right. And you're like it is absolutely everywhere these days.

[B]

And the stats are remarkable. 69% of of gen Z report participating in some form of gambling and 25% of Gen Z gamblers said that when they do it, when they actually put their money at risk, when they actually go at the odds, they consider that to be investing. They don't even recognize the difference in those two things.

[A]

I wish that they knew this, this $100 at a time because a lot of times the bonuses and other things are a hundred dollars here, $200 there. Do you realize those same type of sacrifices or deferred gratification if they were invested for the future would lead to tremendous results and have a lot better long term odds. Yeah.

[B]

And what ends up happening is they love the thrill of it and they see it as a harmless game. They think okay, well a hundred dollars here or there is not really going to matter. And that actually leads into the mindset sign. The mindset sign is folks that are secretly broke have this belief, you know what, I'm never going to be able to retire. Financial independence isn't even a real thing that's actually attainable to so why even bother?

[A]

Well, and I get it, I mean if you're thinking about some because retirement for most people is at a minimum 20, 30, 40 years in the future. You're only in your 20s once. So they're thinking that's why the YOLO mindset really does seep in. I'm just here to say the longer you wait, the more this is going to cost. You need to have that awareness is because more than likely you're going to live to a ripe old age. So you need to act accordingly.

[B]

But fortunately, Brian, we get to sit in this spot where not only do we get to see the signs of those that are secretly broke, we actually get to interact on a daily basis with those folks who actually do have resources, who actually are doing things right. So if those are the signs of the secretly broke folks in their 20s, what lessons can we learn from those that are actually wealthy, that are actually rich in their 20s? And I think the first one is that sort of mindset shift. They actually believe that financial independence is indeed possible, especially for folks who figured out early on.

[A]

And look, I want you to lean in on this because I stand by this. If you're watching this content in your 20s, anyone and everyone can be financially independent. I mean, this is the part that changed my life when I had the high school economics teacher that said if you could just save $100 a month, you'd be a millionaire. You too have that opportunity. I mean that's, that's the amazing thing is that a little bit really does go a long way because you might not be wealthy with your money, but you're wealthy with your time, which is one of the most valuable resources when it comes to compounding interest and building your great big beautiful tomorrow.

[B]

And we talk conceptually all the time about how a little bit can go a long way. You know, we even have these koozies that say, you know, this $1 koozie cost me $88. But a lot of people don't realize we don't have to think about in sort of $1 sums. Think about this. If you were a 25 year old, do you recognize that just saving 160 bucks a month, that's what, $40 a week from now until retirement, if you can have an annualized 10% rate of return, will get you to a million dollars. I think about so many folks I know in their 20s, so many people that gamble or so many people that play the lottery that blow $160 a month on those types of things if they could just redirect that. It is not difficult to build wealth. It's not complicated to build wealth, but you have to have the discipline to actually do it well.

[A]

And also because we're talking about 20 somethings. I love that this is the season of your life where you can bedazzle. You don't have to give up the dream that you want to travel, you want to create memories. This is the season I even think about for myself. I could sleep on a couch, no.

[B]

Problem, and sleep like A baby.

[A]

And it would be no. I was just more excited about the destination of what I was getting to do than I was needing the plush, you know, en suite or my own bed, my own pillow. I didn't require any of that. And that's what I want you to embrace. In your 20s, you can put up with a lot more so you can actually bedazzle your basic life, so you build those blossoming memories. It just doesn't have to break the bank.

[B]

And I think the last lesson we can learn from the secretly rich is really kind of about the scorecard. Because what the world will tell you is that, okay, if you're in your 20s, you should drive the fancy car and have the nice clothes and already own the house and all these things. But realistically, at this season and stage of life, the real win is mastering the behaviors. Am I living on less than I make? Am I creating margin? Am I putting my money to work? If you can answer that in the affirmative in your 20s, you are already well on your way to being an actually rich individual.

[A]

Just do something. That's all I ask of you. I think, like I said, we've said it multiple times, A little goes a long way. So just do something in your twenties.

[B]

All right, Brian. The twenties was the YOLO crowd. Now let's step forward a decade. Let's talk about those in the 30s, and we're going to call these folks the I want it now club.

[A]

Well, I mean, look, let's face it, life is kind of cruel in this aspect. When you get in your 30s, you got a lot of things coming at you. You're probably growing a family, you're having some career, you know, obligations, but you're short on time, you're short on money. How do we get it all in? I even made a comment a few weeks ago on one of our making a millionaires is that a lot of us are trying to put 10 biscuits in a five can. And that's a problem. And I think your 30s represent this. So we got to figure out, how do we help you get what you need but not try to do so much at the really at the detriment of your future self.

[B]

So let's talk about what are the signs, what are the things that we can notice and recognize of those that are secretly broke? And the first is, you see these kinds of people buying luxury and name brand items. They care that you know what it is that they are spending their dollars.

[A]

Well, everything is affordable if you can have, you know, $100 here, $200 there. If you just need your amortization. I was shocked. You know, we did a stat a while back on like the number of Rolexes and then the average income for people who buy. It's not the richity rich, it's the typical American just trying to impress people who truly don't care. So be careful. Those visual, the luxury name brands, all those things, it might feel good in the moment, but in the long term it's probably as you're donating it to the Salvation army or something in the future, it's not going to do what you think it will do.

[B]

Well, that's the thing. When you buy that luxury, that name brand thing, you're likely spending a lot more for that good than is absolutely necessary. And what folks at this age and stage often do is, okay, well you know what, if I can't pay for that thing that's super, super expensive right now, I'll just pay for it over time. I'll just buy it now and I'll pay for it later. We actually see this in the statistics. 48% of millennials, 48% of the folks who fall into this age range say that they use buy now, pay later. This is higher than any other generation they recognize. Okay, I don't want to do credit cards. I'm not going to rub that. I'm not going to do that. But I'm just going to afford things 100 bucks at a time for as long as I can.

[A]

Well, and that leads to the next signs of the secretly broke. And this one breaks my heart is the behavioral side. Look, I've already bragged for my 20 somethings. It's almost. If you just get any inclination of curiosity about money, you will be successful because you just, you're a billionaire of time. Well, 30 somethings. You guys also have a huge wealth multiplier. I'd encourage you go to moneyguy.com resources, see what every dollar has the potential to become. But the problem is your generation unfortunately has gotten caught up in because of social media. It's the, it's the meme coin, it's the mean stocks, it's the NFT, NFTs, it's the, the, all the crypto coins, all these things that are trying to tell you we can cut the corner off of building wealth if you'll just do these, these things right here. I hate what, here's what I hate. From a behavioral stand. It also is working against your most valuable resource. If you go down the rabbit hole and waste the time and the resources. You don't get that back. And that breaks my heart.

[B]

A lot of folks are looking for the next big thing, the next hot thing, the next thing. Well, if you're constantly looking for the next thing, you forget about the same old boring thing that's worked for generations and generations and generations. And what happens is, is at this stage in this decade, you have this mindset where you begin to get too comfortable with things you should not be comfortable with. You're comfortable with buy now, pay later. You're comfortable with chasing the hot dot. And oftentimes folks that are actually secretly broke become way too comfortable with debt. Okay, so what, that I can't afford the car today? I can just finance it? So what, that I have this huge mortgage so long as I can afford the monthly payment? What happens is it stacks and it stacks and it stacks, and before you know it, the liability side of your net worth statement is way larger than the asset side of your net worth.

[A]

Yeah, it never creates the margin or the money to actually start working for you. This is the part that breaks your heart. So that's why let's flip the script and say, okay, this is the signs of those that are secretly broke. What are the actual millionaire next door? The people that are actually doing the right things. What can they share with us?

[B]

Well, the first thing is they recognize those that are secretly rich in their 30s, that being rich and having resources is way better than looking rich and trying to seem like you have.

[A]

Well, you have to spend time. Look, don't let some marketer in this consumption society we live in tell you what you're supposed to do to be happy and successful. Actually, spend some time understanding what your why is. What are the things that truly do bring you happiness? Maybe it is a cup of coffee. Maybe it is just a road trip with the family. Or maybe it's just grilling out in the backyard. It doesn't have to be driving an exotic car or going on exotic vacations. I'm just telling you, don't skip the step of trying to figure out what the thing is for you, not what the marketer tells you.

[B]

Now, the secretly rich in their 30s also recognize that debt is a tool. And the key to debt is having a purpose for it and a plan for it. It's not to finance the lifestyle you want to live, but it's to buy the automobile so you can get to your job. It's to create shelter for your family. It's to improve your education. There are reasons that debt should be used, but when you get it, when you have it, when it shows up on your balance sheet, the secretly rich recognize I need to have a plan, understand how I'm going to knock out this debt systematically over time.

[A]

Well, and then this next one. Nobody likes to hear this because success sometimes can be very boring. And the fact is that true wealth building might be slow and steady. Look, we share the stats all the time. We work with a lot of millionaire clients. They typically come to us, they cross into millionaire status in their 40s after they've been saving and investing for 20 plus years. I get it, you're in your 30s, we won it yesterday. But I'm telling you, that is you're stealing against your future self. If you waste another day, another dollar that could actually be building in the background to build your army of dollar bills.

[B]

And so what can you do? You need to find ways that you can stay motivated. Are you doing an annual net worth statement? Are you actually putting pen to paper on what you own, minus what you owe? And are you tracking it? Do you surround yourself with other sound financial decision makers? Are the friends and the people you hang out with also making good financial decisions? Do you listen to YouTube channels or podcasts that tell you how to make good financial decisions? Not the ones that tell you why you should be out there driving the super nice luxury car right now, today? If you can do that, it will allow you to stay on track so that as you get into your 40s, as you move into this next decade, you don't fall into the trap that a lot of those that are secretly broke in this decade fall into. And that's the folks who say, you know what? I'm just gonna do what they do. I see the person who must be wealthy, must be successful, must be rich. I'm just gonna emulate them because, boy, does it look like they know what they're doing.

[A]

Well, we live in a unique community, Bo, where I ride around and I see the bigger and bigger houses and I realize there must be a lot of people out here that are moving the goalposts if you do what you think the wealthy do. Believe me, like I said, this is a marketer's dream. It's not necessarily what we see from when we do our wealth survey of our clients, of our financial mutants out in the audience. Just, I'm telling you, doing what they do and keeping up with the jones is a bridge to nowhere.

[B]

And the hard part is, and what makes it so dangerous in the 40s is for a lot of folks, this is when you begin to catch traction. This is when your income begins to increase so you can start actually making these decisions. You, you can buy the more expensive car, you can buy the more expensive house. But just because you can does not mean that you should. So what are some of the signs of the secret secretly broke in their 40s? Well, the visual one to start with is they think, man, you know what, I'm too good for cash. If I have cash laying around, either one of two things is happening. Either that cash is not investing, being invested for me and it's sitting out, or man, instead of having that cash, I could go buy that nicer car, I could go on that nicer trip, I could buy those nicer clothes. I don't need cash because I haven't had an emergency thus far. I'm probably not going to have one. That is a flawed thought process.

[A]

Well, I mean this one cuts both ways because I see a lot of financial mutants who actually are really good with money, but they just don't respect what cash can do for them as a tool, even in emergencies or other things. Versus the people who are bad with money. They also are way too lean on their cash because they're relying only on their cash flow, their income, thinking that's going to be enough. Well, we all know life has a strange sense of humor and will surprise you on a random Tuesday at 2 in the afternoon when you get called into the office and they tell you they're downsizing or doing some big change. You need to have cash to make sure you make it. Whether you're successful or whether you're aspiring. Cash is going to be a valuable tool for you.

[B]

There's also a behavioral sign that you can notice for folks in their 40s that might be secretly broke. And it's these folks that are constantly all the time searching for complexity. Oh yeah, I just saw this thing about how I can go be a short term rental investor and if I do that I can use all these losses and. Or I can go do the private equity or I can go do fill in the blank. And they want the more complex and the more difficult and the more hard to understand thing because they believe that that's what wealthy people do when in fact that's often not the case.

[A]

Yeah, there's a whole marketing thing that happens that trying to convince people who are starting to catch some traction with their assets is that when you have money, this is what you're supposed to do. And I've looked, I've picked on the dumb doctor deals everybody Hates that name. But there's a market out there.

[B]

There's a reason.

[A]

I mean, because these things are complex for the sake of being complex. I mean, we could be talking about whole life strategies. We could be talking about, you know, the rental properties, as you said. We could be talking about the private placements. All these things. Just look, and I'm not saying there's always an ounce of truth. Sure, some of these things are definitely financial tools that even successful people use, but you just have to cut through what the brochure says from what the reality is. And a lot of people don't recognize that. What got you here to success like index investing and just being disciplined. Understanding deferred gratification doesn't change overnight just because you're in your 40s and your income's a little bit bigger. Don't fall tray to the marketers. Don't fall prey to them.

[B]

Don't fall. Don't fall prey or trade to the markets, either one.

[A]

Let's be real. Even my CPA heart knows no one starts a business for the joy of calculating tax withholdings. And that's exactly why we get excited when we hear small business owners talk about tools that actually make their lives easier.

[B]

Yeah, and Gusto is one of those tools. It's an online payroll and business benefits software built for small businesses. It's all in one remote, friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere.

[A]

Now, look, Bo and I don't run payroll ourselves anymore, but we've been there, and we've got friends and clients who do. And the thing we hear over and over is how much time Gusto saves them. Nobody wants surprise fees or to spend half a day figuring out payroll taxes.

[B]

That's why when Gusto says you get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price, no hidden fees and no surprises. We love that. We've had clients switch to Gusto and immediately feel like they got their Saturdays back.

[A]

And the setup people tell us it's easy. You bring your existing info, and boom, you're off and running. Plus, you don't pay a dime until you run that first payroll, which we love.

[B]

So if you're a small business owner wearing all the hats, do yourself a favor. Try Gusto [e-mail] MoneyGuy and get three free months when you run your first payroll.

[A]

That's three months of free [e-mail] Moneyguy one more time. Gusto.com MoneyGuy Hey, Bo. Imagine we're waiting to Catch a flight. You're walking back with your pre flight coffee in hand. And since we all know I'm the nervous traveler, I'm already in line at the gate.

[B]

All right, that sounds accurate. Keep going.

[A]

Then all of a sudden, you get a work call. You need to access one of our crucial systems from your phone. So what do you do? Imagine you yell across the airport to me and you say, hey, Brian, what's the password? And then to make it worse, what if I yelled the actual password back to you?

[B]

Okay, no, no, that's insane. As our chief compliance officer, I am entirely opposed to this analogy.

[A]

I completely agree with you. But my point is that public WI fi, just like in this example, is basically like shouting your password across the terminal. ExpressVPN is that whisper you need to keep you safe.

[B]

All right, that makes sense. Every time you connect to an unencrypted network, your online data is not secure.

[A]

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[B]

Cybersecurity and protecting your information is super important to us. Secure your online data today by visiting ExpressVPN.comMoneyGuy that's X P R E S S V P N.com MoneyGuy to find out how you can get up to four extra months free. ExpressVPN.com MoneyGuy there's also a mindset sign that you ought to be aware of that we see for a lot of folks in their 40s, and it's this idea that they end up valuing income and the shovel over actually net worth. And oftentimes you'll hear this communicated this way. Man, oh, well, if I just made a little bit more money, if I could just get my income up, if I could just go invest in the rental property, if I could just create more cash flow, if this happens, then I could convert that to net worth, not recognizing that those two are not the same. If you're unable to convert lower incomes to net worth, there's a high likelihood that you're also going to be unable to convert higher incomes to net worth as well.

[A]

Well, I mean, we've seen this in the stats when they, when they go out there and they survey people and say, hey, how much money do you need to make to actually be successful? Millennials reported right under 181,000 Gen Xers were right over $212,000.

[B]

Those are huge income earners.

[A]

Those are much larger than we know median numbers are in the United States. And I'm here to tell you, you don't require multiple six figures to have success. You just require a little bit of discipline and actually living on less than you make. And this is back to make sure you're spending some time realizing what gives you value so that you can actually spend lavishly on those things, but not get caught up in spending money on something that's pretty purposeless and just doesn't give you that much happiness.

[B]

So what are the lessons that we can learn from those in the furrows that are secretly rich and in the 40s? These really do become the people that are actually the millionaires next door. Well, the first is that wealth is much more about what you keep, not what you make. And we see this all the time, Brown. We've seen people with very modest incomes, even some people with low incomes, that are able to build very healthy portfolios and have substantial amount of wealth, even though they never made more than six figures. But it's because they capitalized on the ingredients of wealth curation that they could control. It's not just about how big is your shovel, how high is your income, it's how well do you turn your shovel, how well do you turn your income into actual wealth?

[A]

This is why I would encourage everyone, please, please, please do a net worth statement every year. I mean, I know that even if it's negative in the beginning, that's a. Okay. Because there is something just really valuable about you going through the exercise of comparing and contrasting what you have versus what you owe. Because it wakes up parts of your brain saying, hey, I can do this differently. And it also, it gives you that dashboard so you can make much better decisions about what you're doing with your life. Instead of just daydreaming, you're actually slowly creating a plan in the background.

[B]

Another lesson that we can learn from these folks from the secretly rich in the 40s, is that cash represents not a waste of time or not something sitting idle, but it's actually a twofold thing. It provides security and also opportunity. Brian, you and I talk about this all the time. We often think about how, you know, cash and your mercy fund is the thing that keeps your life out of the ditch. It protects you from the unknown, unknowns. But there is a secondary benefit that cash has that a lot of people in their 40s actually end up recognizing.

[A]

Yeah, this is the part I Mean, I think it serves multiple facets. It keeps you from those desperate decisions of the emergency. But I have found it also creates incredible opportunities for wealth building. If you have a resource like cash, when everybody else is panicking and looking for, hey, I don't have cash, the market's getting its teeth kicked in, what do I do? You get to have a stable mind. You get to have a resource that has become much more valuable. Cash is a sleeper wealth builder and people just don't recognize that opportunity.

[B]

And then the last lesson that I think we can take away from Those in the 40s that are secretly rich is to the extent that they control it, they try to just keep it simple. Things like buy and hold work, things like always be buying work, things like living on less than you make, making sure you cover your bases, taking care of your risks. Those things are not incredibly complicated. They are relatively simple. And what you find is even though you try to keep things simple and even though you try to make it as easy as it can be, complexity will naturally find you. Well, if complexity will naturally find you, there is absolutely no reason for you to go seek it out. Don't worry, it's coming. So to the extent that you can control it, keep it simple and you'll be amazed at how the dollars actually stack up.

[A]

Think like a brilliant engineer where you're trying to always just engineer this thing down to keep it as simple as possible because it's going to be easier to maintain. As Bose just shared, you do this right, the complexity will naturally happen by your estate getting bigger, your tax return getting more complicated, the investment structure needing a little bit more attention. You don't have to find it. You just need to do what you're good at, build up the assets in the background and watch the money grow.

[B]

All right, now let's talk about the secretly broke in their 50s. And this is the group that we're going to call the it's rigged club. And frankly, this, this group of individuals is jaded. They have become exhausted with watching their money disappear. And that because of that, because it has been difficult for them to build and amass wealth, they are now convinced that they're a victim and the system is rigged against them. And it's not possible for them to have been more successful than they have been thus far in life. And that's a pretty sad place to be.

[A]

Well, I mean, we were doing a live stream recently, Beau, and we had the median net worth for the country. And I did the back of the napkin math on it for a 20 year old who just starts saving, investing, it was like investing 30 bucks a month. So the typical American just doesn't do what they're supposed to from a behavioral standpoint, even though we can tell them that, hey, when you're 20 years old, if you can save right around $100 a month, you're going to have a million dollars. The majority of Americans just don't do it. So you can fast Forward through your 20s, through your 30s, through your 40s. You can imagine if you haven't been doing, you've been procrastinating. You get to your 50s, when a young person asks you about the system, you're probably pretty cynical because you've procrastinated right into the point where it's going to be hard to get yourself out of what's being created. So you start telling everybody, hey, it is rigged, the system doesn't work. The reality is, is that there was a lot of opportunity over the last three to four decades that just got kind of ignored.

[B]

And so what are some of the signs? What are some of the things you can notice for folks who might be falling into this it's rigged category? Well, the first is they have way too big of a house, or said differently, their house represents way too much of their net worth. It's amazing. They might have a nice home and their home might even be getting close to being debt free. But that's all they really have to show in their wealth building. And perhaps they've even made decisions to invest in that house, to upgrade the kitchen, to do the backyard, to add the swimming pool. And they've done those things and made those decisions at the cost of actually building up for their future.

[A]

I think the house is like just another symptom of lifestyle. I think about that commercial from years ago where the gentleman's riding around on his riding lawnmower, has the brand new SUV in the driveway, big, beautiful house. And he's like, I'm in debt up to my eyeballs. This is the visual that you see for people who've kind of, like I said, lived in the moment and now they're at the point where, hey, it's not good. What the future is going to look like if you haven't started doing the behavioral things. And that's why, let's talk about the behavioral signs is that they don't want to talk about it anymore. If you, because if you're, you can imagine if you get new, you'll be in your 50s. You didn't understand deferred Gratification and living on less than you want. You probably don't want to talk about it because talking about means that you're actually going to have to face the fact that you got some tough decisions ahead of you.

[B]

And then there's also the mindset sign. And this is one that's pretty sad. They begin to think, you know what the stock market, this whole investing thing, this portfolio thing, it's really all a scam. And oftentimes they'll have a story to tell with, hey, you know, I had bought this stock and it did awesome. And then 2008 or man, I went and bought this stock because I thought it was going to do great. And then 2022 or whatever the thing may be, and they begin to think, you know what, the only people that make money in the stock market are the rich people or the insiders or the company owners or those kinds of people. It's not for the everyday person. And unfortunately that could not be farther from the truth.

[A]

Well, these also, mindset wise, they're thinking about your employer forces you to save in these retirement plans. You know what y' all do? They tell young people, go take out a loan from your 401k so you can buy that first house or other things. And that that stuff breaks my heart because I just know that it is essentially poisoning the future for those beyond them. Because money is a tool and it can be a resource that can actually work harder than your back, your brain and your hands. But you just have to give it its best opportunity. And that's why I like to pivot and talk about what can we actually learn from not those that are doing things wrong, but who actually have turned money into a tool to help them live their best life.

[B]

Well, and we've seen it time and time and time and time again that a lot of times when we get to interact to talk with folks at this stage, they are a living, breathing example of the fact that the system is not rigged against you. Whether it be the doctor or the school teacher or the construction person or the fill in the blank in the profession, the same sort of behaviors for people from all different walks of life, all different backgrounds, all different incomes, who employ the same behaviors are able to reach financial independence. So the system isn't rigged against you. Just perhaps you weren't taught the right things or you haven't been following the right advice, but it is possible to build wealth and it is available to everyone.

[A]

Well, and you're probably watching this content. I don't know if you're in your 50s, but you very well, you're probably not in your 20s, which is the peak opportunity. You might be in your 30s, you might be in your 40s. I'm just telling, I'm here to tell you waiting is not going to make anything better. You have today to be the positive influence on your life. So I would actually, we have, if you go to learn.moneyguy.com we actually have a great know your number course. And why is this important is because this is gonna let you know, are you ahead of the curve? Are you behind the curve? Are right where you're supposed to be. Don't let another day, another year pass you by where you've missed out on another year. Compounding growth could be the solution to get you out of this and that.

[B]

That is the exact mindset shift we want you to have. No matter where you are, whether you're in your 50s or whether you're in your 30s or whether in your 20s or whether in your 60s. It's not too late to begin improving your financial life. Yes, if you are later on in the journey, perhaps it's going to look a little bit different. Perhaps Social Security is going to make up more of your lifestyle than you thought. Perhaps you have to work a little bit longer. Perhaps you're going to have to live in a different house than you thought you were going to live in. But if you want to take this seriously, you can make, no matter where you are, meaningful decisions today that can have positive impacts for your future self. But you got to take it seriously today. You got to begin to making those decisions right now.

[A]

Now, look, I know from a fact, because we do surveys of our millionaire clients. We do surveys of our financial mutants. You guys just watch this show and you don't resemble any of these woeful stories of all the things you should and should not do. You actually represent somebody who took a little bit today and started building your great big beautiful tomorrow. But now you're at the point, you're like, guys, this whole bowling point that you guys are talking about where my money is getting close to seven figures, I don't know what I don't know anymore. And I've only done this once. I sure do wish somebody would help me figure out how does asset allocation work? How does estate planning work? How does retirement planning with Monte Carlo analysis, and how does irmaa, you know, from Medicare come into Social Security and all the tax planning that goes in this, you're going to realize very quickly. Yes, success is creating the complexity. You need to know what's next. And that's the good news. We're going to leave the porch light on for you. We can give you all the free advice in the world, help you keep it as simple as possible, but the abundance cycle will come through when you're going to recognize yourself and say, you know what? I like what Brian and Bo share with me on, you know, almost a daily basis there on the Money Guy Show. I wonder what they could do with my personal financial situation, because we do know everybody's financial situation is personal. That's the personal finance of this whole thing. We want to be there for you and we want to help you out. So go to moneyguy.com, become a client, and we'll hook you up.

[B]

Today, your friends may be secretly broke, but that does not mean you have to be. There is a better way to do money, and we want you to do money better.

[A]

I'm your host, Brian. Mr. Bo. Money Guy team out.

[B]

The Money Guy show is hosted by Brian Preston and Bo Hanson. Brian and Bo are partners with Abound Wealth Management. Abound Wealth Management is a registered investment advisory firm regulated by the securities and Exchange Commission. In accordance and compliance with the securities laws and regulations, Abound Wealth Management does not render or offer to render personalized investment or tax advice through the Money Guy Show. The information provided is for informational purposes only, may not be suitable for all investors, and does not constitute financial, tax, investment or legal advice. All investments involve a degree of risk, including the risk of loss.