Money Guy Show: Are You Richer Than Your Friends? (2025 Edition)

Date: November 7, 2025
Hosts: Brian Preston & Bo Hanson

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brian and Bo dive into new survey data from thousands of Americans to answer the question: “Are you richer than your friends?” Using real income and net worth benchmarks by age, they compare the average American, “financial mutants” (Money Guy listeners and survey respondents), and Abound Wealth clients. The hosts break down how behaviors—like savings rates, debt management, and mindset—contribute to wealth-building over a lifetime. The result is a data-driven, motivating conversation about how ordinary people set themselves up for extraordinary financial success.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Defining the Wealth Landscape in America

[01:47-05:10]

• Opening premise: Most people want to know, “How much do others make? What are they worth?”
• The show segments Americans into three wealth cohorts:
  • Average American: U.S. Census data
  • Financial Mutants: Money Guy audience survey (thousands of responses)
  • Abound Wealth clients: Real clients of the firm (skew older, higher net worth)
• Numbers adjusted by age—critical for meaningful comparisons.

“A million dollars for a 20 year old is completely different than a million dollars for a 65 year old.”
– Brian Preston, [04:29]

2. Income & Net Worth by Age Group

[05:10-22:53]

| Age Group | Average American | Financial Mutant | Abound Wealth Client | |-----------|------------------|------------------|----------------------| | 20s | $75k income / $14k net worth | $120k income / $120k net worth | N/A | | 30s | $100k income / $25k net worth | $185k income / $400k net worth | $320k income / $1M net worth | | 40s | $100k income / <$50k net worth | $210k income / $880k net worth | $325k income / $1.42M net worth | | 50s | $104k income / $67k net worth | $200k income / $1.6M net worth | $235k income / $2.2M net worth | | 60s | $74k income / $103k net worth | $105k income / $2M net worth | $100k income / $2.2M net worth |

Age-Specific Insights:

• 20s: Financial Mutants out-earn peers and convert income to net worth 8x faster.
  • Savings multiple: Financial Mutants have net worth = 1X salary at 20s vs. Average American’s 0.2X.
  • “The typical American is just not turning that valuable, powerful thing of wages and labor into actual usable army of dollar bills.”
    – Brian Preston, [09:00]
• 30s:
  • “For our financial mutants, 185,000 turns into 400. That’s a multiplier. That’s amazing, you guys.”
    – Brian Preston, [12:19]
  • Financial Mutants hit the recommended 2X salary in net worth by mid-30s; average Americans lag at 0.3X.
• 40s:
  • “After two decades of earning, the average American isn’t even at half of their income saved. ... But wowzer, [financial mutants] that's a four times.”
    – Brian Preston, [15:22]
• 50s and 60s:
  • Most wealth is built and compounded; time favors the disciplined saver.
  • “The average American never reached one times their income ... you just don’t have the time value of money to do compounding. It’s just not a recipe for success.”
    – Brian Preston, [18:52]

Recommended Savings Multiples

• By 30: 1X salary
• By 40: 3X salary
• By 50: 6.4X salary
• By 55: 10X salary
• By 60: 13.7X salary
• By 65: 20X salary

“Those who made the hard decisions early are not having to make hard decisions later on in life.”
– Bo Hanson, [24:19]

3. Behavioral Differences: Why Some Get Rich (and Most Don’t)

[27:07-42:00]

Debt Management

• Credit Cards:
  • 96% of Financial Mutants and 97% of Abound Wealth clients use credit cards, versus 81% of average Americans.
  • BUT: Only 9% of Financial Mutants and less than 1% of Abound clients carry a balance (vs. 46% of Americans).
  • “Credit card use is okay—but credit card debt, no way.”
    – Brian Preston, [30:05]
• 'Buy Now, Pay Later': Used by 31% of average Americans, but only 12% of Financial Mutants and <10% of Wealth clients.
  • Using these services leads to more consumption—“10% more than people who are not using these services.”
    – Brian Preston, [33:19]

Car Buying

• Average American: 63% drive cars less than 5 years.
  • Creates ongoing negative equity and debt cycles.
• Financial Mutants: 81% drive cars 7+ years.
• Abound Wealth Clients: 84% drive cars 7+ years.
  • “If you strap that behavior of what is going to cars and put it in index funds, right here, you see how that money shows up on the net worth statement.”
    – Brian Preston, [35:54]

Student Loans

• Average U.S. grad has ~$39k debt.
• 93% of Financial Mutants graduate with less than the U.S. average.
  • “If you get this wrong ... you’ll be carrying it around for a long time.”
    – Brian Preston, [36:32]

Emergency Funds

• 46% of Americans have a 3-month emergency fund.
• 85% of Financial Mutants and 94% of Abound clients do.
  • “This will protect you. That’s why emergency reserves and cash is so important.”
    – Brian Preston, [38:23]

Savings Rates

• Financial Mutants:
  • 77% save >16% of their income; ~33% save >25%!
  • “Financial mutants as well as Abound wealth clients are committed and disciplined savers.”
    – Bo Hanson, [40:57]
• Average American: Only 5.3% savings rate.
• Abound Clients:
  • 43% save 21–25%; 16% save >25%.

Financial Mindset

• When do people get serious?
  • Average American: age 33
  • Financial Mutant: age 25
  • Abound Client: before 30
• Optimism levels:
  • Average American: 58% identify as optimists
  • Financial Mutants: 75%
  • Abound Clients: 80%
  • “You can be the hero of your financial journey. You just have to start making things happen.”
    – Brian Preston, [45:31]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Our financial mutants about 2.2 times their annual income saved by the midpoint of this decade. And for our Abound clients, it’s 3.3 times.”
– Bo Hanson, [13:27]

“The better question from a behavioral standpoint is: credit card use is OK, but credit card debt—no way! ... Less than 1% of our Abound wealth clients carry a balance.”
– Brian Preston, [30:05 / 31:02]

“Success will show you that [consumer debt] is actually a trap and you better turn back. ... If you are using debt as a financial tool and you're not scared to death every time you use it, you are not using it appropriately.”
– Brian Preston, [27:07]

“Most of our clients pay cash for cars or at least follow the 23/8 rule. The people good with money drive their cars longer; financing them less, and that money is showing up on the net worth statement.”
– Brian Preston, [35:54]

“If you’re even listening to this show right now, you’ve taken a step in the right direction.”
– Bo Hanson, [43:04]

Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:47] – Introducing the wealth landscape in America
• [05:10] – How survey data was collected and segmented
• [09:00] – Distinguishing between income and net worth; the discipline gap
• [12:19] – Comparing net worth multiples by age
• [14:16] – 40s: The millionaire decade
• [18:09] – 50s and beyond: Time becomes a constraint
• [22:53] – Decades: The wealth compounding journey ends for the average American
• [27:07] – Why debt is the “chainsaw dangerous” trap; credit card usage differences
• [30:29] – Who pays interest—and why it matters
• [35:54] – How car ownership habits divide the wealthy from the struggling
• [36:32] – How student loans hold people back
• [37:24] – Emergency funds as defense against financial chaos
• [39:23] – The saving and investing gap; huge differences in rates
• [43:04] – The mindset and when financial seriousness begins
• [45:31] – Optimism and taking control

Final Takeaways & Resources

• Comparison is the thief of joy, but benchmarking milestones is essential.
• Most people can become wealthy—all it takes is starting early, saving more than average, and avoiding lifestyle traps.
• Those who win with money:
  • Get serious younger
  • Have more optimism
  • Save/invest much higher rates (16–25%+)
  • Avoid high-cost debt and drive their cars longer
  • Build an “army of dollar bills” to fight for them in the future

Free tools & calculators available at: moneyguy.com/resources

“If you do this long enough ... simple decisions become wildly complex and that’s where we leave the porch light on for you.”
– Brian Preston, [46:28]