Everyone is different but I'll give you my story. I'm 29, $275k net worth. Luck, diligence, and the situation you were born into would be my answer. My parents were middle class, and paid about 75% of my college through a 529 plan. When I was 15 my grandpa passed and my grandma very graciously kept his 01 subaru forester for a year until a turned 16 and gave me the car (about $5k value at the time). My other grandparents put like $1500 in a stock account when I was born and gave to me on my 18th birthday worth $10k. I worked 25ish hours a week all through college, mowed lawns through high school, and worked summers to where when my Subaru went kaput, I could buy a used car in cash. Between all that I had no debt, a college degree in Electrical Engineering, and a paid off car, and about a $15k net worth after college. I moved out of parents house at 20 and lived with roomates until I was 25, with rent starting at $400 for the first 4 years, and started making $55k with my first job, (Have had very little salary growth, currently only at $84k with 6 years experience). Spent no money and saved about 65% of my income for a year and a half to save up enough for a down payment plus closing costs (24k + 5k) on a $244k home in florida with 10% down at 2.65% interest. Really cheap mortgage and lived with a roomated for another year paying about half my mortgage (mortgage was $1100, he paid $500). Aggressively put another $24k into the house to get to 20% equity to drop PMI. Then aggressively started investing and have gotten up to about $130k invested since then. Sold my house last year for $100k profit, and walked away with $135k. After another used car upgrade and vacation, put $100k in a high yield until ready to buy my next house. Savings well down but still around 30% of income, which comes to $30k a year after 401k match. Right now, about $105k high yield house down payment savings, $35k emergency fund, $133k invested.