What 33 Ordinary People Would Do With $100k - Couple Wealth (2024)

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What 33 Ordinary People Would Do With $100k - Couple Wealth (1)

I was on Twitter and came across an interesting question that was posed by Elias @MentalityChief.

If you suddenly get $100,000, what would you do with it?

Over 100 people responded to this question with what they would personally use $100k for. Their answers ranged from spending it, savings, investing, and giving it away. Here’s the actual tweet to check out the full thread.

You get $100k now…

What's your first move?

— Elias | 🧠🎩 (@MentalityChief) December 30, 2020

Suddenly winning or inheriting $100,000 is a life-changing amount of money. It can go a long way towards reaching financial independence or doing more of what you love.

There’s no right or wrong way to approach managing a large amount of money. Everyone will have different priorities and view points on what makes the most sense to them. Check out what other ordinary people would do with $100k.

1. DINKtoFI

If we’re still together, pay off $92k of my SO’s student loan and part of their car note. If we aren’t, rental property here we come.

2. Joe Bucks

Well this is actually happening to me… Pretty sure I’ll split it between snow bikes and snow mobiles

3. Coolide

10k each to my bro and sis. 20k to my mom. 20k in investing stocks. Probably indicies and cryptos. And the rest for saving. Ill use some of the money for gym, transportation, boxing club booking basketball courts with my buds. And around 5k to poor pple (not to charities tho)

4. Da’Vinci

Put 25k into Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin)
25k into the stock market
25k for a down payment on a rental property using a FHA loan
10k into an ETF fund
10k buying gold
5k remaining just buy a PS5

5. Richard Sebastian

Honda Goldwing trike, bills, food.

6. Eric Rollins

I would use that 100k for a brrrr strategy. Essentially I would use the same 100k to buy an infinite amount of houses. Brrrr stands for:

Buy
Rehab
Rent
Refinance
Repeat

Each time you refinance you pull out all of your personal money invested in the deal.

7. Chop

Find acreage and start building.

8. Madubuike Justice

First will take 70% of the money will start with real estate, then trucks (Goods delivery) will have my own driver of course, invest in crypto currency (unpopular once) stock. Save 20% , spend 5% invest the remaining 5%. Then keep a low life till further notice

9. Noah Schatzline

Give 10k to my church, Pay off my private student loans ($60k), invest the rest of it

10. Tyler

Invest 15k in the stock market
-Give my mom 50k
-Finish my dads truck – 5k
-Buy a used car ~ 20k
-Buy weapons/ammo – 5k
-Put the last 5k in a safe for a rainy day

11. DMFS

First things first. Gett my credit fixed asap. With my good credit I would start my own residential Tree Service. Invest a lil change into something fail proof.

12. WB

Section 8 rental properties, probably in Indiana. Collect rent for a year, mortgage the properties to buy more. Repeat until wealthy.

13. Nolan

Invest $50k in my long portfolio, $10k in my day trading account, $10k on biz, and use the remainder for a down payment on a house to rent out and pay itself off.

14. Brandon

Probably half in Tesla, and the other half on a real estate investment.

Or all in Tesla, wait 1-2 years, cash out half, and buy 2-3 investment properties

15. Niti Sarran

Index funds and invest right into my insta page and business

16. WebcamRiches

1. Invest $15k into undervalued stocks
2. Invest $50k into expanding my Webcam studio
3. Invest $35k as a down payment in Miami

17. I am

Buying some stocks and carry on with my day to day grind. I love my work I can shine there. Having a few extra stocks is simply the icing on the cake. Nothing more or less.

18. AWC

Invest and buy rental property- live off the rental property income

19. Amefika Williams

Get 85% out of fiat into Gold , Silver and Bitcoin. The other 15% on a marketing campaign.

20. KUSH

$50K to develop an African animated series and pitch it to Netflix. $20K to a traffic app for a major African city. $30K invest in more talent.

21. Blue Planet

Buy land in nearby hill station and built resorts real good income doesn’t matter the season people do love to visit.

22. The Alpha Thinker

10k for savings.
25k goes right for my business.
20k aside for any future investement opportunity.
20k for Cryptocurrency.
25k for my trading account.

23. James Bennett

Wait for the dip or crash and buy $30k in crypto and 20k in stocks , 50k to rehab and rent out my home. Buy a new home.

24. Finish My Math Class

I’m spending $50k on various cryptos, $10k into my current businesses, keeping $40k to look for some real estate deals.

25. Why

2 rentals (20k per house-40k total), 20k evenly dispersed into my long term investments. 10k in ETH, 10k pay off the cruze.

26. Souled Idea

1. 50 acre of land somewhere with beach access to my left, mountain ridge to my right.
2. Fly 3 trusted confidants to this land
3. Hand build 4 bedroom cabin with help of friends
4. Fish, game meats, small garden, sunlight, exercise
5. Email wealthy Americans to come rehab.

27. T

Trading accounts…invest a little into stocks and crypto…invest more into my businesses and side hustles…give some to family and friends

28. Rednukk

Yall actin like old people, invest in a business idea, no old people investments!

29. Isaiah Booker

Pay off all 20k of my debt and then using the leftovers to fund a business that pays me.

30. Kenny

Buy 12 houses. 3-5k down. Rent them as lease to own get my down payment back. Owners take care of properties better than renters in certain circ*mstances. The leases pay the mortgage and give me cash flow to invest in either more properties or other high ROI investments.

31. Quintessence of Life

Probably go all-in on Bitcoin. I know that’s the cliched response at the moment.

32. Celine Exx

Buy land so my children have a place together for their future. Invest in my business dreams.

33. Uncommon Cents

Straight into my business. Marketing, a couple employees, critical business infrastructure.

What I Would do with $100k

If my wife and I were lucky enough to suddenly receive $100,000, we would invest it into our future. For us, that means paying off our mortgage and investing in stocks, bonds, and real estate. A chunk of it would also go towards other income producing assets, like a business or alternative investments.

How we would split up $100,000:

  • $40,000 to our mortgage or pay off the balance, whatever is less. This will allow us to eliminate all of our debt and let us reach financial independence.
  • $30,000 to a mixture of growth & dividend stocks, index funds, and bonds. Since this is unexpected money, we would be slightly more aggressive in these investments to earn a higher rate of return over the long run.
  • $20,000 as a down payment on a rental property. This would be a lake house or beach property that we could use for our own personal vacations while renting out other weeks of the year to cover the mortgage.
  • $5,000 into alternative investments like fine wine, whiskey, art, or gold. This will help diversify our portfolio and may lead to a new hobby!
  • $5,000 for a vacation. We would treat ourselves to some time away to rest, relax, and recharge while enjoying life.

Tips for Investing $100k

Like I said earlier, there isn’t a right or wrong way of investing a large chunk of money. Everyone will have their own preferences and priorities for how to use it.

For some people, it may be helping out a family member or donating to a good cause. It all depends on your current living situation and what else is going on around you. Other people may just want to spend the money on a few things that make you happy. People looking to build serious wealth will use it as a springboard to grow their net worth.

I can’t help you make the right decision since everyone has a different situation. However, here are my top three tips if your goal is to build your wealth and become financially free.

  1. Don’t spend it on something that depreciates in value over time. Cars, boats, and shiny toys tend to do that and won’t help you increase your wealth.
  2. Diversify your investments. Put it into a few different types of investments instead of just one to help reduce your risk.
  3. Pay off your debt. If you can get rid of your loans, you will increase your cash flow immediately and let you avoid interest payments.

Hope you are lucky enough to encounter this situation of having an extra $100,000 that you need to figure out what to do with!

Only have $10,000? Here’s how I would invest a smaller chunk of change.


What 33 Ordinary People Would Do With $100k - Couple Wealth (4)

What 33 Ordinary People Would Do With $100k - Couple Wealth (5)

Daniel Joseph

Daniel is the founder of CoupleWealth.com, a blog focused on helping couples and young adults increase their financial stability. He and his wife paid off $88,000 in student loans, bought a house, and grew their net worth to over $500,000 by the time they were 32.

What 33 Ordinary People Would Do With $100k - Couple Wealth (2024)

FAQs

What kind of lifestyle can I afford with 100k? ›

With $100,000 a year, a person could cover typical expenses, pay down debt, build their savings, contribute toward retirement, invest, and still have enough money for entertainment, hobbies, and vacations.

At what age should you have $100,000 saved? ›

Kevin O'Leary: By Age 33, You Should Have $100K in Savings — How To Get Started. If you're just starting out in your career, $100,000 might seem like a lot of money. After all, the median salary of a 20- to 24-year-old, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, is just $37,024.

How many Americans have 100k in savings? ›

Most American households have at least $1,000 in checking or savings accounts. But only about 12% have more than $100,000 in checking and savings.

What percentage of American individuals make over $100 K? ›

According to the US Census Bureau, the majority of Americans (54.98%) make $50,000 per year or less, while only 18% of individual Americans make $100,000 per year or more.

Is 100k considered wealthy? ›

Earning more than $100,000 per year would put you well ahead of the median American household, which brings in $74,784 as of 2021. Assuming you're an individual without dependents, that salary would qualify you as upper class, according to three different definitions (Brookings, Urban Institute and Pew Research).

Is 100k a year middle class? ›

A Middle-Class Income Is $50,000 to $150,000

“The definition of middle income ranges from earning two-thirds to double the median household income,” said CFP and The Ways To Wealth founder R.J. Weiss, who cited the Pew Research Center's widely accepted definition of the term.

How much should a 33 year old have in savings? ›

Fast answer: Rule of thumb: Have 1x your annual income saved by age 30, 3x by 40, and so on.

Can I retire with 100k and Social Security? ›

Add in another $22,000 or so from Social Security, and you could be in pretty decent shape. Coming into retirement with $100,000 in savings is far better than not having any savings at all. But the reality is that $100,000 just isn't a ton of money for what could easily be 20 years of retirement or more.

What is a good monthly retirement income? ›

Average Monthly Retirement Income

According to data from the BLS, average 2022 incomes after taxes were as follows for older households: 65-74 years: $63,187 per year or $5,266 per month. 75 and older: $47,928 per year or $3,994 per month.

How do people retire with no savings? ›

Many retirees with little to no savings rely solely on Social Security as their main source of income. You can claim Social Security benefits as early as age 62, but your benefit amount will depend on when you start filing for the benefit. You get less than your full benefit if you file before your full retirement age.

How much do most Americans retire with? ›

Average retirement savings balance by age
Age groupAverage retirement savings balance amount
35-44$141,520
45-54$313,220
55-64$537,560
65-74$609,230
1 more row
Mar 5, 2024

What percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck? ›

A majority, 65%, say they live paycheck to paycheck, according to CNBC and SurveyMonkey's recent Your Money International Financial Security Survey, which polled 498 U.S. adults. That's a slight increase from last year's results, which found that 58% of Americans considered themselves to be living paycheck to paycheck.

What salary is considered rich for a single person? ›

Based on that figure, an annual income of $500,000 or more would make you rich. The Economic Policy Institute uses a different baseline to determine who constitutes the top 1% and the top 5%. For 2021, you're in the top 1% if you earn $819,324 or more each year. The top 5% of income earners make $335,891 per year.

What is the upper middle class salary? ›

The upper middle class is often defined as the top 15% to 20% of earners. According to the Social Security Administration's 2022 wage data, the average upper-middle-class income was roughly between $80,000 and $100,000.

Do most Americans live paycheck to paycheck? ›

A 2023 survey conducted by Payroll.org highlighted that 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, a 6% increase from the previous year. In other words, more than three-quarters of Americans struggle to save or invest after paying for their monthly expenses.

Can you live off 100K for life? ›

“With a nest egg of $100,000, that would only cover two years of expenses without considering any additional income sources like Social Security,” Ross explained. “So, while it's not impossible, it would likely require a very frugal lifestyle and additional income streams to be comfortable.”

Can you live comfortably with 100K? ›

For many higher-earning Americans, meanwhile, earning six figures hasn't created the level of comfort for which they had hoped. Roughly 4 out of 10 Americans earning $100,000 or more are still living paycheck to paycheck, a 2023 LendingTree study found.

Can I afford a 500k house on 100K salary? ›

The 30% rule for home buyers

If your annual salary is $100,000, the 30% rule means you should spend around $2,500 per month on your house payment. With a 10% down payment and a 6% fixed interest rate, you could likely afford a home worth around $350,000 to $400,000 (depending on the cost of taxes and home insurance).

How long can you live off of 100K? ›

Bottom Line. With $100,000 you should budget for a retirement income of around $5,000 to $8,000 on top of Social Security, depending on how you have invested your money. Much more than this will likely cause you to run out of money within 25 – 30 years, which is potentially within the lifespan of the average retiree.

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