Here’s Where Wealthy People Put Their Money

“If you want to be wealthy, do what wealthy people do.” That’s the premise of this episode of The Money Guy Show, and hosts Brian Preston and Bo Hanson have the data to back it up. Drawing on Federal Reserve surveys and other research, they reveal that the top 10% of American households—those with a net worth of roughly $1.9 million—don’t park their money where most people assume. The picture that emerges is less about yachts and Rolexes and more about consistent, unglamorous habits that anyone can start copying today.

The real portfolio: stocks, real estate, and business equity

The most important finding is where wealthy households actually invest. According to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, 96% of the top 10% own equities—almost always through low-cost index funds and employer-sponsored retirement accounts like 401(k)s. The hosts stress that this is not about day trading or picking hot stocks. “Instead of trying to beat the market, just be the market,” they say. The evidence is stark: a $10,000 investment in the S&P 500 left untouched from 1987 to 2025 would have grown to $616,000. Missing just the single best year drops that to $448,000; missing the five best consecutive years cuts it to $175,000. The real risk, they argue, isn’t missing a few days—it’s that investors who panic and exit the market tend to stay out for years, not days.