Thanks for downloading the Money Girl Podcast. I'm your host Laura Adams.

One of the most surprising facts about wealthy people is that most of them weren't

born rich. About 80% of the most financially successful people in the United States are first

generation millionaires. That means they accumulated wealth by working hard

and saving money and having a great business idea doesn't hurt either.

So if you think growing rich is not possible for ordinary people,

I'll give you five million dollar lessons you can use to start building your

personal fortune today. The process of becoming wealthy begins in your head

long before you ever start to see it accumulate in your bank account.

Believe it or not, when it comes to growing rich,

the financial philosophies and disciplines you adopt

are much more important than how much money you make.

Wealth lesson number one, live below your means.

Wealthy people know that saving and investing, not spending, is how you grow rich.

It's ironic, but many millionaires live inconspicuously and don't drive brand new luxury cars or live in huge estates.

You'll never meet a wealthy person who lives paycheck to paycheck.

That's because they understand that living below your means and having plenty of discretionary income to

invest is the golden ticket to building wealth. This million dollar lesson is

true no matter if you make 50,000 or 500,000 a year.

Yes, it's certainly more challenging to have money left over at the end of the month when you

make less, but it's not impossible. So the first step to becoming wealthy is to realize

that living within your means is a choice. If you can free up $200 every month

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