Is $100K Enough Anymore? The Truth in 2025

Money Guy Show

Brian Preston, CPA, CFP®, PFS and Bo Hanson, CFA, CFP® | Fee-Only Fiduciary Advisors

Education, Investing, Business

4.7 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

⁠⁠⁠⁠Six figures used to mean you’d “made it.” But in 2025, many Americans feel like $100K just doesn’t go as far. We break down national survey data on what people think it takes to feel financially secure and “rich,” explore the dangerous mindset of lifestyle creep, and reveal the real formula for building wealth - regardless of your income. Then we answer your financial questions on retirement withdrawal strategies, emergency fund planning, 529 overfunding, and Roth account decisions. Jump start your journey with our FREE financial resources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reach your goals faster with our products⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take the relationship to the next level: become a client⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube for early access and go beyond the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with us on social media for more content⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bring confidence to your wealth building with simplified strategies from The Money Guy. Learn how to apply financial tactics that go beyond common sense and help you reach your money goals faster. Make your assets do the heavy lifting so you can quit worrying and start living a more fulfilled life. ⁠⁠NordVPN.com/MONEYGUY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is presented by eBay.
0:03.8	Rob, everyone loves a deal and a bargain from time to time, don't they? Absolutely, mate. And do you know where you can grab a great deal? Talk to me. Where? The eBay app. Yes, you are correct. You didn't need to talk to me. I already knew it. I love eBay. When you're buying, you can discover loads of hidden gems. there's so many items where you think I would have never found that anywhere else.
0:23.7	Then when you're buying, you can discover loads of hidden gems. There's so many items where you think I would have never found that anywhere else. Then when you're selling, it's so simple and most
0:25.9	importantly, free. It's free, Rob. When it's this easy to sell for free and there's great deals
0:31.6	on things you love. You can't help but say when it's eBay. It excludes vehicles and business
0:35.9	sellers.
0:44.6	Race the rudder. Raise the sales. Raise the sales. Captain and unidentified chip approaching.
0:51.5	Over. Roger that. Wait. Is that an enterprise sales solution? Reach sales professionals,
0:56.6	not professional sailors. With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title, and more.
0:59.9	Start converting your B2B audience into high-quality leads today.
1:03.8	Spend £200 on your first campaign and get a £200 credit for the next one.
1:06.6	Go to LinkedIn.com slash lead to claim your offer.
1:07.8	Terms and conditions apply.
1:18.7	Brian, I am so excited to talk about this because I feel like this gets a lot of press.
1:24.1	And I think that there is a lot of misinformation out there because used to $100,000 was like the crim della crim, like the goal was to reach a six figure income.
1:29.2	But now we're hearing so many people say, even if you make $100,000, you're still living
1:35.0	paycheck to paycheck. So the question is, is it enough?
1:38.3	Well, I think anybody who's watch our content for any period of time, no, this was one of my
1:42.7	milestones. When I hit 30, I wanted to be making
1:45.3	six figures. But there is a bigger question here. In the past, six figures was something
1:53.1	that was to be aspired to. But now we even have people asking, because we've all heard about
1:57.5	the Princeton study of his $75,000 enough to create happiness and
	...

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