So you have a car paid for a brokerage account, and your credit card account is fully paid every month. But are you rich or just comfortable?
According to new survey data, Americans have some quite specific opinions about where this line is drawn. And spoiler: The bar is higher than most people’s true net worth. Whether you are quietly crushing your financial goals or just gloomy about how much others think “rich”, these figures tell a lot about how our expectations change in today’s economy.
Based on 2025 Charles Schwab’s Modern Wealth survey, Americans now say you need $ 2.3 million. USD to hold rich. This decreased slightly from 2.5 million. USD last year, but still well in the seven -number area. Meanwhile, people say you just need to feel financially comfortable, sitting for $ 839,000 – from $ 778,000 in 2024.
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And no, it’s not just a lot of dreams. These figures are from real people trying to make sense of a world where foods cost more than a dinner, housing prices will not give up, and interest rates do not have a freezing.
Much of why these thresholds are constantly climbing? Inflation, economic uncertainty, taxes and general feeling that everything just costs more. Based on Schwab’s report, nearly 63% of Americans say they need more money today to feel rich than they did only a year ago. Blame the economy, your food account or that coworker with her second home Hamptons.
While many say you need millions to feel rich, the latest federal reserves data show that US households have an average net value of $ 192,900. The average, which is higher due to the highly rich households, is just over 1 million. USD. So basically, even when you are “average” on paper, you can still feel far from rich, especially when social media shows you someone’s vacation from a drone shot.
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When generating, Baby Boomers expect the most: they think they need $ 2.8 million. USD to keep it rich. The Gen X is not far behind $ 2.7 million. USD. Millennials have some $ 2.2 million.