The late Charlie Munger — the billionaire investor, Berkshire Hathaway vice-chairman, and Warren Buffett's right-hand man — once told shareholders that accumulating the first $100,000 in capital was a difficult yet essential part of long-term financial success.

“It’s a b—-, but you gotta do it,” Munger said at the time. “I don’t care what you have to do — if it means walking everywhere and not eating anything that wasn’t purchased with a coupon, find a way to get your hands on $100,000.”

The first $100,000 is considered a tipping point for wealth-building because it’s a sizable amount of capital. Personal finance guru Ramit Sethi uploaded a video to his YouTube channel that illustrates why entering the six-figure club fast-tracks a person’s path to financial freedom.

How to reach your first $100,000

Sethi used the example of a saver who started with $0 and invested $833 a month for 40 years at a 7% rate of return. It would take this hypothetical person roughly eight years to get to their first $100,000. From there, it would take just 32 years to hit $1 million.

Eventually, your journey will hit a tipping point where you earn more on previous contributions and accumulated capital than on new contributions.

Here are a few ways you can potentially reach this important milestone.

Invest

Since 1957, the S&P 500 has delivered a 10.26% compounded annual return, according to data from Investopedia.

Assuming you invest $833 every month, it would take you just slightly more than seven years to reach the $100,000 milestone.

Making a habit out of putting money aside every month is easier than you might think.

Allocating a portion of your monthly paycheck is a good place to start, but you can also take it one step further and begin investing spare change from everyday purchases with Acorns.

Here’s how it works: Once you link your bank account or credit card with Acorns, the robo-investing app automatically rounds off your purchases to the nearest dollar and deposits the excess into a smart investment portfolio of diversified ETFs like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF.

For instance, when you buy a coffee for $4.25, Acorns automatically rounds off the total purchase price to $5 and places the 75-cent difference into your portfolio.

While 75 cents might not seem like much, $2.50 worth of daily round-ups from everyday purchases can result in over $900 a year — and that’s before it earns money and compounds in the market.

Start a side hustle

Alternatively, you could target higher contributions. A side hustle, freelance work, or extra hours at your current job could help you contribute perhaps $900, or even $1,000, every month instead of $833.

Instead of getting a second job, you can begin investing to build a passive income. This way, you can join the highly coveted six-figure club without compromising on maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Real estate can be a lucrative investment avenue.

According to a 2024 survey by Gallup, Inc., 36% of respondents believed real estate to be the best investment option. However, amid the soaring housing prices across the U.S. over the past few years, investing in rental properties to build a stream of passive income might be unfeasible for many. Not to mention having to worry about property maintenance and finding reliable tenants.

If you don’t have excess funds to buy a second home or simply don’t want to deal with the hassles of becoming a landlord, you can start a turnkey real estate side hustle with the help of real estate crowdfunding platforms.

Homeshares gives accredited investors access to this overlooked segment: the billions in locked-in equity sitting in owner-occupied homes.

Instead of purchasing properties, investors participate through a portfolio of Home Equity Agreements (HEAs) — allowing homeowners to unlock cash with no monthly payments, while investors share in future appreciation.

The result is exposure to a large, under-tapped market across top U.S. cities, without the headaches of being a landlord or the risk of being overleveraged.

HEAs come with built-in protection: they usually cover 25 to 35% of a home’s value in a lien secured position, which helps shield your investment if the market dips. And unlike traditional real estate, HEAs are also typically resilient to interest rate shifts, offering attractive, risk-adjusted returns even during economic uncertainty.

With diversified portfolios of high-quality homes and target returns of 14% to 17%, Homeshares offers a practical way to gain exposure to a growing corner of the real estate market.

You can tap into this market by investing in shares of vacation homes or rental properties through Arrived.

Backed by world-class investors including Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of vacation and rental properties, earning a passive income stream without the extra work that comes with being a landlord of your own rental property.

To get started, simply browse through their selection of vetted properties, each picked for their potential appreciation and income generation. Once you choose a property, you can start investing with as little as $100, potentially earning quarterly dividends.

Once you’re an investor with Arrived, you’ll gain access to their newly launched secondary market, where investors can buy and sell shares of individual rental and vacation rental properties directly on the platform.

This allows you to buy into properties you may have missed at the initial offering or sell shares before a property reaches the end of its hold period.

With access to more than 400 properties in 60 cities, this new way to trade real estate opens up flexibility and opportunities to gain access to more properties every quarter.

Take advantage of your employer’s 401(k) matching program

Another strategy for fast-tracking your entry into the six-figure club is utilizing your employer’s 401(k) match program.

According to research from the Plan Sponsor of America (PSCA), 98% of companies that offered a 401(k) in 2023 matched their employees’ contributions to varying degrees.

But there’s usually a cap on the amount an employer will match your contributions to your retirement account. Or maybe your employer doesn’t have a 401(k) matching program.

According to a report published by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), in 2022 roughly 47% of American workers between 18 and 64 years of age were employed in businesses that don’t offer any type of retirement plan.

Not having employer-sponsored retirement plans shouldn’t stop you from opening tax-advantaged retirement accounts like self-directed IRAs. These accounts can give you control over your savings, allowing you to choose where you want to invest and how much you want to put in, subject to IRS regulations.

Opening a gold IRA can help you grow your net worth safely by protecting your savings against inflation, as well as diversify your portfolio further.

Priority Gold is an industry leader in precious metals, offering physical delivery of gold and silver. Plus, they have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a 5-star rating from Trust Link.

If you’d like to convert an existing IRA into a gold IRA, Priority Gold offers 100% free rollover, as well as free shipping, and free storage for up to five years. Qualifying purchases will also receive up to $10,000 in free silver.

To learn more about how Priority Gold can help you reduce inflation’s impact on your nest egg, download their free 2025 gold investor bundle. (Money Wise)