OP here. That might be part of it. I also grew up internationally (expat) so I guess I’m not only comparing myself with Americans, but people worldwide. |
That’s what I’m saying. It has to be wrong. |
If you have 20M in retirement, this is not a modest amount. |
Correct...but in the DC area you have an outsized concentration of law partners as an example who can hit that level after just like 7-8 years of partner earnings. However, outside of DC and NYC and like SF/LA, the BigLaw market is actually much smaller. DC is also the #5 metro area for F500 HQs. You have Capital One, Hilton, Marriott, Choice, Boeing, etc. 20 HQs in total. |
lol you need 800k - 1m/yr in retirement? I am all for asset accumulation but that's bonkers. I manage money for UHNW and most do not spend anywhere near 50-70k a month net in retirement. |
OP here. I’m not saying you need that much for retirement, I’m just saying that way more than 280,000 people have $20million and over. |
Bullshit. Hitting that number in “7-8” years as a law partner requires earning $3 million a year, spending none of it and paying no taxes. |
Here is what AI says:
Here's a breakdown of the available information: Ultra-High-Net-Worth (UHNW): Defined as having a net worth of $30 million or more, the U.S. had 426,330 UHNW individuals in 2024, according to Altrata's World Ultra Wealth Report. Households with $20 Million+ Investable Assets: A Reddit post from July 2025 cited 284,200 U.S. households with investable assets of $20 million or higher. So, both could be correct...notice how the July 2025 post says 284,200 have investable assets of $20MM+. That likely excludes house equity, equity in private businesses, etc. |
Maybe they put a couple of million in Nividea in their first and second years as equity partners. |
Dude...you are a bit unhinged...you do realize you don't go from $0 to $3MM per year right? You are earning many hundreds of thousands and maybe over a $1MM for years even before making equity partner, and investing a bunch of that. |
That isn’t right. Say you make equity partner in 10 years. You are making $500,000 or less the first five. And probably less than a million for all of it. Most have law school debt and even if they don’t, are saving for a down payment and paying for day care and schools |
What you say is likely true yet stars like Taylor Swift have jaded me to the point where I think $20M is not that much for a singer while it still does seem like a lot for an actor. An actor has fewer opportunities to run their career like a business, and a singer does have that opportunity. |
What do you mean it isn't "right"? Most people making $500k per year can save at least $100k of that...probably even more. Now you are slowly moving up towards $1MM and continuing to save more...assume normal investment returns...now you make equity partner and are making $3MM+ (or maybe $5MM or maybe more). Once you hit partner you are saving like $1MM per year, and again it's all compounding. So maybe they don't hit a $20MM NW at 8 years...maybe it takes 10 or maybe 12 or 15. The point is you can definitely get there from being a BigLaw partner and DC has an outsized share of BigLaw partners. |
Dude, I know Biglaw better than you do. There’s no arguing with the ignorant. |
Oh ok, now I get it. You were wrong before and you’ve corrected yourself and now say it takes twice as long as you said. |