Roadmap to Your First Million

Twelve net-worth milestones from your first dollar to your first million, each with a few plausible ways to get there.

1. Milestone 1$1.00

   Your First Dollar Saved

   The first dollar you deliberately set aside proves the habit works — everything after this is just repetition at scale.

2. Milestone 2$100.00

   First $100 in the Bank

   Small enough to feel achievable, big enough to make the savings account feel real instead of symbolic.

3. Milestone 3$1,000

   First $1,000 Buffer

   A starter buffer that absorbs the first flat tire or broken laptop without going onto a credit card.

4. Milestone 4$5,000

   $5,000 Starter Emergency Fund

   Enough runway to cover a real setback — a job gap or a major repair — without derailing your finances.

5. Milestone 5$10,000

   $10,000 Full Emergency Fund

   A fully-funded safety net for most single-income households, freeing up mental space to start investing.

6. Milestone 6$25,000

   $25,000 Invested

   The point where market returns start contributing a noticeable amount alongside your own contributions.

7. Milestone 7$50,000

   $50,000 Net Worth

   A visible dent in the road to seven figures, and the amount where compounding growth becomes hard to ignore.

8. Milestone 8$100,000

   First $100,000

   Often called the hardest milestone to reach — after this, growth increasingly carries itself.

9. Milestone 9$250,000

   $250,000 Net Worth

   A quarter of the way there, with compounding growth now doing a substantial share of the heavy lifting.

10. Milestone 10$500,000

    $500,000 Net Worth

    Halfway to a million, with your portfolio's own growth now rivaling your annual contributions.

11. Milestone 11$750,000

    $750,000 Net Worth

    Three-quarters of the way to a million, where the final stretch is mostly about staying disciplined.

12. Milestone 12$1,000,000

    The First Million

    The milestone that gives this site its name — a number that mostly builds itself once you're here.