What is it that makes rich people different than poor people and the middle class? Is it just that they have more money in the bank- or is it something else? Are there special traits that make some people more likely to be rich while the rest of us can’t seem to get ahead financially?
What is Your Rich Score?
In today’s article, I’ll show you some of the most important differences between rich people and poor people. You’ll discover differences in how they think, how they act, and how they see the world.
Also, you’ll be able to score yourself at the end of each section to measure your rich person habits and see where you need improvement. I’ll even show you my score for each category and share my total score at the end!
So without further ado, let’s get started!
10 Huge Differences Between Rich People and Poor People
Do you have what it takes to be rich? Whether you do or not, you can always improve areas where you’re lacking. The great thing is that if you’re poor now, you can change what you do and how you think. You can become rich when you start doing the right things!
Let me start by saying that nothing in this article is meant to denigrate anyone who is poor. Sometimes poverty happens due to things beyond your control. It’s only meant to highlight differences in mindset and habits that any individual can take control of to make life better financially.
So let’s get started…
Rich People Manage Their Money Well
One of the reasons rich people are rich is that they know how to manage their money well. In general, they keep a budget and don’t carry a lot of consumer debt.
They understand that car payments and credit card bills are not conducive to building wealth. If they do use credit cards, they pay off the balance every month so there are no finance charges.
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Poor People Tend to Use Consumer Debt
They believe that credit card bills and car payments are just a part of life. Most avoid keeping track of their money or do a written budget.
They tend to spend their paycheck until the money runs out. If the money runs out before the next paycheck, they use the credit card to fill the gaps.
What I do: I don’t have any credit cards and only pay cash for my cars. We do a detailed written budget every single month and never spend more than we make.
My score: 10
Rich People Focus on Rewards
Rich people understand it’s necessary to take on some risk if you want significant financial rewards. They take measured risks with their investments and in their business dealings when they believe the rewards are worth the risk.
Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose. But in the end, rich people know that risks and rewards go hand in hand.
Poor People Focus on Risk
Poor people tend to focus more on the risk side of the equation. They believe risk should be avoided because they don’t want to lose money. Because of that, they tend to stick with “safe” investments like CD’s, savings accounts, and other low return investments so they don’t lose their hard-earned money.
What I do: I used to be very defensive with my investments. Unfortunately that attitude cost me a lot of money over the years. These days, I take calculated risks that I believe have plenty of upside potential in relation to the amount of risk involved. I own rental real estate, stocks, mutual funds, and have started investing in cryptocurrencies.
My Score: 8.5
Rich People Take on Challenges
Rich people are not afraid to take on difficult challenges when they know there is potential for a nice payoff. Building independent wealth is rarely easy, and there are a lot of hard things that need to be done to make it happen. Rich people face these challenges head on, seeing them as a chance to grow and succeed.
Poor People Run from Challenges
Poor people don’t like to be challenged. They like to stay in their comfort zone and keep things the way they are. The only time they will take on a difficult challenge for growth is when they are forced into it. They typically don’t take the initiative at work and do the minimum it takes to stay employed.
What I do: I don’t mind a challenge when I think it’s worth it. I take the initiative much more than I did when I was younger, and I’m constantly seeking ways to grow and be better at life in general.
My Score: 9
Rich People Choose Both
When faced with choices, rich people like to have their cake and eat it too! When faced with an either/or choice (and both choices are favorable), rich people try to find a way to have both.
Choosing both is a state of mind that has an accelerating effect on wealth building. When you’re of the mindset of choosing both, you’ll always end up with more.
Poor People Choose Either/Or
When faced with either/or decisions, poor people tend to choose one or the other, but not both. They haven’t opened up their mind to the awesome possibilities that choosing both could have on their life.
So they stay limited in their thinking, and limited in their wealth because they don’t want to ask too much. Even if they want both, they don’t feel like they can have both because they might be perceived as greedy or undeserving.
What I do: I’m a lot better at this than I used to be. My natural tendency is to think with an either/or mindset. These days I’m more likely to try to find ways to have everything I want instead of having to choose.
My Score: 8
Rich People Face Their Fears
Rich people are not immune to fear. All humans experience fear from time to time, but those that know how to overcome it tend to succeed more than those who don’t.
Facing fears of the unknown in a business deal, an investment, or in relationships is necessary if you want to become a stronger, more successful person. Just like facing risk, facing your fears usually pays off huge when you decide to do it on a regular basis.
Poor People Run from Fear
On the other hand, poor people don’t want to face their fears. They would rather stay stuck in a rut and comfortable than overcome fears that hold them back from achieving their best destiny.
What I do: Just like anyone, facing my fears is tough for me. However, I’ve discovered the more I do it, the easier it is to do. I’m a lot more likely to take a risk and march through situations that used to scare me stiff. I understand now that when I start feeling fear, it means I’m onto something good. I’ll make more of an effort to work past it and come out better on the other side.
My Score: 8
Rich People Make Their Money Work Hard
Both poor people and rich people work hard for their money. But wealthy people like to make their money work hard for them. They don’t want their money sitting around in savings accounts gathering dust. Rich people make it a point to find money in their budget to invest, and they do it on a regular basis.
Instead of hoping there is money to put into investments at the end of the month, they’re more likely to sacrifice spending money so they can invest it and watch it grow.
Poor People Work Hard for Their Money
Poor people, on the other hand, work hard for their money and usually have little to show for it. They tend to spend their entire paycheck without saving money for investments.
The result is that the average wage earner has little to show for decades of hard work. Then they have to rely on Social Security and continue to work until their health won’t allow it.
What I do: One of the best ways I’m building wealth is by getting other people to help me do it. I own a rental house that generates income every month that I put directly into stocks, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies. So, on top of the appreciation I get on the real estate, I get a renter that writes me a nice check every month I can send to investments. How cool is that!
My Score: 10
Rich People are Relentlessly Positive
Let’s face it, there are plenty of things to be negative about in today’s complicated world. Rich people know that negativity never accomplishes anything good.
Keeping a positive attitude and hanging around positive people are essential to building a wealthy life. Believing that good things are going to happen to you (even when things don’t look so good) helps you power through tough situations and come through victorious. Positive people change things they don’t like instead of complaining about them.
One of the ways they harness positivity is through positive self-affirmations. They envision what they want and speak it as if it’s already happened. Over time, those affirmations have a habit of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Poor People Wallow in Negativity
Negative Nellies tend to be financially unsuccessful. They’re usually complaining about what’s going on in world events, their career, family life, and anything else they can find to complain about.
They love to complain so other people can hear them, but rarely, if ever, take action toward a finding a solution to the problem.
What I do: I tend to be and extremely positive person. I learned a long time ago that negativity doesn’t serve you well in any area of life, including your finances. Staying positive keeps you engaged and active instead of feeling tired and depressed about your life. I’ve even found that thinking and speaking positivity when there is nothing to be positive about just makes me feel better, eventually helping me to turn a bad situation into a good one.
My Score: 10
Rich People are Committed to Living a Wealthy Life
Unless you win the lottery, most people don’t just stumble into wealth. Building wealth takes a commitment to doing the things necessary to make a rich life happen.
You have to commit to doing difficult things like:
- Getting an advanced education (becoming a doctor, lawyer, etc.).
- Working long hours to advance your career.
- Taking years to build a successful business.
- Finding ways to improve your skills.
- Taking financial risks that hopefully will pay off in the end.
Poor People Dream of Being Rich
Poor people like to dream of winning the lottery or discovering they had a rich aunt that died and left them millions of dollars. Sometimes they even talk badly about wealthy people out of jealousy.
They are not willing to do what it takes to join the ranks of the wealthy. They would rather be entertained with novels, movies, and video games than commit time to learning and doing things that lead to wealth.
What I do: I am committed to living a wealthy life. Although I’ve done better than most, I still have a long way to go before I consider myself financially wealthy.
My Score: 9
Rich People Hang Around Other Rich People
I’ve heard it said a million times “you’re the average of the five people you hang around the most”. Even the Bible reflects this sentiment:
Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”
Rich people hang out with other rich people because they can learn from each other. They talk less about people and more about business, investments, social trends, and other subjects that help make them more knowledgeable. They share what they’re doing in their own wealth building journey and learn from each other.
Poor People Hang Around Other Poor People
If you want to stay poor, hang out with poor people. They don’t have a plan. They tend to talk about everything other than what it takes to build more wealth.
If you want to build more wealth, find wealthier friends. Find friends that are better off than you are and learn from them. Find out how they earn money, what they invest in, what kind of education they have, and get their advice on how to do those things yourself.
What I do: I could do a better job at this. I have a couple of friends that are very successful and love to spend time with them talking about some of the valuable topics I mentioned above. I’ve been considering joining a mastermind group of like-minded people but haven’t done it yet.
My Score: 6.5
Rich People Focus on What They Want
Whether it’s wealth, health, good relationships or anything else, wealthy people focus on what they want and try to find a way to achieve it. They’re not into making excuses or being bitter and unhappy about things they don’t have.
Poor People Focus on What They Don’t Have
Poor people have more of a tendency to focus on what they lack. They’re more likely to make excuses like:
- The system is rigged against people like me.
- I don’t have an education.
- You need money to make money, and I don’t have any.
- I don’t have any marketable skills.
- I don’t have connections.
They let what they lack drag them down and decide to make excuses instead of taking action to rectify the problem.
What I’m doing: I don’t sit around worrying about what I don’t have. I am definitely not a complainer. I’m that guy that always tries to turn the conversation around to something positive, no matter how bad the situation is.
My Score: 10
What is Your Rich Person Score?
Even if you have all the habits and mindsets mentioned above, it doesn’t necessarily mean your financially rich right now. However, the more you put these into practice, the more likely you are to succeed in your financial life and end up rich.
So how did you score?
0-50 If you want to be rich, now is the time to start changing some things
50-65 You have a few rich habits and mindsets, but you still have a long way to go.
65-85 You’re well on your way to being rich, challenge yourself more to increase your score!
85-100 You have the habits and mindset of a rich person! If you’re not rich now, you will be eventually!
My score is: 89 – I’m doing great but I could still use a little improvement in a few areas, especially when it comes to hanging with more successful people.
So how did you do?
Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page and tell me your score. Tell me what you're doing well and where you could use some improvement.
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