Want to retire in America with at least $1M? Dave Ramsey shares 1 breakthrough tip to turbocharge your savings

How to get rich slow

Ramsey does not hide his disgust when it comes to get-rich-quick schemes.

“The only people getting rich quick on get-rich-quick schemes are the jokers selling you the stuff to do it.” Ramsey said in a Facebook video clip posted in January 2022.

In his experience, “the way you build wealth is slow and steady, time and consistency.”

Sure, it’s possible to get rich quick. Ramsey did so himself when he started buying real estate in his 20s and made his first million dollars. But his fortune was built on debt, and eventually his house of cards came crashing down and sent him into bankruptcy.

That’s why he’s vocal about money trends like cryptocurrency, NFTs and even single stocks, where people think they can make a quick buck by buying low and selling high.

“You could lose your shirt (and pants) messing around with crypto. Steer clear, Big Tuna. Head for open waters. Crypto is risky business,” as his website, Ramsey Solutions, has advised.

Get-rich-slow plans, on the other hand, can be “really boring,” according to Ramsey Solutions, but offer a more steady path to reach your financial goals.

“It’s not flashy or wild. It’s not a rollercoaster. Building wealth takes time — especially when you’re investing the right way.”

In a survey of 10,000 millionaires conducted by Ramsey Solutions from November 2017 to January 2018, around 80% of respondents said they built much of their wealth through their employer-sponsored retirement plan. Around 75% also attributed their success to regular, consistent investing over a long period of time. In other words, they got rich slowly.

Discover how a simple decision today could lead to an extra $1.3 million in retirement

Learn how you can set yourself up for a more prosperous future by exploring why so many people who work with financial advisors retire with more wealth.

Discover the full story and see how you could be on the path to an extra $1.3 million in retirement.

Read More

So how slow is slow?

Ramsey became a millionaire once again after the bankruptcy. But the second time around, he did it differently: he paid off his debts and started saving his money.

When it comes to get rich slow, Ramsey has made a name for himself by coming up with 7 baby steps that can help people build wealth over time. It starts with getting out of debt (except for your house) and setting up an emergency fund. From there, you can focus on investing and building wealth.

Ramsey Solutions recommends investing 15% of your income into tax-advantaged investment accounts, using the formula “Match beats Roth beats Traditional.” When investing outside of your company plan, it’s suggested you spread your risk across four types of mutual funds: growth, growth and income, aggressive growth, and international.

Next, adopt a buy-and-hold strategy, keeping a long-term perspective rather than chasing returns because that’s how “you wake up one day with an empty nest egg and a ton of regret.”

It can help to work with a financial adviser, Ramsey Solutions says, but you shouldn’t invest in anything “until you understand how it works.”

Striking gold in a get-rich-quick scheme is a rarity — not the norm. Building real wealth, according to Ramsey Solutions, means you have to “stop being in such a hurry to get rich” because “slow and steady wins the race every time.”