Wealth is not earned, it is created, according to financial experts. Though this will definitely not happen overnight, with the right strategy and discipline, it is possible for an individual to excel financially. Camille Gaines, an accredited financial counselor writes that most people think of wealth as being made only from investing in the stock market. While many investors do successfully grow a stock portfolio over time, you will find that most high net worth investors make wealth in other ways. She notes that wealth is commonly made from significant income increases, company bonuses, increases in the value of assets owned, receiving and growing an inheritance, or investing in traditional stock and bond portfolios. The time frame varies among each. Then more wealth is made by combining skills and existing capital, or savings, attained from any of these endeavors so that capital compounds, and continues to do so. Elie Mugisha, a businessman believes it’s important to understand the difference between making money and building wealth. Making money is more about creating a high income from a high paying job or running a business, while building wealth on the other hand is about creating a stock of value that goes up over time. Mugisha therefore notes that for one who wants to create wealth other than just make money, they need to start investing as soon as possible. “Building wealth requires that you start investing. Your choice for investment however calls for careful scrutiny; you need to plan and have a systematic approach on how to go about this,” he says. The entrepreneur says there is need to understand various investment options in order to be in position to make wise choices. Gaines highlights that the fastest way to build wealth in which an investor has more control is from increases in asset value. Such an increase occurs most often from stocks or real estate. This method can work particularly well during strong increasing markets. Safina Akarabo, a finance expert shares her opinion noting that amassing wealth requires for one to be intentional in looking for new opportunities for wealth creation. The economy today has created new opportunities for money creation in almost all sectors, she says, adding that there are many job categories and with technology in place, the possibilities of making money from multiple streams of income is high. “We need to make good use of the available opportunities, take advantage of every opportunity to achieve your financial goals.” It is also advisable to cut expenses to save more money for one with goals of wealth accumulation. The difference between your earnings and expenses, is normally the result of your savings. It is recommended that a person needs to save at least 15-20% of their income. However, experts observe that for one trying to create wealth from nothing, this is not enough. You may need to save at least 50% of your earnings so that you can have money in the bank that you can invest.
