You’ve heard of it, I’ve heard of it, everyone has heard of 6 figures. Most of the time, we link 6 figures to wealth and financial freedom. If you have a 6 figure income, you can buy whatever you want, whenever you want it and without worrying about money. The same thing goes for all figures… 7 figures, 8 figures, 9 figures. These are all numbers that have been linked to extraordinary wealth.
You basically have an amazing life because your financial foundation is strong. At least, that’s what the majority of people think.
But is that actually true?
That we’ll answer later. For now, let’s first start with the basics…
What is the meaning of 6 figures?
Figures refer to numbers, so 6 figures mean 6 numbers. Having said that, when your income is between $100,000 and $999,999, it is considered a 6 figure income. Therefore, your income must be more than $100,000 but less than a million. A 6 figure person earns an annual salary that is within that area before tax.
Okay, now that we have a pretty good idea of what 6 digits are, let’s discuss feelings.
I mean you’re making 6 figures, right? Only 15% of Americans are in your position, it must feel good.
When considering that the average American annual salary is a little more than $50k and you’re making that double, you certainly have a feeling of satisfaction. It feels like you made it to the upper class. Now you can live the American dream!
Yeah, you’re not Elon Musk or some kind of powerful billionaire but life does get easy when earning that amount. You are comfortable, less anxious about money, and happy with your finances. 6 figures become the best when combined with simplicity though.
Someone that lives simply (even with a 6 figure salary), invests in their future and spends their money on things that actually matter, and feels good both in the short and the long run.
By living simply, I don’t mean living awfully. I mean living in a way that you feel good about, in a way that is not influenced by others.
Summing this up, earning 6 figures is really amazing and it definitely feels good. But with great power comes great responsibility. It’ll be harder to manage yourself because when you’re making $30k a year, you don’t really have the option to buy something expensive. However, with $100k a year you have that chance, the real deal is if you’ll take it or not.
Why are 6 figures so popular?
Why are 6 figures more popular than 7 figures or even 8? 7 figures are certainly more than 6, so why do people focus on the latter?
First of all, when you tell people that you wanna be a millionaire (earn 7 figures), they say things like “NO WAY!”, “That’s really hard, you’re not gonna make it” or “Stick to your current job and income”. That’s just how the majority sees it. As an impossible task!
Even though more than 60 million people on the planet have assets that exceed one million dollars, they still think that it’s impossible.
But with 6 figures things are a bit different. We can all agree that 6 digits are way less than 7. 1 million compared to $100,000… You can see the difference.
As a result, people see 6 figures as an achievable goal. A goal that if they work on, they will hit.
After all, $100k is just double the average American wage.
Keep in mind that we always talk about the minimum 6 figure income, $100,000. I mean $999,999 would also be 6 figures but we’re not talking about that case right now.
So, as I mentioned above, 6 figure income is a pretty achievable goal. If you work on it, you’ll certainly hit it. And the best part of all this is that this is actually an amazing amount of money.
Sure, it really depends on somebody’s state in life but someone that makes 6 figures can have a comfortable life irrespective of the circumstances.
Combine the ability to accomplish something with desire and you get what makes 6 figures so popular… Hope!
What does it mean to have 6 figures?
When someone says that they have 6 figures, they are probably not referring to their salary. What they usually mean is that their total net worth is $100,000+. That includes their savings and their investments/assets. For example, investments in real estate, retiring accounts, etc.
Investing
See More:
How to Invest: At every wealth level + 2 HUGE myths!
How to invest 100K – 3 ways to make your money do the work
When having 6 figures, buying expensive clothes, cars and houses seem really fun and doable. But there’s something even more fun…
That’s investing. Investing in your future, your kids’ future, and your life in general.
When you cover all your expenses and you still have a lot of money left, that money should probably be invested.
Because with investing comes stability. According to history, the stock market has a 10% stock return. That means when you invest $100,000 in the stock market, you get $10,000 back just by doing nothing.
That’s the magic around passive income. And investing is the best way to increase your passive income. No doubt!
You can invest in anything you want. It’s your money after all. Oh and don’t think of investing as this risky thing that will lead to your bankruptcy. It’s not true.
If you do your research and think clearly about it, investing becomes not only fun but safe as well.
Here are some things that I personally believe everyone should invest in, no matter what their income is:
- Debt
I know paying off your debt is not really investing. But still, it’s really really important.
For some with 6 figure jobs, a college degree is required. That means people that get these jobs probably have massive student loans.
Paying off bad debt should be your first priority. Because when you pay it off, you’re free! Free to invest in anything you want, whenever you want it and however you want it. It sounds amazing because it is.
That being said, you can always invest while paying off your debt. It’s not a one-way street!
- Stocks & Bonds
Oh yeah, the classic ones.
We all know and love them! Depending on your vision, you can invest in higher-risk options or lower-risk options.
Index investing is much much safer than bond investing. You basically buy one stock out of multiple businesses. If one business declines, no worries you have another 499 to count on.
As mentioned before, bonds are riskier than stocks. With bonds, you basically lend money to a corporation, an organization or even a government. You get a fixed interest rate that accumulates and is paid out once the bond is mature. And that’s pretty much all of it. People like them for adding some stability to their investing life.
Of course, lending money to a corporation is much riskier than lending money to a government. That’s why corporate bonds offer higher interest rates.
Keep in mind that bonds will usually take decades to mature.
Read More:
Best Crowdfunded Real Estate – Expert Comparison of Top eREITs
Best Trading Platform USA – Start Investing in Stocks
- Real Estate
Everyone knows that real estate investing is a great decision to make. And with 6 digits you can get a long way in real estate.
There are several things you can do in this market. You could buy a whole property or a single apartment. And then you can rent it out and make some passive income.
Personally, I prefer whole properties and rent. That way, my passive income is benefited the most.
Always try to buy properties with value and potential in the future. Nobody can guarantee that your property will go up or down in value but you can almost guarantee a cash flowing house.
Remember… everyone needs a place to live.
These are plenty of other things you could invest in. I just mentioned a few of them. Do your research and find what fits best for you.
How much is a 6 figure salary?
A 6 figure salary varies from $100,000 to $999,999 per year. When someone says they have a 6 figure salary they mean their yearly salary is 6 figures. Keep in mind that this “$1256.29” is not a 6 figure number. “$1256.29” is a 4 figure number because, with figures, we mean dollars and not cents.
6 figure salary benefits
When you make 6 figures, you can support a very comfortable lifestyle.
To be honest though, it really depends on where you’re living. For example, a family from Mississippi needs around $54,000 to get by and support its lifestyle. On the other hand, the same family with the same habits needs around $88,000 to get by in New York. Big difference right?
That being said, when you make 6 digits, you can support a good lifestyle regardless of the circumstances.
- First of all, it’ll be much easier to pay off your debt. It’s very simple, more money coming in equals less time needed to pay off any debt or loans.
And what comes after paying off your debt? Freedom!
You’ll be able to buy a better house for you and your family as well as a better car. They don’t have to be luxurious. But they don’t have to be simple either. You get the point.
- Furthermore, when it comes to investing, you have the upper hand. With a 6 figure salary, there is space for investing a good amount of money. And with the right investing strategy, you can actually multiply your investments by a lot.
And on top of that, make passive income. Which means doing nothing but still earning money.
- Last but not least, when something unexpected occurs, health problems for example, you’ll be able to take the right treatment and pay off all your medical bills easily.
These are things that people with lower income struggle for. But when you have 6 digits, lots of them can be solved without thought.
Now that we’ve talked about what 6 figures are, what they bring to your life and how they can benefit you, it’s time to get into the good part.
How can you get a 6 figure salary?
First things first, a 6 figure salary is a salary that earns you $100,000+ annually. So, if your full-time job earns you between $100,000 and $999,999 a year before tax, you’ve got yourself a 6 figure salary. Many people struggle to get there and the truth is it’s not easy at all.
Here’s why…
The fact is that most high-paying jobs in America require a college degree. That being said, a high school diploma can get you a nice job but not the best. Unless you are a millionaire entrepreneur who decided to drop out of college to pursue his dreams.
Also, keep in mind that even with a high end diploma, a 6 digit job is not assured. All the following stats are according to this article.
If you only have a high school diploma or if you went to college but decided it’s not for you, your salary could be between $35,000-$38,000 per year. The only difference between the two is that when you go to college but you drop out, you have student debt. And student debt is not cheap. Most of the time at least!
When you have a college degree things change for the better. Your salary could be between $41,000 to $84,000 per year. The lowest degree is the associate’s degree while the highest is the doctorate.
Then taking the average starting salary for the degree owners ($60,000) and assuming no fancy promotions or now jobs, you’ll be making over $100,000 in just over 10 years. That’s decent, and can easily be accelerated with a little job hopping.
Or even better choosing a job (see below) that will net you some extra income right off the bat.
What’s the best way to make 6 figures?
The one-word correct answer is investing. You can earn 6 figures by investing without even needing to have a high-paying job. Remember the 10% annual returns we talked about earlier. The best thing about investing though is that not much action is needed, unlike a job.
So as mentioned before, the average American wage is a little bit over $50k. That’s far from earning 6 digits… And a second job is not gonna get you there. But you know what will get you there? That’s right, investing.
And there are 2 ways you can go with this.
One way is to invest in individual stocks. This way is very risky and I wouldn’t recommend it based on my personal experience. The other way, which is the safer and easier one, is the passive income way. AKA Index funds.
With index funds, it’s more of a long term game, no day trading. But it’s actually one of the best ways to make passive income and reach that 6 digits. You keep funneling some money into an index fund, which is a representation of something (like the S&P 500 index represents the US economy), and totally forget about it.
From that investment, you’ll get annual returns and after about 10 years, you’ll have secured a good life.
Here’s an example…
Let’s say you have $300k invested. All your life’s investments are valued at about $300k. And you make a nice $70k a year. Do you know what that makes you?
A 6 figure person.
Combine your annual salary with the 10% annual return and you got yourself a $100,000 income. It doesn’t sound that difficult, right?
And I’m not even mentioning that there are other forms of investing that give you higher return percentages like real estate.
And when I say real estate, I mean real estate crowdfunding.
What’s that?
In a nutshell, real estate crowdfunding is the easy way of investing in real estate and getting that passive income fast. Crowdfunding is the process of pooling small investments from a large group of investors in order to fund a project or a venture.
You can see more details and how to get into it here.
Above I talked about some higher percentages, right? Well, while the stock market average return is 10%, the real estate average return is 18%. Do you know what that means?
By investing $165k and having your nice job salary of $70k, you get to earn 6 figures.
In the stock market, you have to invest $300k but with real estate crowdfunding, you only have to invest $165k.
Awesome right?
So yeah, the conclusion here is that even if you don’t have a high-paying job, you still have the chance to earn 6 digits. Investing in the stock market or in real estate is the best way to get there.
Jobs that can make you 6 figures
With a few years of grind any job can get you a 6-digit income, or even better investing your money can get you there without much effort. But here are a few jobs that will kickstart you a little bit on the way there if you are still considering what to do with your life.
- Dentist: We all know what a dentist’s job is. But did you know that they could easily make $175,840 yearly? In order to become a dentist you need a bachelor’s degree, and some post grad too.
- Pilot: Flying planes is not the only thing that pilots do. Amongst many other responsibilities, they have to check the condition of the plane, and submit flight plans to air traffic control.
- As a pilot, you won’t be making 6 digits from the very first year. You’ll need several years of experience to fly a plane that can earn you $100,000+. Nonetheless, the average pilot salary is $102,870.
- Software Developer: Probably the easiest job to earn 6 figures because once you start working… it’s right there waiting for you. Some of the software developer’s responsibilities are research, design, writing software for new programs, evaluating existing software and maintaining it.
- The average salary of a software developer is $114,000 per year. That of course changes as you gain more experience.
- Full-Stack Web developer: A web-specific version of a software job. Full-stack web developers with 3-5 years of experience can earn up to $106,527 per year. These guys are responsible for everything on a website. All the way from the server to the desktop.
- Web developers with less than 3 years of experience can also easily earn 6 figures.
- Construction manager: Here’s one 6 digit job that doesn’t require a college degree. Construction managers, as their name implies, are responsible to look over everything on a construction site. Don’t get tricked, it’s a challenging job for most of us.
These guys earn $115,447 per year.
How much is 7 figures?
All numbers between $1,000,000 and $9,999,999 are considered 7 figures. So anyone that has saved between a million and 10 million is a 7 figure person. When you’re in that area, you have to remind yourself of what a good job you’ve done. Because the truth is… It’s hard to get there!
How much is a 7 figure salary?
When you’re making between a million and 10 million yearly, you can say that you have a 7 figures salary. It’s a hard number to hit with just a full-time job but you can hit it with some savvy investing or entrepreneurship. Of course, that amount is before tax.
Hold up!
I get it… When you have 1 million dollars ( or more ) it’s just so enticing to go and buy whatever your dream house or car is. You’ve worked for it after all, right?
Yeah, that’s true. You worked for it and you are the only one who sweated for it. But buying stuff like cars and houses, is not the only thing you should do.
What you also need is a plan. Not just an investment plan but an overall plan. How will you continue with your money? What will you spend? What will you save? What will you invest in?
Obviously you’ll have a lot of money to invest so here’s what I’ve got for you.
A financial advisor is a good option. But I’ve got you a better one… Here’s what to do with a million dollars.
What jobs can make you 7 figures?
Neurosurgeon: You might not know this but high end doctors can actually make 7 figures. Not all of them! But, neurosurgeons can. Especially when they have years of experience their income can be pretty hefty. Even though the average salary is $628,701, you can work your way up to a million.
Entrepreneur: Yep… you could see it coming. Entrepreneurs are basically people that make and manage their own businesses. Depending on the circumstances, they might be making $0 or $unlimited. Just ask Jeff Bezos and he’ll have something interesting to say for sure.
Investment banker: Investment bankers are usually managing some form of investment vehicle at a bank (e.g. bonds).There are several roles for this job but we’ll talk about the Managing Director. Even though the average salary is between $300k and $1M, most of their money comes from bonuses. We talk about bonuses that can reach $10M+. But that’s not always the case. Keep in mind that this job can get brutal. We’re talking about 80+ hours per week.
Influencer: It has been a trend for the past years and it’s actually a job that will get you to that million mark. When you have influence over a bunch of people, anything can happen. No average salary exists because it’s a job without a steady salary. Generally speaking though, people with 1m followers can charge $10k+ for a single post. Damn some celebrities have even managed to charge $1m+ for a single post. Anything is possible.
How much is 8 figures?
When a number consists of 8 digits, we say it’s an 8 figures number. These numbers are between $10,000,000 and $99,999,999. So as long as you earn more than 10 million but less than 100 million, you’re considered an 8 figures person. No need to mention what an amazing job you’ve done to reach this level.
How much is an 8 figures salary?
Look there are not many jobs on this planet that have this huge annual salary. When someone says “ I make 8 figures”, they mean that they make between 10 and 100 million dollars. Investments and other assets are included. And we always talk about before-tax earnings.
Invest with 8 figures
When you’ve got that much money, investing is limitless. You can invest in anything you could ever imagine. But the real issue comes when making your choice.
If you make the wrong calls, your money will be diminished. You might even lose it all!
But hey that’s why I’m here. To help you…
What jobs can make you 8 figures?
CEO’s: Not many things to say here. If you are the CEO of a successful business this should be coming your way. In fact, all CEO’s of the Fortune 500 companies make 8 figures. With the average being $13.8 million. For example, Nike’s CEO, John Donahoe II, earned $53,499,980 in 2020.
Actors: Actors that have reached this level are not just actors, they are movie stars. That means you know them and I know them and everyone knows them. It’s no surprise that they can make more than $10 million. Dwayne Jonhson for example made an estimate of $87.5 million in 2020.
Hedge fund managers: This profession was probably unknown to you as it’s not that famous. But everyone that knows it says the same thing. Successful ones are RICH. Many of them are billionaires, they don’t have to be restricted to 8 figures. Their responsibility is to manage the operation of a hedge fund. It’s ridiculous but the richest hedge fund manager in the world has a net worth of $24.4 billion.
How much are 9 figures?
Any number that has 9 digits, is a 9 figures number. That means it’s between $100,000,000 and $999,999,999. So someone who makes 100 million to a billion is considered a 9 figures person. The percentage of people earning this much in the US is extremely low.
How much is a 9 figures salary?
Anyone that earns between $100,000,000 to $999,999,999 per year, has a 9 figures salary. Obviously, there are no jobs that will give you this kind of salary. Whenever someone says that they earn 9 figures, they include bonuses, endorsements, investments and assets. When earning this amount of money, all financial struggles vanish.
What jobs make 9 figures?
There are no actual job roles that earn you 9 figures. Most people in this category are either famous entertainers, famous athletes or successful business executives. And that’s pretty much it. Since there’re no job roles I can mention, let’s see some examples:
CEO of Paycom Software, Chad Richison — $211,131,206
CEO of Activision Blizzard, Robert Kotick — $154,613,318
CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Leonard Schleifer — $135,350,121
Athlete, Roger Federer — $106,300,000
Athlete, Cristiano Ronaldo — $105,000,000
Athlete, Lionel Messi — $104,000,000
The bottom line
Figures are basically numbers and they can go up endlessly. When earning 6 figures, life can be much easier because you have more money to get by. But still, struggles exist at this level. On the other hand, when we talk about 7,8,9 figures you basically have things figured out. Money is not a problem for you.
Whatever you might be earning, the most important thing of all is to do something with that money. Play it smart. Invest, buy, sell, take action. It’s way more fun than just working your job and earning your predetermined salary.
