37-Year-Old Who 'Grew Up Poor' Hits $1 Million Net Worth in 10 Years, Shares Stock Portfolio and Career Tips: Top 7 Stocks, ETFs

The U.S. stock market remains one of the most efficient ways to increase wealth despite short-term fluctuations. Historical data shows that a $1,000 investment in U.S. equities, even at tough entry points like the 2007-2008 financial crisis, could turn into $1,765 in two decades. The key here is, you guessed it, staying invested for the long term.

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The stock market wonders aren't just hypothetical. They are evident in countless rags-to-riches stories.

Last month, an investor shared how he went from $0 to $1 million in net worth in just a few years on r/financialindependence, a discussion board on Reddit with 2.3 million members.

The investor, 37, wanted to celebrate reaching $1 million in net worth in a few years through hard work, patience, wise investments and living below means.

Working ‘Paycheck to Paycheck' for five Years

He started as a business analyst, working "paycheck to paycheck" for the first five years. He took loans from friends because banks wouldn't give him credit. He didn't have money to fix his car. His net worth was $0 for almost a decade as he worked on a low salary and couldn't save.

His big break came through career progression.

"Once I hit Director in a Fortune 50, my salary exploded 4X (now around 350-430K depending on bonuses/stock performance). This year, I invested $190K, which seems surreal to me."

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‘10 Years of Back-Breaking Work'

However, like most success stories, this wasn't without struggle, hard work and patience.

"It did take me 10 years of backbreaking work to get to it, but yes, once there, it's easy," he added.

The investor said he grew up poor but had "highly educated, great" parents.

"I know my parents went hungry for a few days, though I never did. New clothes were birthday presents. I still remember the first time I got branded shoes," he recalled.

Career Progression and High Salary: Keys to Financial Success

Since career success and a high salary were key to his financial rise, he was asked how he climbed the corporate ladder. Here explained:

"I became director first inside a startup where I was able to contribute significantly. Then, I moved to a Fortune 50 company and was able to keep my position (which is basically a promotion). Now I am in line for a Sr. Director role next year. I don’t think personal connections played a role (I am not in touch with those who promoted me). Still, I did have to develop the skill to manage upward (setting expectations for success preemptively and then exceeding them in objective measures), especially in a bigger company."

He said he spent a lot of time improving the "core aspects" of his job over about a decade before "relaxing" a bit.

He also shared tips for increasing visibility and success at work:

"From my experience, I had to then layer in – having effective 1:1s with my manager and using it as a series of events leading up to a promotion basically, ensuring that my team and I deliver hard results (managing team performance) and then making sure those results are recognized, making sure my management understands what success is and isn’t allowed to change it over time. The last part is probably the hardest."

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Stock Holdings

When asked about stock investments, he said most of his money was in broader market ETFs, but he also had some individual stocks in his portfolio. He said he started investing in October 2022, when the market was nearing its bottom. He mentioned a few stocks he held from October 2022 to January 2023.

Let's take a look at the portfolio holdings.

Microsoft

Microsoft MSFT was also a part of the investor’s portfolio which hit $1 million in net worth in about 10 years. In early October 2022, MSFT shares were near $235, while the stock price hit around $247 by the end of January 2023.

Amazon

 The investor said Amazon.com Inc AMZN was part of his portfolio between October 2022 through January 2023. Interestingly, Amazon shares fell about 10% during this period.

Spotify

Spotify Technology SA SPOT was one of the individual stocks in the investor's portfolio who went from $0 to $1 million in net worth in about 10 years. Over the past five years, Spotify Technology SA SPOT shares have gained about 216%. Spotify recently said it expects to add 665 million monthly active users in the fourth quarter, compared with 660.7 million consensus by Wall Street.

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Nvidia

The 37-year-old investor, who saw his net worth climb from nothing to $1 million in about 10 years, said NVIDIA Corp NVDA was one of the stocks in his portfolio between October 2022 through January 2023. In October 2022, before the stock split adjustment, NVIDIA Corp NVDA was trading at around $120. It skyrocketed to about $190 near the end of January 2023.

Apple

Apple Inc AAPL is another important stock in the portfolio of the 37-year-old investor whose net worth jumped to $1 million from $0 in about a decade. In early October 2022, Apple Inc AAPL shares were trading at around $138. The stock price rose to $144 as of the end of January 2023.

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF VTI was a major part of the investor’s investment portfolio. He said about 40% of his total investments were in VTI and VOO. VTI tracks the total stock market, exposing investors to small-, mid- and large-cap stocks. About 69% of the fund is allocated to large-cap stocks. Its portfolio includes more than 3,600 stocks. Among the top holdings of the ETF are Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Meta Platforms, Amazon

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO is another broader market ETF that was part of the investor's portfolio worth about $1 million. VOO tracks the S&P 500 index and yields about 1.2%. It pays quarterly dividends. He said VOO and VTI accounted for about 40% of his investment portfolio.

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