Grant Cardone, the real estate investor and social-media personality known for making bold, sometimes jaw-dropping statements, is back with another one. In a YouTube short from January 2023, he didn't hold back:
"If I made $400 grand a year, I would be embarrassed with myself as a husband, a father, basically as a human being. $400 grand. How do you make sense of $35,000 a month? You guys haven't done the math. You have not done the math because you cannot live on $400 grand a year."
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Yes, that's right—according to Cardone, pulling in nearly half a million a year is barely scraping by. And if that sounds out of touch, that's because it is. The median U.S. household income? Just over $66,600 in 2025, according to SoFi. Even the salary for the president of the United States—one of the most powerful jobs in the world—has been locked at $400,000 since 2001. But for Cardone, a self-made multimillionaire managing over $4 billion in real estate assets, even $1 million is "broke."
$1 Million? Not Even Close
"A million dollars isn't enough," Cardone wrote in "The Wealth Creation Formula," his book on financial growth. He doesn't just mean it's not enough to be rich—he means it's not even enough to feel financially secure. Instead, he argues that $10 million is the real benchmark for wealth today.
And he isn't just talking. In a TikTok, he doubled down:
"If you're a millionaire, you're broke, dude. What's a millionaire? Nothing. I don't want to offend anybody."
Then again, that's what he does—offend and spark conversation. His reasoning? A million dollars might have meant something in 1960, but in today's world, he says, you need 10 times that to be in the game.
A Lifestyle Few Can Relate To
Cardone's definition of financial security is far from the reality most Americans face. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that some of the highest-paying professions—doctors, attorneys, and even top sales representatives—earn well below his so-called "broke" threshold.
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For reference, here's what some of the best-paying jobs in the U.S. offer:
- Radiologist – $385,116 median salary
- Anesthesiologist – $239,300 media salary
- Physician – $225,000 median salary
- Sales Representative – $182,487 median salary
- Attorney – $145,168 median salary
- Veterinarian – $139,999 median salary
Even a high-earning physician would still fall short of Cardone's minimum acceptable standard. But Cardone doesn't just preach about making more—he also talks about how he keeps his wealth intact.
In one of his more extravagant financial moves, he revealed that he goes "broke twice a year" and claimed he bought two $10 million helicopters on Dec. 31 to avoid taxes. That statement, unsurprisingly, rubbed many people the wrong way, especially those who feel their tax burden far outweighs their ability to amass wealth in the first place.
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His Blueprint for Wealth
Despite the controversy, Cardone has built a following with his aggressive approach to wealth-building. On X, he regularly shares advice, including this list of tips on growing net worth:
- Become great at earning income.
- Live on less than 40% of your income.
- Invest the remainder in cash-flow assets.
- Live off cash flow, not earned income.
- Maximize tax write-offs through investments.
- Refinance assets—don't sell.
It's a strategy that works—for him. But for the vast majority of Americans, the idea that $400,000 a year is barely enough to get by is laughable. And the claim that being a millionaire is "broke" only highlights just how massive the wealth gap has become.
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