5 Traits of the Wealthiest Families, Explained: How Each One Works

Joining the wealthiest tenth takes 2,539,200 dollars of net worth in one central bank's survey. Five traits stand out among those families, from planning to save most of a surprise to holding fixed-term deposits more than twice as often as families overall.

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Watch next:
How to Become a Millionaire (Federal Reserve Data): https://youtu.be/uXOvwUXK0vQ

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:22 1. They plan to save most of a surprise
2:11 2. Wages are only part of their income
4:10 3. A smaller share in everyday accounts
6:06 4. Many own company shares directly
8:06 5. Fixed-term deposits, over twice as often
9:45 Recap

Sources
- A central bank's report on its triennial survey of family finances, Changes in Family Finances from 2022 to 2025, October 2026: https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/scf26.pdf
- The same central bank's research note on how families would use a surprise month of income, October 2026: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/heterogeneity-in-the-marginal-propensity-to-consume-among-u-s-households-20261009.html
- Accessible data for that research note: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/heterogeneity-in-the-marginal-propensity-to-consume-among-u-s-households-accessible-20261009.htm
- The survey's historical tables, 1989 to 2025, real 2025 dollars: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/files/scf2025_tables_internal_real_historical.xlsx
- Another central bank's survey of household finances, 2022 wave: methods, results and changes since 2020: https://repositorio.bde.es/bitstream/123456789/37692/1/do2413e.pdf
- A survey run by central banks and statistics offices in many countries, Household Finance and Consumption Survey, wave 2023, statistical tables: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/pdf/research/hfcn/HFCS_Statistical_Tables_Wave_2023_October_2026.pdf
- A deposit insurance agency's consumer page, Saving for the Unexpected and Your Future: https://www.fdic.gov/consumer-resource-center/2025-01/saving-unexpected-and-your-future
- A central bank's regional office, Building Wealth: A Beginner's Guide to Securing Your Financial Future: https://www.dallasfed.org/~/media/documents/cd/wealth/BuildingWealth.pdf
- A markets regulator's investor page, Stocks: https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/stocks
- A markets regulator's investor page on fixed-term deposits: https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/certificates-deposit-cds

Research and fact-checking: Wealth Filings. Henry is a fictional, illustrated presenter. This video is for information only, not financial advice.