The 8 Biggest Money Secrets Most Rich People Won’t Tell You
You know what they say about secrets. They’re no fun.
And when it comes to the super rich, trust us — they’ve got plenty of secrets. And why would they reveal the keys to their success with you, anyway? The more for them, the better, right?
Well, the cat’s out of the bag. These are the biggest money secrets the elite don’t want you to know:
1. Invest in Real Estate Without the Volatility — You Only Need $500
You’re not the only one who daydreams about making money in your sleep. Investing in real estate is one of the best ways to earn passive income. The only problem? You need to have lots of money.
Well, you used to…
With a company called Connect Invest, you can get your foot in the door for just $500, investing in what are called short notes. And, if you make your first investment before December 31st, you can earn a $20 bonus.
Basically, you’re buying the debt that wealthy developers take on to fund their real estate projects — and they have to pay you back, with up to 9% (annualized rate) in interest… while you sleep.
With Connect Invest, you’ll invest for terms of 6, 12, or 24 months, during which you’ll receive monthly fixed-interest payments between 7.5% and 9% (annualized rate). You could earn a legit passive income with those rates — and it’s way higher than what you’d earn with your savings account!
Connect Invest carefully vets each real estate project and borrower. And don’t worry, all loans are backed by real estate collateral. In the rare event of a default, Connect Invest’s sister company will foreclose on the property with the investors’ approval and sell it to recover your investment.
It’s super easy to set up your free account and start investing. To earn your $20 bonus, select “Penny Hoarder” as a referral source and apply promo code “PH20.”
2. Cancel Your Car Insurance
You might not even realize it, but your car insurance company is probably overcharging you. In fact, they’re kind of counting on you not noticing. Luckily, this problem is easy to fix.
Don’t waste your time browsing insurance sites for a better deal. A company called Insurify shows you all your options at once — people who do this save up to $996 per year.
If you tell them a bit about yourself and your vehicle, they’ll send you personalized quotes so you can compare them and find the best one for you.
Tired of overpaying for car insurance? It takes just five minutes to compare your options with Insurify and see how much you could save on car insurance.
3. Get Paid up to $360/Year With This Free Debit Card
Wouldn’t it be nice if you got special treatment wherever you went? You can actually get rewards wherever you shop, using this free debit card from Discover.
You’ll earn 1% cash back on every single purchase you make using your Discover® Cashback Debit account, on up to $3,000 monthly.* There’s no impact on your credit score for signing up and no minimum balance requirements ever.
Need groceries? Tap your card for cash back. You can also get paid sooner with Early Pay direct deposit, protect against overdrafts and access to over 60,000 ATMs without fees. You can handle all of your banking needs through the app and connect a virtual wallet like Apple Pay to amplify your rewards. And on top of all that, checking-account deposits are FDIC-insured up to the maximum amount allowed by law.
Does your bank do all that? If not, open a free Discover checking account to get special treatment from a bank that will actually put money back into your account.
*See website for details.
4. Start Earning Up to 5.15% APY on a Certificate of Deposit
Good luck finding a bank that’ll pay you up to 5.15% APY like an Alliant Credit Union Jumbo 12-month certificate can.
It only takes a few minutes to apply to open an Alliant certificate completely online. Choose from a variety of terms from 3 to 60 months, deposit a minimum of $1,000, then sit back and watch your money compound monthly with an APY as high as 5.15% for a 12-month term.1
Worried about needing access to your savings before your certificate matures? Alliant also offers a fee-free high-yield savings account that’ll earn you 3.10% APY2 — you can easily transfer your money at any time with no penalties. Open your account and deposit as little as $100 to start earning interest. Elect to receive eStatements, and you won’t pay any monthly fees, either.
Rest easy knowing that with Alliant, both our certificate and high-yield savings account are federally insured by NCUA up to $250,000. This means your money is not just safe, it’s super safe.
Ready to grow your savings faster than the average bank? Head over to Alliant’s website and choose either a certificate of deposit or a high-yield savings account to get started.
5. Make Up for Lost Time and Leave Your Family $250K+
We never seem to have enough savings or investments. But there’s one particular way to make up for that shortfall: life insurance.
None of us like to think about what happens to your family if you pass, but this is a smart way to free them from a burden – and give you peace of mind.
With NerdWallet, you can get multiple life insurance quotes all in one place and find a plan that’s probably far more affordable than you think.
You can choose whole life plans if you want to do it once, forget about it and have coverage for the rest of your life. Or you can pick from term life plans to get even lower rates with coverage that can last a few decades.*
Is it finally time to get covered? It’s easy to get life insurance quotes from NerdWallet to see just how affordable a good policy could be for you.
6. Slash Your Car Payments by an Average of $150/Month
If you’ve been paying your car loan on time for months, you’ve probably noticed lenders looking at you differently. All that attention means your hard work is paying off, and you’re in a position to give yourself a big break.
Just because you can afford to pay your original loan doesn’t mean you should keep overpaying. Most people qualify for significant savings in just three to six months.
A company called ReFiJet can help you update your car loan to reflect the new you. ReFiJet saves people an average of$150 a month when they refinance their auto loan through them.
There’s no impact on your credit score to see how much you can save. And ReFiJet’s service fees are about half the of what competitors charge — it’s all rolled into your refinanced loan, so you pay nothing out of pocket.
All you have to do is enter some basic information on ReFiJet to get a quote. If you like your offer, a top-rated customer service agent will walk you through the end of this short process. They’ve got an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, so you can refinance with confidence.
7. Have 10K+ In Investments? This Free Financial Plan Could Save You Up to $3,500/Year
You feel like you’ve always been on top of your investments, and you’re proud of how far you’ve come. But you may still be wondering if you’re actually doing enough to fully secure that rich retirement you know you deserve.
That’s why having a financial plan in place is one of the smartest decisions you could make.
With The Penny Hoarder, you can get a customized financial plan for free. Anyone is eligible for a free financial plan, but if you have $10,000 or more in investments (or $200,000 if you are retired), you could qualify to connect with a personal financial advisor to get an in-depth review of your finances and plan your next money moves together with confidence.
All you have to do is answer a few questions, and you’ll get your free, custom financial plan.
The best part? This could save you up to $3,500 per year. And it’s completely free — and totally anonymous. You won’t be bombarded with ads or sales pitches.
There’s literally no catch. Just sound financial advice customized for you. Get your free financial plan here.
8. Slash Your Credit Card Debt — Unlock Up to 18 Months of No Interest Payments
Struggling with credit card debt? You’re likely also dealing with high-interest charges that can significantly impact your financial situation — it’s a tough problem to sort out.
But where to even start?
If you have good to excellent credit, switching to one of these top-tier 0% intro APR cards from The Ascent’s carefully curated list could help you consolidate payments and cut your interest for up to 18 months. You could not only fast-track your debt repayment but also save thousands in interest.
The Ascent is picky, meaning they’ll only highlight cards that really stretch your dollar and cut down on costs. Plus, they break down everything you need to know: from intro-rate deals and welcome bonuses to rewards and fees — no surprises, just clear info.
So if you’re looking for a financial lifeline without the drag of accumulating interest, check out The Ascent’s list of best cards with 0% Intro APR offers, and wave goodbye to interest for up to 18 months.
*Eligibility requirements apply
*Users must meet certain suitability standards pursuant to the Connect Invest II Offering Circular and make an investment on or before December 31, 2024. Investors will receive their $20 bonus with their first interest earnings.
Past performance does not guarantee future results or success. The material contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to purchase these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
*NerdWallet: believes everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And, while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and teh tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward – and free.
Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.
1. APY= Annual Percentage Yield. The APY is accurate as of the 3/25/2024 dividend declaration date. A $ 1,000 minimum deposit is required to open a Regular Alliant Certificate. For those with a larger deposit, a $75,000 minimum deposit is required to open an Alliant Jumbo Certificate. If your Jumbo Certificate balance falls below $75,000, it will convert to a Regular Alliant Certificate, which may pay a lower rate. You must be an Alliant member. Alliant Certificates are available as Regular Share Certificates and Jumbo Share Certificates. Both Regular and Jumbo Certificate types are also offered as Traditional IRA Certificates, Roth IRA Certificates, and SEP IRA Certificates. Prior to opening an IRA Certificate, you must have or establish an IRA with Alliant. You may not add any additional money to your Certificate after opening. Dividends compound monthly and are paid on the last day of the month and at maturity. A penalty will be imposed for early withdrawal of any principal amount. There are no penalties for monthly dividend withdrawals. Early withdrawal penalties do apply if the Certificate is closed before the maturity date unless the Certificate funds are moved to Alliant Retirement and Investment Services. If you wish to move your Certificate funds to Alliant Retirement and Investment Services, you must wait until 7 days after your Certificate has been opened. Other exceptions to early withdrawal penalties may be allowed. Monthly dividend withdrawals are not eligible on IRA Certificates if owner is under age 59 1/2. Any monthly withdrawals or transfers reduce earnings. If you change the term of your renewed Certificate, the beneficiary(ies) need(s) to be reestablished by completing a Beneficiary Add/Delete Form. (Not applicable to IRA Certificates). The joint owner designated at the time of Certificate opening will remain as joint owner if you renew your Certificate with Alliant. Neither the primary account owner or joint owner may be a beneficiary on the Certificate account. You are not locked into a rate until you open or renew your Alliant Certificate. Alliant Certificate rates may change daily. Fees may reduce earnings on the account.
12-17 months Regular Share Certificates with a term between 12 and 17 months provide a Dividend Rate of 5.03% – Compounded Annual Percentage Yield of 5.15% APY on balances between $1,000 and $74,999.99. Jumbo Share Certificates with a term between 12 and 17 months provide a Dividend Rate of 5.08% – Compounded Annual Percentage Yield of 5.20% APY on balances $75,000 or greater. IRA Certificates with a term between 12 and 17 months provide a Dividend Rate of 5.03% – Compounded Annual Percentage Yield of 5.15% APY on balances between $1,000 and $74,999.99. Jumbo IRA Certificates with a term between 12 and 17 months provide a Dividend Rate of 5.08% – Compounded Annual Percentage Yield of 5.20% APY on balances $75,000 or greater.
2.The savings dividend provides an Annual Percentage Yield (APY) of 3.10%. The APY is accurate as of the 3/25/2024 dividend declaration date. Dividends are paid on the last day of the month to accountholders who have maintained an average daily balance of $100 or more. Savings dividends may change after the account is opened and is subject to change at any time. Dividend applies to Savings, Supplemental Savings, Emergency Savings, Kids Savings Accounts, UTMA Custodial Accounts, Trust Accounts, and IRA. Fees may reduce earnings on the account.
