5 things no one tells you about becoming a millionaire in America — are you ready for them?

The U.S. is a wealth-building powerhouse. In 2025, the country added nearly 1,200 new millionaires per day, on average*,* according to the Wall Street Journal (1).

Headlines are dominated by stories about entrepreneurs who sold their companies for seven- or eight-figures, lottery winners and young startups that turned into quick success stories.

Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one

JPMorgan still sees gold hitting $5,000/oz by Q4 — and savvy investors are protecting their wealth with a tax-advantaged Gold IRA. Learn more with a free guide from Priority Gold

The tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028 — and experts say most people won't act in time. What to do before the window closes

But the headlines don't reflect the reality of what it takes to become a millionaire in this country. Data suggests that the path to the seven-figure club is actually a lot more mundane and time-consuming, while the destination isn't as exclusive as it used to be.

Here are the top five things no one tells you about becoming a millionaire in America.

It's easy to assume that you can't be wealthy unless you invest in an underrated startup or make a risky cryptocurrency bet. But in reality, most millionaires simply had high-paying careers and diligently invested money in their company's 401(k) plans to get to their status, according to Ramsey Solutions (2). The survey found that the most common professions of millionaires was not "CEO" or "founder" but engineer, accountant, teacher, manager and attorney.

Simply put, focusing on your career and regularly investing is the most common path to the seven-figure club. And this is also why the journey takes longer than most people expect.

Read More: Millionaires under 43 hold only 25% of their wealth in stocks. Here's where their money is actually going

Because saving, investing and the power of compounding are the most common elements for many ordinary millionaires, the journey could take several years if not decades.

Americans typically achieve this status in their 50s or 60s, according to Empower (3), which means most people should expect to be middle-aged or nearing retirement by the time they achieve this level of financial success.

There are, of course, overnight success stories and young millionaires, but that's not the typical story.

For many millionaires, the bulk of their fortune is tied up in their primary home.

According to the latest UBS Wealth report (4), there are 23.6 million millionaires in the US, but according to Henley & Partners (5), there are only six million liquid millionaires who meet this threshold when their primary residence is excluded.

Simply put, becoming a homeowner could be a big part of your wealth-building journey. And you don't need a massive pile of cash to get started. Platforms like Arrived can help you buy fractional shares of vacation homes and rental properties so that you can benefit from this asset class without the huge upfront costs.

Backed by world-class investors, including Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of vacation and rental properties , earning a passive income stream without the extra work that comes with being a landlord of your own rental property.