10 Quick Steps That’ll Have You Managing Your Money Like A Millionaire

Life would be a whole lot easier if someone would just Venmo us $1 million, but unfortunately the chance of that happening is, well, probably zero. (Venmo doesn’t allow transactions that large anyway.)

But even though our chances of becoming a millionaire are slim, we can still manage our money like one. No, we’re not going to tell you how to buy hundreds of shares of Apple stock. Or how to pick out the perfect yacht.

These are simple money moves any normal, non-millionaire person can make today. Each tip can get you closer to achieving your big goals.

Take a look:

1. Take Money Out of Your Checking Account

Here’s the deal: If you’re not using Aspiration’s debit card, you’re missing out on extra cash. And who doesn’t want extra cash?

Yep. A debit card called Aspiration gives you up to a 10% back every time you swipe. How much does your current bank offer you?

Need to buy groceries? Extra cash.

Need to fill up the tank? Bam. Even more extra cash.

You were going to buy these things anyway — why not get this extra money in the process? Do yourself a favor and deposit $100 into an Aspiration account today so you can start taking advantage.

To get started, enter your email address here, and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

2. Leave Your Family up to $1M

We’d all like to leave our family with something after we die, right? $1 million* would be great — it could help your loved ones stay in your home, pay for the kids’ college and get rid of debt.

You’re probably thinking, I don’t have the time or money for that. But a company called Fabric can help you apply for a term life insurance policy that could give your family a big chunk of money (the coverage amount you applied for) if you pass away.

(We’ve heard people are getting policies for as little as $14 a month**.)

Maybe you’ve thought about this before, but it feels too overwhelming. The truth is, this is one of the easiest (and smartest) things you can do with your money right now. 

So if you want to help make sure your family is set up for life after you’re gone, take 10 minutes to fill out an application.

3. Put $5 in the Stock Market

Take a look at the Forbes Richest People list, and you’ll notice almost all the billionaires have one thing in common — they own another company. 

But if you work for a living and don’t happen to have millions of dollars lying around, that can sound totally out of reach.

That’s why a lot of people use the app Stash. It lets you be a part of something that’s normally exclusive to the richest of the rich — buying pieces of other companies.

That’s right — you can invest in pieces of well-known companies, such as Amazon, Google or Apple, for as little as $1.*

The best part? When these companies profit, so can you. Some companies even send you a check every quarter for your share of the profits, called dividends. 

It takes two minutes to sign up, plus Stash will give you a $5 sign-up bonus once you deposit $5 into your account.** 

4. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Bill

Your credit card companies are getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates. But a website called AmOne wants to help.

If you owe your credit card companies $50,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.

The benefit? You’ll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 3.99% APR), you’ll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.

AmOne keeps your information confidential and secure, which is probably why after 20 years in business, it still has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

It takes two minutes to see if you qualify for up to $50,000 online. You do need to give AmOne a real phone number in order to qualify, but don’t worry — they won’t spam you with phone calls.

5. Stop Wasting Hundreds on Homeowner's Insurance

You’re probably wasting money right now. And it’s probably on something you’d never expect — your homeowners insurance policy.

This isn’t something you actively think about. You just know you’re required to have it, so you’re stuck with it forever, right?

Wrong. The problem is, you’re paying too much.

Luckily, a company called Bestow can help you give your family a big chunk of money using something called term life insurance. (We’ve heard people are getting this for as little as $16 a month.)

Maybe you’ve thought about this before, but it feels too overwhelming. The truth is as long as you’re under 54, this is one of the easiest (and smartest) things you can do with your money right now. You don’t even need to leave your couch to sign up — it takes minutes. 

And now that you’ve finished the toughest part of this challenge, you can breeze through the rest of this list.

6. Cancel Your Car Insurance

People love to tell you to shop around. “You should be getting three different quotes to get the best price on car insurance,” they say. 

Sure, this sounds like good advice. Here’s why it’s wrong: Comparing only three companies isn’t nearly enough. We suggest comparing hundreds. But who has time for that?

A company called Savvy will do it for you for free. It gets people an average of $826 back in their bank accounts a year — and you’ll get the same coverage you already have. 

It doesn’t matter when you last renewed; you can get a check from your old company for the time left on your previous policy. (Read: They probably owe you money.)

You don’t have to make any calls or fill out any forms. It takes thirty seconds to see how much Savvy can put back in your pocket. And the best part? Because we’re driving less, some insurers are slashing prices this month.

7. Use up Your Entire Paycheck

No, we’re not talking about going to Whole Foods and buying out its fancy cheese supply (though that’s the first thing we’d do if we had $1 million). Instead, we’re talking about creating a zero-based budget, a budget that finds a place for your every dollar.

You’ll want to start by tracking a month of expenses. How much do you (or don’t you) have remaining? Then, consider your financial goals. Do you want to save money? Invest money? Pay off debt?

Work backward to cut your expenses until you can achieve that goal. It might take some patience, but it’ll pay off.

8. Invest in Real Estate (Even if You’re Not a Millionaire)

The stock market can be a scary place. Stock prices shoot up and down like a roller coaster ride, and who knows when the whole thing might crash?

It would be nice to diversify and invest some of your money in real estate, but don’t you have to be wealthy to do that?

Now you can invest like the 1% does, and all you need to get started is $500. A company called DiversyFund will invest your money in commercial real estate — specifically, in apartment complexes that it owns — and you only need $500.

Real estate can potentially earn you more money than the stock market. Over the long term, investing in the stock market will earn you an average annual return of 7%, adjusted for inflation, according to a number of studies. DiversyFund can’t guarantee how its investments will perform in the future — no one can — but historically, it has earned an annual return of 17% to 18%.

So you don’t need a fortune to invest in real estate. All you need to get started is $500.

9. Grow Your Wealth By Learning From Others

One of the best ways to get your money in order? Learning from others! These could be the millionaires themselves, personal finance experts or real-life people who’ve had success. Search the internet for blogs and websites, listen to podcasts and read books.

Here are a few of our favorite resources (ahem, besides ourselves):

• “How to Money” podcast
• “The Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey
• “The Side Hustle Show” podcast
• “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki
• “The Money Nerds” podcast
• “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George Samuel

10. Cut Your Cell Phone Bill to as Little as $5

How long have you been with your cell phone company? Probably awhile, right? Which means you’re probably paying way too much. 

But we found a discount wireless company called Tello that offers plans starting at just $5 a month. How much are you paying now? Exactly. Imagine cutting that to just $5. 

Tello operates on Sprint’s nationwide network, offering 4G LTE data everywhere Sprint does. It lets you choose a wireless plan based on how many minutes and how much data you want, and you can even use Tello’s coverage tool to see how strong its network is where you live.

You can bring your own phone (Tello works with any Sprint-compatible phone), or buy a new one through them. Even better — there are no early termination or activation fees, no contracts or phone-exclusive plans, no tricks of any kind. 

If you decide you don’t like it, you can always just change your mind. See how much you could save here.

*Coverage Amount is based on eligibility

**Sample pricing based on $100,000 in coverage for a 28-year-old female in Colorado with excellent health.