7 Things You Must Do When You Start Making 6 Figures

June 27, 2024 DINARRECAPS8

Heather Taylor Wed, June 26, 2024

Once your salary reaches $100,000, you need to take certain steps to ensure you keep building wealth and stay in good financial health.

There’s a chance you already might be making some of these money moves, even if you’re earning a little less. Make sure you start taking these actions as soon as you begin earning $100,000.

`1. Eliminate High-Interest Debt

Those who just started earning six-figure incomes will need to quickly pay off any high-interest debt. Think student loans, credit card balances or any other outstanding debt where the interest rate is extremely high.

Alissa Krasner Maizes, financial planner and founder of Amplify My Wealth, said eliminating this debt yields the quickest return on investment. Not sure where to begin? Krasner Maizes recommends automating monthly payments beyond the required minimum payment due.

Start with your highest-interest debt and, once you eliminate this debt, move on to paying off debt with the next highest amount of interest. Keep going until you have paid off all high-interest debt — and find yourself debt-free.

2. Maximize Retirement Contributions

Once you have cleared any outstanding debt, Krasner Maizes recommends maximizing your retirement contributions. Those earning a six-figure income should contribute the amount their employer matches for their retirement account.

“Ideally, maximize your contributions to tax-advantaged retirement accounts and consider the advantages of a Roth option as you will pay tax now,” Krasner Maizes said. “As long as you follow the necessary rules, you will not pay taxes on the growth or when you withdraw the money for retirement.”

3. Create a Holistic Financial Plan

When you start earning six figures, it’s a good idea to make sure you have a solid plan in place for your future. There are free financial tools you can use to help ensure your money is well-managed and invested.

A financial services company called Empower has free tools that let you check your net worth, plan your savings and retirement and do a checkup on your investments. It also offers professional wealth management and various investment products.

Its portfolio analyzer lets you assess your overall risk, analyze past performances and model individualized asset allocations. There’s also a free investment-return calculator that estimates how much money you can earn over time, based on the amount of money you invest and the expected rate of return.

If you’re trying to develop a long-term plan for your money, this is a good place to start. You’ll learn how much money you really have, how much you should be saving, make sure you’re properly invested and gauge where you’re at in your retirement-savings journey.