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We're halfway through 2024, but millions of Americans are still reeling from the financial strain of the last few years. And perhaps that’s because many of the causes that made the last few years so tough — stubborn inflation, soaring interest rates and supply chain disruptions — are still hanging above our heads.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median weekly earnings of full-time wage workers was $1,143 in Q2 of 2024. Meanwhile, the median annual income for Americans in 2022 was $75,149. How this breaks down in terms of class strata can get complicated: living on $70K in rural Montana is a lot different than in downtown Manhattan.
Still, the Pew Research Center has done commendable work turning census data into meaningful benchmarks. In their 2024 report, “The State of the American Middle Class”, they found that the median income of middle-class households in 2022 was $106,100 — up 60% from $66,400 in 1970, as measured in 2023 dollars.
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Pew defined class-income breakdown in 2022 based on three-person households, adjusted for the cost of living in a metropolitan area:
Lower-income households had a median income of $35,300;
Upper-income households had a median income of $256,900;
Middle-income households fell into a range between those two numbers.
Keep in mind the latest data is from 2022, but it’s still a great starting point to give you an idea of where you stand — and how much further you have to go before hitting the next rung. Here are a few tips to help speed up that process.
Deal with your debt
Having debt hanging over your head is a burden that can easily prevent you from hitting your savings goals and improving your financial stature.
An online marketplace called Credible can help you consolidate your debts into one monthly payment with a low interest rate.
Combining your debts into a single loan will help you pay down what you owe faster, and potentially save you hundreds in interest.
It might also be useful to sit down with a financial adviser to discuss both your current situation and where you’re hoping to head in the future. Finding an adviser that’s a good fit for your specific needs can take a lot of legwork though, especially if you’re doing it on your own.
If you want to get some professional advice on managing your finances, Zoe Financial can match you with a vetted financial adviser in minutes, based on your answers to a few basic questions.
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Build a budget
Sizing up your spending and building a budget might seem like a chore, but once you get past the initial shock of learning just how much you spend each month (those delivery fees add up!), the process is actually pretty simple, and it’s extremely important if you want to get ahead.
First, make a list of your short- and long-term goals — things like creating an emergency fund or saving for a vacation.
Next, take a look at your bank statements for the previous month and sort everything into two columns: wants and needs. Needs are things like groceries and rent, wants are things like Netflix and co*cktails. Include your goals in the needs column, so that you’re always putting your savings before your spending.
Finally, compare your list to your monthly net income, and start making adjustments. Prioritize your needs, and see where you can trim some fat from your wants. Any money you can shave off the wants column can go towards your goals in the needs column.
You can use an app called Acorns to put your savings on autopilot. Once you’ve installed the app and linked your bank account, the app will round up every purchase you make to the nearest dollar and invest the spare change. That way, you can work towards your savings goals a few cents at a time without even thinking about it.
Diversify your investments
Investing is a key part of climbing the financial ladder and taking your income to the next level. But following headlines about a blockbuster stock (and experiencing FOMO) has more in common with playing Powerball than building a powerful portfolio. To that end, diversification is crucial.
Commercial real estate has long been a solid choice for investors looking to diversify and add stability to their portfolios. For years, investing in commercial real estate was only an option for the ultra-wealthy — but that’s no longer the case.
With First National Realty Partners, accredited investors of all levels can invest in grocery-anchored commercial real estate properties and expect quarterly income. FNRP’s team of experts will manage every step of the investing process, so you won’t have to worry about whether you’re making the right moves.
And even if you’re not an accredited investor, you can leverage the hot U.S. housing market as an investor through Cityfunds.
Cityfunds allows you to invest in residential properties in top U.S. cities — like Denver, Austin, Nashville and Miami — without having to drain your bank account with to put a downpayment on a home or pay a high monthly mortgage payment.
Through their platform, you can invest in diversified portfolios of owner-occupied homes. In exchange for the cash, Cityfunds secures an interest in the home's future value. As the home value appreciates, so does the value of Cityfunds equity investment alongside the homeowner.
So you can invest in the housing market of a city you love for as little as $500, without having to deal with high home prices or the hassles of being a landlord.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
