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If you’re a keen investor, having a benchmark for the wealth an individual household needs to accumulate to make it into the top income brackets is important for any aspiring money mogul.

You need to make at least $731,492 to be considered a top 1% earner in the U.S., according to data from SmartAsset, which is based on 2022 IRS data for individual tax filers adjusted to June 2025 (1).

The top 0.1% have an approximate net worth of $24.88 million as of Q4 2025, according to Federal Reserve Economic data (2).

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For those looking to have a more reasonable goal, the net worth of the top 10% of households in the U.S. as of November 2023 is roughly $2.65 million (3).

And while most of that net worth is a derivative of the assets a given household owns (we’ll get to that in a minute), it’s also true that the ultra-wealthy have certain profiles that are worth emulating — at least for those aspiring to be a part of this group.

Here are actionable strategies that can help you build your portfolio like the top 1%.

While most high-net-worth households’ capital is tied up in stocks, real estate and alternative assets make up the rest.

One of the more common themes among the well-to-do households surveyed is that a large percentage own real estate.

According to Knight Frank’s global survey of over 600 wealth managers managing nearly $3 trillion in assets, direct real estate ownership accounts for around 22.5% of the overall portfolio of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (4).

So, adding those two asset classes together, it’s clear that investors who own real estate tend to generate much higher gains over time.

Some of that could be due to the forced savings effect that real estate provides. Being a relatively illiquid asset with high transaction costs, those who simply pay their mortgage down each and every month gain a pile of equity (assuming you don't refinance).

But if you're looking for alternatives to taking on a mortgage, there are more and more options available to investors.

For example, Arrived offers you access to shares of SEC-qualified investments in rental homes and vacation rentals, curated and vetted for their appreciation and income potential.

Backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived makes it easy to fit these properties into your investment portfolio regardless of your income level. Their flexible investment amounts and simplified process allows accredited and non-accredited investors to take advantage of this inflation-hedging asset class without any extra work on your part.

Owning a rental property sounds great — until something goes wrong. One bounced check and your rental income disappears.

But institutional investors don’t face that problem. Their portfolios are diversified across hundreds — sometimes thousands — of units.

If diversifying into multifamily and industrial rentals appeals to you, you could consider investing with Lightstone DIRECT, a new investing platform from the Lightstone Group, one of the largest private real estate companies in the country with over 25,000 multifamily units in its portfolio.

Since they eliminate intermediaries — brokers and crowdfunding middlemen — accredited investors with a minimum investment of $100,000 can gain direct access to institutional-quality multifamily opportunities. This streamlined model can help reduce fees while enhancing transparency and control.

And with Lightstone DIRECT, you invest in single-asset multifamily deals alongside Lightstone — a true partner — as Lightstone puts at least 20% of its own capital into every offering. All of Lightstone’s investment opportunities undergo a rigorous, multi-stage review before being approved by Lightstone’s Principals, including Founder David Lichtenstein.

How it works is simple: Just sign up with your email, and you can schedule a call with a capital formation expert to assess your investment opportunities. From here, all you have to do is verify your details to begin investing.

Founded in 1986, Lightstone has a proven track record of delivering strong risk-adjusted returns across market cycles with a 27.6% historical net IRR and 2.54x historical net equity multiple on realized investments since 2004. All told, Lightstone has $12 billion in assets under management — including in industrial and commercial real estate.

As such, even if multifamily rentals don’t appeal to you, Lightstone could still serve you well as an investment vehicle for other real estate verticals.

Get started today with Lightstone DIRECT and invest alongside experienced professionals with skin in the game.

Read More: Non-millionaires can now hoard property like the 1% — how to start with as little as $100

Ultra-high net-worth individuals and households generally all have some form of alternative investment in their portfolio. However, U.S.-based alternative assets can be subject to sizable swings in value depending on factors such as stock market valuation, government bonds, inflation and the strength of the dollar.

But that doesn't mean there aren't options for diversifying your portfolio with a globally-recognized asset, one that, according to a report in Fortune magazine, outperformed the S&P 500 with a compound annual growth rate of 12.6% between 1995 and 2022.

The asset in question? Art.

Until recently, many investors considered it an asset reserved for the top 1% through a network of galleries, curators and appraisers. But that’s no longer the case.

Until recently, this world was off-limits. Now, with Masterworks, you can buy fractional shares in multimillion-dollar works by icons like Banksy, Picasso and Basquiat. While art can be illiquid and typically requires a long-term hold, it offers unique portfolio diversification.

Masterworks has sold 27 artworks so far, yielding net annualized returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.*

Moneywise readers can get priority access to diversify with art: Skip the waitlist here.

*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Investing involves risk. See important Regulation A disclosures at Masterworks.com/cd

It can be tricky to figure out the right mix of investment types for your income level, as variances in net worth and financial goals make generalized advice hard to follow. If you’re looking for peace of mind, hiring a financial advisor can help you to feel good about your money moves.

Research from Vanguard shows that working with a financial advisor can add about 3% to net returns over time. That difference can become substantial. For example, if you started with a $50,000 portfolio, professional guidance could mean more than $1.3 million in additional growth over 30 years, depending on market conditions and your investment strategy.

Finding the right advisor is simple with Advisor.com. Their platform connects you with licensed financial professionals in your area who can provide personalized guidance.

A professional advisor can also help you determine how many years you have left to invest before retirement and assess your comfort level with market fluctuations — two key factors in building the right asset mix for your portfolio.

Through Advisor.com, you can schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your retirement goals and long-term financial plan.

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SmartAsset (1); Federal Reserve (2); Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (3); Knight Frank (4)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.