The term millionaire is a little over used with high net worth individuals gainfully employed and living among the middle-class workers. When we take into account property ownership in Australia, especially those living in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane the price of owning a residential property put home owners in the millionaire bracket despite being in financial duress.

There are plenty of financially secure individuals that blend in so well in the middle-class that the average person is unable to distinguish between high rollers and middle-class millionaires. In my experience, these high net worth individuals tend to be very modest and rarely speak about money outside of professional networks. They have nothing to prove to anyone except themselves – they don’t need to brag.

Middle-class millionaires work together with us, play sport with us, drive second-hand cars and live in modest homes. These tend to be people who are self made through hard work and endeavor; they may be self-employed or professionals that are highly motivated and strong money managers. In Australia, trades-people fall within the spectrum of a skilled workforce possessing the knowledge, skills and attributes to succeed as entrepreneurs.

Through hard work, a strong savings ethic, prudent investment and educating oneself on investment matters – there are plenty of high net worth individuals among us and we mostly don’t know that they are. I have a lot of respect for the humble tradie, they are now well paid, hold no student debt and invest their earnings.