Intro
It’s easy to get caught up in chasing the hottest investment trends or the latest flashy strategies for building wealth, but often the most effective ways to build financial security are the ones that operate quietly in the background. These subtle yet powerful money moves might not make headlines, but they can steadily strengthen your financial foundation over time.
The reason this is great news is because it means anyone can build wealth and move toward financial freedom, even if you didn’t start off with money or if you learned about finances later in life. Here are six smart silent money moves you can make to build wealth.
Move #1: Automate Your Savings
Taking the decision-making and potential forgetfulness out of the equation could be the difference between a six-figure portfolio and owning nothing at all. When you automate your savings, you don’t have to rely on willpower or remember to transfer money into your savings each month. A portion of your income is immediately moved into your savings or investment accounts the moment you get paid. This ensures you consistently save money every month.
Savings also helps you adhere to one of personal finance’s biggest foundational concepts: paying yourself first. You prioritize yourself before anything else. You are most important because if you don’t take care of yourself by saving for an emergency fund or investing for your retirement, who will? This silent move helps build up your savings over time without feeling like you’re making a sacrifice. You’ll look up one day and realize you’ve been steadily growing your emergency fund, adding to your retirement, or even building up money for your next big financial goal.
The beauty of this move is that it works even if you’re not super disciplined with money. Once the automation is set, you don’t have to think about it—the money is automatically moved on schedule. Plus, automating your savings takes advantage of something we don’t often talk about enough: consistency. Most people overestimate what they can do in a year but they underestimate what can be done in 3 to 5 years. Small, regular deposits add up over time, and whether you’re saving 50 bucks a month or 500, the key is doing it consistently. Consistency could be the difference between living paycheck to paycheck and building real financial safety. If you haven’t already, make this silent money move today. Set up an automatic transfer to your savings or investment account. The small steps you take now will lead to big wins later.
Move #2: Invest in Your Retirement Accounts
It’s easy to see our peers, family members, or even influencers balling out on social media, but you know what? We don’t know the state of their personal finances. Are they saving? Do they pay themselves first? Are they considering their retirement?
When we talk about truly silent money moves, investing for your future self is one of the most important steps you can take to build long-term wealth, and it’s easier than you think. When you make this move, you’re putting your money to work for you. You’re letting your money grow through compounding. The earlier you start, the better. Remember, even small contributions made consistently can grow into a significant amount by the time you retire.
So, where can you start? If your employer offers a match, that’s money you don’t have to leave on the table. It’s literally one of the easiest ways to boost your retirement savings. For example, let’s say your employer will match you at 5% if you put in 5%. That means if you make $60,000, you’ll put in $3,000, and your company will put in the same amount. Now, you’re actually saving and investing 10%.
If you don’t have access to a workplace retirement account, investing in a traditional individual retirement account (IRA) or Roth IRA is just as good. The key here is to automate your contributions so that a portion of your paycheck goes directly into your retirement account every month. Even if you feel like you’re behind, it’s never too late to start. Every dollar you invest today can turn into hundreds or even thousands of dollars decades from now.
Invest in your retirement accounts—whether it’s a 401k, IRA, or Roth IRA. Take advantage of the opportunities to build wealth for your future self. Your retirement may seem far away, but the sooner you start, the better off you’ll be.
Move #3: Avoid Lifestyle Inflation
This money move is simple in theory but turns out to be much more difficult in practice. Lifestyle inflation is the increasing of living expenses as your income increases. But if you want to build wealth, the last thing you want is uncontrolled increases to your spending.
There’s nothing wrong with living a little more comfortably when you get a raise or a bonus. It may make sense to upgrade to a more reliable car or move into a bigger house. The problem shows up when these expenses grow too fast or too large. While you may need a more reliable car, you probably don’t need to purchase a luxury SUV. This financial pitfall has caused many people to live paycheck to paycheck, even with a higher income.
In 2023, a Lending Club report found that almost half of Americans making over $100,000 were living paycheck to paycheck. So instead of letting your expenses rise with your income, keep your lifestyle the same and use the extra income to build wealth. Resist the temptation to keep upgrading and focus instead on increasing your savings and investments.
When you get a raise or any financial windfall, take a portion of that extra money and automate it into your savings or investments accounts. Put that money to work. This is the secret to living below your means even as your means increase. It’s not about depriving yourself of everything but making conscious spending choices with your money.
Move #4: Paying Off High-Interest Debt
If you’re serious about getting ahead financially, you can’t overlook your debt. If you have any high-interest debt, like credit card balances, personal loans, or payday loans, it’s draining your wealth. It doesn’t matter how much money you’re making or saving; if you’re carrying debt with interest rates of 15%, 20%, or even 30%, you’re paying a steep price just to keep that debt around.
That’s money that could be going towards your savings, investments, or building your financial future. The moment you knock out that debt, you’re freeing up cash flow. It’s an immediate return on investment. You’re no longer throwing money at interest payments, and that money can now work for you instead of against you.
Prioritizing this move doesn’t just help your bank account; it’s a mental shift too. Paying off debt gives you more financial confidence. It gives you peace of mind, and once you start seeing your balances drop, you’ll feel more confident in making financial decisions.
Move #5: Invest, Don’t Just Save
Saving money is incredible. Putting money away and not touching it can be the difference between having cash to replace a bad tire or going into credit card debt. But if you want to change the entire trajectory of your financial future, investing your money—not just saving—is the way.
Saving feels safe. That’s because it is. You’ve got that cash sitting in your bank account, and you feel secure knowing it’s there. But if you’re only saving, you’re missing out on the power of compounding and the true path to building wealth.
When you save, especially in a regular bank account or even a low-yield savings account, your money grows very slowly, if at all. It’s often said you can’t save your way to wealth. The reason for this is inflation, which averages about 2 to 3% a year, erodes the value of your savings over time. That $1,000 you save today might only be worth $900 in purchasing power a few years from now. And how fast that depreciation happens is totally out of our control.
When you invest, though, you’re giving your money a chance to grow through the stock market, bonds, real estate, or even starting your own business. The returns you can get through investing over time can significantly outpace inflation and help build real wealth. Investing is how you grow wealth, not just preserve it.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t save. You absolutely need an emergency fund—enough to cover at least 3 to 6 months worth of expenses. But once you’ve got that in place, don’t let the rest of your money just sit around. Get it working for you by investing.
The best time to invest was yesterday; the next best time is today. Time in the market beats timing the market. The longer you stay invested, the more you benefit from the growth of your investments and from compounding returns, where your gains generate even more gains. Historical data shows the longer you’re invested, the higher your probability of increasing your money.
If you’ve been diligently saving, that’s amazing, but take the next step and invest. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with something simple like an index fund or ETF and make it automatic. Set up recurrent contributions and let your money grow.
Move #6: Keep Learning
Meet a person who just seems to know everything there is to know about real estate, or stocks, bonds, and gold. Well, they weren’t born that way—they embraced the power of learning. This is one of the greatest silent money moves you can make: investing in your knowledge and skills as a way to build wealth.
The more you know, the more opportunities you have to make better decisions—whether it’s in your career or managing your finances. When you learn new skills, especially high-income or in-demand skills, you increase your earning potential. Gaining more knowledge can often translate to a higher salary or even the ability to start a side hustle. Wealth increases by the amount of value you can provide. So, if your new skills have an opportunity to increase value, then you have the ability to exponentially increase your wealth on the other side.
When you continue learning about personal finance—like how to budget, invest, manage debt, or plan for retirement—you start making smarter decisions with your money because you’ll also understand your own risk tolerance. Financial literacy is the foundation for wealth building, and continuously learning helps you adapt.
The world is constantly changing. New industries pop up, the economy shifts, new investment opportunities arise. Those who stay curious and keep learning are able to spot trends, pivot, and capitalize on new opportunities that others might miss.
And learning doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. You don’t need a degree in finance or an MBA. You can access so much free or affordable information through books, podcasts, online courses, YouTube videos, and blogs.
These money moves won’t ever be seen by others—besides maybe your family—but if you’re serious about building wealth, they can help you grow your wealth, your opportunities, and your confidence in navigating your financial life.
Thanks so much for reading. If you learned something new today, share it with a friend, and we’ll see you in the next one.
