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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 average wealth of the top 0.1% have an approximate net worth of $23.325 million , according to Federal Reserve Economic data (2).
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 of 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 that manage 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.
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.
Now, accredited investors can tap into that same approach through platforms such as Lightstone DIRECT, giving you access to institutional-quality multifamily and industrial real estate — with a minimum investment of $100,000.
Founded in 1986 by David Lichtenstein, Lightstone Group is one of the largest privately held real estate investment firms in the U.S., with more than $12 billion in assets under management.
Over nearly-four decades, their team has delivered strong, risk-adjusted performance across multiple market cycles — including a 27.5% historical net IRR and a 2.49x historical net equity multiple on realized investments since 2004.
Here’s the kicker: Lightstone invests at least 20% of its own capital in every deal — roughly four times the industry average. With skin in the game, the firm ensures its interests are directly aligned with those of its investors.
And your options aren’t limited to residential real estate. If you’re an accredited investor looking to take your portfolio to that next level and you’re looking to invest a larger sum with potential for quarterly returns, then commercial real estate might be the option for you.
For instance, through First National Realty Partners (FNRP), accredited investors can own a share of commercial properties leased to the nation’s largest essential-needs brands, including Kroger, Walmart and Whole Foods.
With a minimum investment of $50,000, you can diversify your portfolio with necessity-backed real estate without having to deal with the hassles of being a landlord. FNRP follows a triple net (NNN) lease structure, ensuring tenant costs aren’t cutting into potential returns.
The process is simple: answer a few questions — including how much you would like to invest — and start browsing their entire list of available properties. Once you’ve selected a property you like, you can attend an informative 60-minute live webinar to learn more about all facets of the investment.
Note that there is some risk involved as the assets are typically illiquid, and could receive no returns. You can speak to a professional to determine whether this type of investment is right for you.
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.
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 compared to other alternative assets.
Masterworks has sold 25 artworks so far, yielding net annualized returns like 14.6%, 17.6% and 17.8%.
Note that 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 at your individual income level, as variances in net worth and financial goals make generalized advice difficult 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.
