How To Get Rich in 2026

what's up rich people it's me hayley aka mrs dow jones and this is financial tea okay so i just gave my apartment a major refresh and hands down the hardest thing to get right was the rug i just couldn't find one that fit right and i really wanted something that pulled the room together because like a rug is a big deal but then i found ernesta and ernesta's amazing it makes designer quality rugs custom cut to the exact size of your space so it actually fits instead of almost fits and looks great the first time like in the past i've just defaulted to stock sizes when buying rugs and also like when you're in a new york city apartment that really just doesn't cut it but they're all weirdly shaped but with ernesta you can send photos and dimension to ernesta's design team and they help you get the size exactly right completely free of charge hand selected by design experts ernesta rugs are beautiful they're durable and they're made for the way you actually live cut finish and delivered in as little as two weeks visit ernesta.com and order five samples for only ten dollars and you will get fifty dollars toward any rug of your choice that is e-r-n-e-s-t-a.com what's up rich people it's me hayley aka mrs dow jones and this is i'm going to teach you how to build wealth with a little side of market drama money scandals and financial pop culture today though i am going to be giving you the exact blueprint for how to get rich in 2026 getting wealthy is literally 65 percent of people's new year's resolution but here's the tea most are going to end this year with the same bank account balance that they started with if not less same broke vibes different year and then next january they're going to be rubbing sticks together manifesting money instead of growing it because they don't have a system they don't know what actions to take to actually make it happen but not you sipper can i call you that comment if you think that's a fun name or if i need to be put in jail because you are listening to the mrs dow jones podcast and i am going to walk you through my rich method you guys if you follow this you're guaranteed to build net worth this year yes you will end 2026 richer than you started it like with the rich method you cannot lose this framework is so foolproof that like even your friend who financed her dyson air wrap could use it so my darlings i'm gonna walk you through it step by step get your notebooks out it's going to be juicy it's going to be financial tea and it's gonna actually make you rich so let's jump in okay the first part of the rich method is r which stands for reserve if you're serious about growing wealth this year or like any time in your life step one is always just getting three to six months of essentials in a high yield savings account legit as fast as you can like sell your clothes on ebay ask for a raise side hustle whatever you gotta do and the reason this is so important is that life is gonna hit you with unexpected chaos and this is your safety net so that when it does happen you don't have to take on more debt like say your car dies your company does restructuring the boyfriend you live with ends up being like a walking red flag who's in a relationship with a chat bot and you've got to move out immediately you don't need to finance or raid your investments to deal with the situation this is your fuck you money that will get you out of dodge just set it aside know it's there and then we'll lock in on the next step in building real wealth next up in the rich method ah yes it does stand for interest traps interest ooh la la you guys i know that we love a credit card i love a credit card too they're fabulous but they can also be so dangerous like when you are not paying them off in full and you have 20 25 30 apr happening like your relationship with your credit card becomes more toxic than zach bryan's love life like i don't know how he got that girl to marry him but like he did except like with a credit card you don't even get a viral breakup story out of it you're just getting debt like you're basically running on a financial treadmill going to a bank and you're like oh my god i'm gonna go to a bank and i'm gonna go to a bank and i'm gonna go to a bank and i'm gonna go to a bank and i'm gonna go to a bank and i'm gonna go to a bank and i'm gonna go to a bank and i'm gonna go to a bank and i'm gonna no matter how hard you hustle like the interest is going to eat your progress faster than you can build it so step two in the rich method we've got to pay off your high interest rate debt so that you can leave this toxic situation like brianna did i have an amazing free debt payoff planner that i will link in the show notes just to get you started download it it's helped over 10 000 people and that it's a really good first step if you want to make 20 26 the year that you annihilate your high interest rate debt this episode is brought to you by google chrome you think you know a browser but gemini 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index funds we keep it really simple around here i always say you want your life to be really exciting you want your career your travels to be exciting too but your investments should be super boring and yes this is the most boring advice i'll ever give you but boring is what makes you rich you don't want a boring life you don't want a boring career but what you do want is a boring portfolio the exciting stuff the crypto your brother-in-law won't shut up about the penny stock some finance bro is pumping on reddit guys that's how you lose money boring investments are what will make you rich so you can have an interesting life investing shouldn't be entertainment it just has to be like automated and consistent and average think about an index fund like a chipotle bowl i am obsessed with chipotle right now it's so good the same way chipotle you buy one bowl and in the bowl you're getting all these different toppings the same thing is true for an index fund you're buying one index fund and in it you're getting all these different stocks which is awesome because you have instant diversification and the same way that chipotle is well priced unless you got like so many extra toppings index funds are also well priced so you're getting good value and you're getting good diversification and you don't need to pick a winner like maybe the corn salsa is really bad that day maybe the chicken's giving you the ick well you've still got guacamole you still got rice you still got romaine so you're still having a great meal that's the same thing with an index fund you don't need every stock in it to be awesome but you just need some of them to be great and then you're going to stay winning okay and i know you're probably like hayley but which funds should we actually buy though i will link you in the show notes to my free index fund guide for twenty twenty six but just to give you a preview like i said you only need two to three i really like qqq it gives you good tech exposure and it's returned around fifteen percent the last twenty years i also like voo it gets you a small piece of the top five hundred companies in america and that has returned around ten percent the last twenty years and i also like vti because it lets you buy the entire u.s stock market and it's also returned around ten percent but i just want you to know that if you're listening to this podcast i will bully you into investing like we are friends now we are girls you're a sipper i'm a sipper let me know do we like sippers still but like we gotta invest we can't you can't work your way to wealth guys gotta get our money compounding like taylor swift's career mama if you want to be a billionaire that's how we make it happen okay now we're going to talk about the final step which is h human capital i feel like people don't talk about this enough but like how you make more money is investing in yourself like your salary isn't set in stone you actually can control how much you can earn by building skills negotiating your raises switching jobs strategically or even like starting a side hustle or your own business think about it like alex earl queen of everything went from a college student at u miami to multi multi-millionaire like that girl's going to be a billionaire by investing in her human capital she learned video editing she studied what content actually performs she mastered storytelling and reliability like her get ready with me's are so good and then she built expertise in personal branding like she didn't just build her own business she built her own business she built her own she actually developed real skills in audience engagement and content strategy and business negotiation and then she was able to leverage those skills into sponsored deals she's not waiting for someone to give her permission she built herself into a conglomerate and now she's able to create multiple revenue streams because she invested in becoming really good at what she does and now guys like if there was a poly market on alex earl being a billionaire i would bet on alex earl like she is going to leverage those skills and she's going to be a billionaire these skills into so much money and you can do this too like building human capital becoming really good at what you do so that you're undeniable and people don't want to lose you and you have to be paid more is something that's in your control. Maybe 2026 is the year that you finally take the course or you learn that skill that's going to get you a promotion or you ask for a freaking raise, even though you've never done that before. The worst they can say is no. And then you just start looking elsewhere. But you need to take your earning into your own hands. No one is going to hand you more money. You need to make yourself more valuable and then demand that you get paid for it. And if they can't pay you for it, you walk away. You find something else because you're valuable. And if you don't have a seat at that table, there will be another table that wants you. And the reason that this is so important is because the more that you make, the more that you can invest, like it's a fly wheel. And then the more you invest, the richer you can get, the more your net worth will grow. It is literally that simple. So please invest in yourself like you are the best stock on the market because you really are. So there you have it, sippers. Lock me up. I called you sippers again. The rich method reserves in your H-Y-S-A. Interest traps eliminated, compounding assets on autopilot, and human capital maximized. Okay, those are the four steps. But now let's talk about the traps that will derail you because they will derail you. Okay, like these will destroy your progress. These are the villains in your 2026 get rich story. We're going to do a deep dive on these in future episodes. But like, you do need to know what to watch out for. Number one is just lifestyle inflation. Like this is like when you got a raise and just immediately upgrade everything, upgrade apartment, upgrade car, upgrade wardrobe, like your expenses rise with your income. So you're still broke. You just have nicer stuff. So like, the new rule is that when you get a raise, instead of increasing your lifestyle, increase the amount that you're investing, increase your 401k contribution, increase your Roth IRA contribution. It's not to say that you can't splurge and you can't enjoy your money and you can't travel like that's so important. But you want to make sure that you're upgrading your life and your net worth, not just your life at the expense of your net worth. Trap number two, buy now pay later. If you have no haters, then I am dead. Affirm, Klarna, afterpay. You guys suck. Like, if you can't afford something right now, you just can't afford it. Plus, this whole like 0% interest rate thing is such a lie. If you miss any of those payments, they're going to hit you with 36% interest. That's a firm's interest rate, which is higher than credit card companies, but you're getting none of the benefits. You're getting none of the protections. You're not building your credit, but they will also report your missed payments to the credit bureau. So they just suck. Stay away from them at all costs. Like literally, I want you to just ingrain in your head. We don't use that. Like, don't even think about it. There it's just, it's trash. Okay. It's, it creates really bad habits. And I know I'm going to get comments with people who are saying I use buy now pay later so well. And yes, for a small majority, you can use it and pay it off on time and enjoy the 0% interest. But like for the mass market, that's not what's happening. It's just enabling people to buy things that they don't need with money that they don't have. And then trap number three is not automating. Look, we all wake up in January of each year, having so much willpower, we're eating kale, we're not drinking, we're budgeting. And then February comes around and we are, you know, back to our old ways. We're relying just on willpower means that you will fail. Like willpower is finite, but automation that's forever. If you set up automatic transfers on the day that you get paid, you will pay yourself first and make sure that you are hitting your financial goals. And then you can live on what's left. I would not be a millionaire without automation. Like it helps me reach every single one of my financial goals, starting with my emergency fund. Okay. But guys, can I be real? Like, what are you going to do next? Like, are you going to actually implement the rich method? Are we just keeping this in our notes app forever? If you want the breakdown of those index funds I mentioned, or the debt payout planner, those free guides are in the show notes. You better download them. And if this was helpful, share it with a friend who needs to hear it. Like, you know, the one who keeps saying this is my year, but doesn't even know her bank account password. Like that's the one that you need to share it to. I have to say, when I started my financial journey, I did it with my best friend, Victoria. And it was so helpful. And if you don't have someone, I will be that someone, because we are going to be here every Thursday, sipping the financial tea. I am Mrs. Dow Jones. And remember, we want boring portfolios. We want interesting lives, and we want lots of dates with Warren Buffett. I'll see you next week. Stay rich. Coming up next week on Financial Tea. What do you lie about when it comes to money? Because we all fib a little. Ooh, what do I lie about when it comes to money? Like with dating, like anything. Ooh. Well, first off, I would say, you know, people think I'm the points gun. I put every single expense on credit card. And by and large, I do. I also carry around cash all the time. And this is a mistake I see a lot of people making. I am a believer in a tip. And I think tips can get you extraordinary value. Cash is king. This is a Mrs. Dow Jones production for Sony Music Podcast. At ZocDoc, we know you care about your health. You wouldn't do that early morning cardio if you didn't. So the fact that your annual physical is overdue just shows how hard it can be to get seen by a doctor. Sorry, that doctor's not in network. 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