How I Went From Poor to Upper Middle Class in Just 4 Years
Written by
Cindy Lamothe
Edited by
Jenna Klaverweiden
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Ever wonder how some people seem to build wealth and turn their entire financial situation around in just a few years? We’re not talking about winning the lottery or landing a tech initial public offering — this is about everyday choices that add up in a big way.
GOBankingRates spoke with Jon Morgan, co-founder at Venture Smarter, to discuss how he went from living paycheck to paycheck to comfortably upper middle class in just four years.
The best part? The steps he took are surprisingly practical — and totally doable for the rest of us.
Rewiring His Relationship With Money
Morgan went from making $28,000 annually as a recent college graduate to earning over $180,000 within four years through launching his business, Venture Smarter.
“The transformation required completely rewiring my relationship with money and building what I call wealth momentum rather than just chasing higher income,” he said.
Viewing Money as a Tool for Creating Opportunity
According to Morgan, his biggest mindset shift happened when he stopped viewing money as something to spend and started seeing it as a tool for creating opportunity.
Instead of upgrading his lifestyle with each income increase, he maintained his $1,200 monthly expenses for nearly three years while funneling every extra dollar into business growth and strategic investments.
“This reverse lifestyle inflation allowed me to reinvest $89,000 back into the company during our first two years,” he said.
Following the 50-30-20 Rule With a Twist
Now as an upper-middle-class individual, Morgan follows the 50-30-20 rule with a twist: 50% for necessities, 20% for aggressive investing in both index funds and business opportunities, and 30% split between calculated risks like angel investing in startups and experiences that expand his network.
“The key insight is that wealth building accelerates exponentially when you treat your first $100,000 as seed capital for your future self rather than permission to spend more,” Morgan explained.
Mindset, Discipline and Intentional Choices
Morgan’s story proves that building wealth isn’t about sudden windfalls or luck; it’s about mindset, discipline and intentional choices.
By resisting lifestyle creep, reinvesting in his future and sticking to a clear plan, Morgan was able to jump from struggling financially to upper middle class in just four years.
His journey is a reminder that when you treat money as a tool for growth rather than instant gratification, you can create real momentum toward financial freedom.
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