The Daily Money: The millionaires next door

Good morning! It's Daniel de Visé with your Daily Money.

Making millions of dollars with a fleet of ice cream trucks, or an eBay business, or a family roofing company, feels like fulfillment of the American Dream. 

America seems to have more millionaires than ever. Indeed, the average U.S. household is now worth a million dollars, according to the federal Survey of Consumer Finances for 2022.

So, who are all the new millionaires? 

USA TODAY set out to find the proverbial millionaire next door: Americans who built seven- or eight-figure fortunes from essentially nothing, without high-powered law degrees or inherited wealth. 

We’ll let them tell you how they did it.

Generation X comes into its own

For the first time ever, Gen X workers saw their 401(k) balances top those of Baby Boomers, Medora Lee reports.

Retirement account balances for Gen X workers who have been saving for 15 years averaged $543,400 at the start of this year, $200 more than average balance for Boomers, according to Fidelity. 

Gen X is often termed the forgotten generation, sandwiched between the large and culturally powerful Boomer and Millennial cohorts. It’s also the first generation to start working as 401(k)s replaced pension plans. Surveys have shown many of them don’t have nearly enough for retirement.

What has changed?

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Finally, here's a popular story from earlier this year that you may have missed. Read it! Share it!

Fast food − it's quick, filling and, most importantly, cheap; or at least, it's supposed to be.

Chains such as McDonald's have faced criticism as prices soared in recent years, resulting in less revenue from lower-income consumers. McDonald's has since promised a reduction in prices.

Some people, however, have taken matters into their own hands. One TikToker has gained some virality by bringing attention to a lesser-known McDonald's meal deal − one so affordable, some netizens couldn't believe it.

Behold: The $12 McDonald's dinner box.

About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.

Daniel de Visé covers personal finance for USA Today.