Is it still possible to go from average earner to millionaire?

An individual posed a blunt question: “Is it even possible for someone with limited resources to become wealthy through a normal job?”

It’s a question rooted in real anxiety. As housing prices climb, groceries become less affordable, and retirement feels further away, many working adults are wondering whether the path their parents took—study hard, work steady, save consistently—is still enough. What followed was a rare kind of forum magic: hundreds of responses, some full of hope, others dripping with cynicism. But between the lines, something became clear.

Getting rich on a normal job is still possible. But it demands an unusual mix of consistency, long-term clarity, and resistance to social pressure. And that’s precisely what makes it so rare. Let’s unpack why.

Before answering the question, we need to ask a different one: What does it mean to be rich?

In Singapore, that often starts with home ownership. Add CPF balances, investments, and the freedom to say “no” to jobs or obligations without risking your future, and you’re close to a working definition of financial independence. It’s not about luxury cars or early retirement in Bali—it’s about control, stability, and optionality.

By that standard, becoming rich on a normal job is less about the job title and more about how you handle what flows through your hands. Income matters. But so does what you do with it—especially in a system that taxes consumption more than capital.

One commenter shared the story of a friend who bought Bitcoin in 2012 using his entire college savings. It was a high-risk move, unadvised by any planner, and it paid off: his net worth today exceeds S$50 million.

But wealth like that, born from speculation rather than planning, comes with its own tension. His friend now reportedly spends most days listless, unsure what to do with his time. No structure, no pressure, no real goals.

This is the paradox of sudden wealth: it changes your financial situation, but doesn’t guarantee emotional or life clarity. And for most people, it’s not replicable. It’s not a plan. It’s a story. The takeaway isn’t to chase Bitcoin’s next equivalent—it’s to recognize that luck needs structure to be sustainable. Otherwise, even fortunes can feel empty.

More quietly, another story stood out. A man shared how his father, with no university degree, began working at 18 and stuck with steady employment for over 40 years. No windfalls. No business ventures. Just modest living, regular saving, and disciplined investing.

Today, his father is a multimillionaire. Most of that wealth, he noted, came in the final four years before retirement—thanks to the power of compound growth.

This is where the CPF system shines. With a Special Account (SA) interest floor of 4.08% in 2025, and employer contributions adding up to 37% of gross salary for younger workers, Singaporeans have a head start. But the system only works if you don’t drain it for housing, lifestyle upgrades, or early withdrawals. The challenge isn’t whether the structure exists. It’s whether people can stick with it long enough.

One of the most common reasons ordinary workers don’t feel rich—despite earning well—is lifestyle inflation. As incomes rise, so do expectations. Private condo instead of BTO. Car instead of public transport. Two vacations a year. New phone, every cycle.

The result? Paychecks grow, but savings don’t. And wealth becomes a mirage.

In the Reddit thread, a sharp comment captured this perfectly: “Singaporeans aren’t poor. They’re stuck in a cycle of mediocrity.” What he meant wasn’t about character, but about behavior. The choice to spend, rather than invest. To signal status, rather than build resilience.

And the system doesn’t stop you. In fact, it rewards spending—GST fuels state revenue, car ownership is taxed but socially aspirational, and even real estate can become more about lifestyle than asset strategy. This is why CPF alone won’t make you rich. It’s protected from lifestyle pressure. But your cash flow isn’t.

In one of the most encouraging stories, a Reddit user shared how two schoolteachers built wealth through the HDB resale system. Starting with a flat in Sengkang, they upgraded carefully after every Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), timing each sale with market upswings. Over time, they amassed over S$1 million in profit—on public sector salaries.

This isn’t a get-rich-quick story. It’s a lesson in sequence, timing, and low-leverage moves. They didn’t buy high-end private condos or second homes. They used policy levers and market cycles strategically.

Of course, this playbook is harder now. With Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) hikes, tighter loan rules, and a cooling property market, flipping flats isn’t as straightforward. But the mindset still applies: make every move count. Don’t upgrade out of impulse. Align property choices with CPF preservation and investment runway—not social status.

Among the most grounded responses came from a netizen who simply said: “Work. Invest. Spend within your means.” It sounds boring. But it works. Two of her cousins, she explained, went from near-poverty to upper-class standing in 20 years. The method? Government jobs, stable investing via CPF and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), low-debt living, and delayed gratification.

This reflects what many planners already know: you don’t need extraordinary income to build extraordinary outcomes. You need consistency, a system that works in your context, and the discipline to ignore noise.

A simple monthly system could look like:

• 20–25% to long-term investing (CPF, SRS, ETFs)
• 10% to liquidity buffer (cash savings)
• 10% to life protection (insurance, healthcare fund)
• 55–60% for all fixed and discretionary expenses

Over time, this ratio can shift. But the point is this: systems beat willpower. Especially when income is ordinary.

If you’re building wealth through a normal job, your KPI isn’t salary. It’s:

• Net worth velocity: How much your assets grow relative to your expenses.
• CPF trajectory: Are you topping up your SA? Using Voluntary Contributions?
• Debt exposure: Is your mortgage eating more than 25% of take-home?
• Lifestyle burn: Can you reduce expenses without reducing quality of life?

Most people don’t track these because they don’t feel urgent. But wealth isn’t built in urgent moves. It’s built in slow, invisible alignment.

One planner trick: project your CPF and investment balance at age 55 using your current contribution pattern. If the number shocks you—adjust. If it reassures you—stay the course.

There’s a popular phrase in wealth planning: “You can afford anything, but not everything.” For most normal-income earners, wealth comes from deciding early what to give up. That might mean:

• A smaller flat so you can top up your SA yearly.
• No car, so you can invest your bonuses.
• Traveling less now to reach FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) later.

These aren’t restrictions—they’re tradeoffs. And tradeoffs are the building blocks of planning. What makes them powerful is when they’re chosen, not forced. And that only happens when you know what kind of wealth you’re really building: cashflow flexibility? Early retirement? Generational support? Answer that—and the rest becomes easier to optimize.

Singapore’s system supports long-term savers. But it doesn’t stop short-term spenders. CPF is protected, yes. But SRS is underutilized. Budget 2025 enhancements to retirement savings were helpful—but only if you engage with them.

And beyond CPF, there’s no mandatory planning for insurance adequacy, no automatic portfolio rebalancing, no enforcement of healthy debt-to-income ratios. So if you want to become rich on a normal job, the state gives you scaffolding. But you still have to build the house. Behavior is the missing policy layer. One that can’t be legislated—but must be self-imposed.

Wealth built from ordinary jobs is no longer visible. It doesn’t trend. It doesn’t post. It doesn’t show up until decades later—when someone retires quietly with no financial anxiety. If you’re wondering whether your salary can make you wealthy, the answer is yes—but only if you define wealth as security, not spectacle. And only if you build around time, not tempo.

So don’t chase the outliers. Build a structure. Live below the line. Trust the system—but monitor it.

And remember: wealth isn’t what you earn. It’s what you keep—and what you can walk away from without fear. That’s the kind of rich that’s still possible. Even now.