Be wealthy: stop acting rich

Ponder these facts for a moment:

-- Eighty-six percent of all prestige or luxury makes of motor vehicles are driven by people who are not millionaires.

-- Typically, millionaires pay about $16 (including tip) for a haircut.

-- Nearly four in 10 millionaires buy wine that costs about $10.

-- In the United States, there are nearly three times as many millionaires living in homes with a market value of less than $300,000 than there are living in homes valued at $1 million or more. 

Many pretend to be rich, while the truly wealthy live moderately. These data bits are from Stop Acting Rich . . . and Start Living Like a Real Millionaire by Thomas J. Stanley, who previously wrote The Millionaire Next Door.

Michelle Singletary writes in The Washington Post:

Stanley's research does a great job of proving there's a big difference between income and net worth. Many pretenders have become very good at generating income and enjoying a high standard of living. But take this Stanley gem to the bank: "Those who are among the least productive in transforming their incomes into wealth are in the higher-status occupations." 

What do we often tell a child who expresses an interest in teaching? "You won't get rich as a teacher." 

Yet, there are more than 350,000 millionaire educators, working or retired teachers or professors, according to Stanley's research.