11 Things You Must Do Once You Start Making $100,000

Stepping into the six-figure club can bring up a lot of emotions. Happiness, joy, celebration, and excitement are super common when you move beyond living paycheck to paycheck, but they can also create their own problems.

Just what do you do when you achieve more financial stability? In a world where inflation is up, and everything costs more, it feels even more confusing and unclear. 

Here are 11 things you must do to ensure you maintain your financial health once you start making $100,000.

Every time your income changes, it's important to go back to the board when it comes to budgeting. Your budget and priorities can change with each shift. 

The nature of the beast, when you make more, is that you may want to start spending more. However, budgeting correctly can help you stop wasting money. 

If you don’t give yourself a little wiggle room as you make more money, you could spend like crazy. Budgets are about control and restraint, but not at an unhealthy level.

Credit card debt can carry an interest rate of up to 30% and as interest rates rise, those rates are rising. Yikes! 

Instead of letting high-interest credit card debt linger, start paying off your debt in bigger chunks. Now that you’re making more money, you can take the time to send in more than just the minimum payment.

Once you start making more money, the most important savings goal is an emergency fund. This rainy-day fund is your cushion against uncertainty. 

Start with getting your first $1,000 set aside, but don’t stop there. Three to six months of living expenses is really key, and more is better in the face of rising inflation and layoffs. 

As a bonus, if you put your savings into a high-yield savings account, you can grow your money until you need it.

The most common route to retirement these days is regular contributions to a 401(k) at work or your workplace equivalent in order to really grow your wealth.

You should definitely set up automatic payroll contributions to a 401(k), but that’s not the only retirement vehicle out there. 

You can and should also contribute to a Traditional or Roth IRA. A Traditional IRA is tax-deferred, meaning you pay taxes on withdrawals, but a Roth IRA provides tax-free withdrawals because post-tax monies are used. 

Let’s say you’ve already built up a good emergency fund. What’s next? Well, when you start making over $100,000, it’s a good idea to also have other funds set aside for other goals. 

Want to do a renovation or do you need to start regularly traveling to see family every year? Open a sinking fund.

A sinking fund is just money that isn’t an emergency fund that helps you save money for a purpose. You can save for any short- or long-term goal you’d like.

Getting on the real estate ladder is often better than renting. Yet, to save up closing costs, down payment, and other first-home expenses, you’ll have to work at it. 

Decide what type of starter home you can afford and make it a real goal. Track your savings towards this goal. Maybe you need $25,000 for a down payment. It will take some time, but it’s worth doing.

Owning property has its fair share of responsibilities, but it also has its rewards. Historically, homes in most areas appreciate over time and can become a financial asset as well as a place to live.

Giving to charity can make you feel good about yourself, it benefits the community, and there are even tax benefits around charitable giving. 

Do you need all of those benefits to take part in watching over the community? Not really, but it does provide a financial incentive for people to pour money into where they live, work, and play.

How much should you donate to charity? That depends. For example, if you’re still paying down high-interest credit card debt, that’s going to have to be the priority. 

Do you feel overloaded, like you couldn’t possibly take on another task? It’s definitely time to slow down and buy yourself more time.

What does that really mean in terms of making more money? Well, it can mean hiring a cleaning service instead of trying to cram all of your cleaning chores into a Saturday or Sunday rush session. 

It could also mean purposefully ordering grocery delivery so that you aren’t standing in line with everybody that ran to the supermarket after work.

Making more money isn’t just about what you spend; it’s about what you learn. Leaving room for new experiences could mean travel, but it’s also about serving others. 

You don’t have to donate the bulk of your wealth like Mackenzie Scott or Bill Gates, but you can commit to leaving yourself open for new opportunities. 

If your dream is to travel more, a travel credit card can help you earn points or miles to help you travel more, for less.

Getting an education is so much more than just getting a degree. That’s only one path to educational achievement. Perhaps your field of choice is heavy on certifications, as many in the IT industry will attest. 

No matter what or how, never stop learning. Take that one-off class, sign up for that three-day intensive, or meet with your boss for a personalized development plan that keeps your skills sharp.

Information is changing at supersonic speeds; you’re going to have to change along with the times.

Contrary to popular belief, estate planning isn’t just for the super-rich. You’re going to pass away someday, and that means that there needs to be a plan for what happens to your money. 

Dying without a will means that the state gets to decide where your money and property go. They won’t know what you want, so if you have particular needs or wishes, it’s important to spell them out.

As you make more money, having your estate planning documents reviewed by an attorney becomes even more important. It's important to take the necessary steps to help you truly get ahead financially before it's too late. 

Getting into the six-figure club is only the beginning. Once you start making more, you have to start thinking about ways to protect and build wealth. 

Money can work for you, but only if you work at having it do so. The more you make, the more opportunities you may have to grow your wealth, travel, and give back to your community. 

Working with a professional financial advisor can help you make room in your budget for all of your long-term goals.