Singaporeans share how long it took them to reach their first million

SINGAPORE: Saving S$1 million sounds like a big flex, but in Singapore, where even a casual day out can easily drain your wallet, how long does it really take to hit that mark?

This question was recently posed on a local Reddit forum, where users openly shared their personal journeys towards achieving this goal. The discussion began when one user reflected on their own experience and invited others to weigh in.

“How long did you take, or think you’ll take, to reach your first $1 million?” the user asked on r/singaporefi on Monday (July 14).

“[For me], I started with a negative net worth and owed lots of loans. It took 15 long years. For those who haven’t reached it yet, how long do you think it’ll take? Yes, we know $1 million is just a HDB flat nowadays, but it’s still a sizeable and worthwhile achievement.”

First million at 33

One user revealed that he hit his first million at the age of 33.“Back then, my HDB equity accounted for less than a quarter of the net worth. I was wasting a lot of money on vacations early in my career,” he shared.

“Only got serious with savings & investing about 7 years into working. Our current saving rate is ~75%. Don’t own a car. Still living in HDB. It’s never too late.”

Reached S$1M by 36, nearing S$1.5M at 39

A third individual recounted that he reached S$1 million in net worth by age 36, after working for 11 years. Just three years later, he is already approaching S$1.5 million.

“I’m not an ultra-high earner,” he said. “My first job 14 yrs ago only paid S$2,750 before CPF with no bonus. Now, I’d say it’s just slightly above average income at S$7,xxx, with 2+ months annual bonus.”

18 years from zero to millionaire

A third user shared that he started from nearly nothing after completing his National Service in 2003. He landed his first job at age 25 and got married that same year.

He also recalled that due to their financial struggles at the time, his wife had to pay for their wedding bands. It took him 18 years to achieve a net worth of S$1 million, a milestone he finally reached in 2021.

Things moved quickly after that. By 2023, his net worth had doubled to S$2 million. Two years later, in 2025, his net worth had surged to over S$6 million. He attributed this explosive growth largely to the “strong performance of the tech sector.”

14 years to hit S$3 million

A fourth individual shared that it took him 14 years to reach “S$3 million in net worth.” Although his first job paid just S$2,300 a month, he explained that this did not discourage him from working towards his financial goals. Instead, he remained consistent with his saving habits and made thoughtful investment decisions.

In other news, an employee was taken aback upon learning that her confirmation letter had not been signed for five months.

On Monday (July 14), the employee took to the r/askSingapore Reddit forum to seek advice from others in the workforce. In the post, she explained that she was verbally confirmed by HR after completing three months in her current role. Following that, HR printed a formal confirmation letter and passed it to her manager for signing.

However, according to the employee, the manager has yet to sign the document. “I’ve personally seen the printed, unsigned letter lying on my manager’s table for a couple of months,” she wrote.

Read more: Employee learns confirmation letter has been unsigned for 5 months, turns to local forum for help

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