Personal Finance

At 40, I worked my butt off and ended up making $1.1 million last year

Christy Bieber

Published: March 12, 2025 5:57 pm

A Reddit user posted a thread recently in which he explained that he was 40 years old and he managed to make over $1.1 million last year. He said that he “worked his butt off” the last three years in order to put himself in this position and that he made his money by running a virtual health and life insurance agency. 

He also explained that he has now shifted his focus to recruiting and training agents and he is expecting to surpass $2 million in revenue in 2025.

While some of the Reddit users who commented on the thread were not impressed with his gains because they worry he is selling whole life insurance, which tends to have a bad ROI for the buyer while enriching the agent, the Redditor’s story still has some important takeaways for others who want to increase their income. 

Entrepreneurship can be the best way to build wealth

While running a virtual health or life insurance agency obviously is not right for everyone, the fact of the matter is that this Reddit user was able to make an income of over $1 million per year because he was running his own business and his success was entirely within his own hands. 

Now, it is entirely possible to earn a salary of over $1 million working for someone else. However, there are a very limited range of jobs where this is possible, and you often need to have specialized skills that would qualify you to work in fields like technology or finance. 

If you didn’t get the training to do these jobs, or you don’t have the aptitude for them, then finding a way to branch out in business on your own could be the ticket to gaining real wealth as you have direct control over how hard you work and how much you earn. 

That’s not to say every business succeeds or will be able to do $1 million in revenue either. In fact, many businesses fail in their first years or never hit that $1 million per year annual income. But if you have a good idea, and the willpower and work ethic to go out on your own, starting your own company like this Redditor could be the ticket to earning a small fortune each year. 

Work with a financial advisor to make the most of your money

If you are lucky enough, or dedicated enough, to earn a very high income, it’s also worth noting that what you do with this money matters as much as the fact that you made it. You can’t necessarily count on business booming forever, so it’s a good idea to invest some of your wealth to ensure you are building a lasting source of income for yourself.

A financial advisor can help high-net-worth individuals to develop a sound investment strategy so they can build upon their high income to achieve financial independence and no longer have to worry about working. The sooner you get professional financial advice and start making smart moves with your money, the sooner you can get to the point where you can work because you want to, not because you have to, and that’s the point where you can kiss your money worries goodbye.