While being rich means different things to different people, certain skills and personal qualities will help you achieve financial success. These competencies include:  

• Financial Literacy. Ongoing learning of basic money management activities will provide the foundation for wealth building.
• Leadership and Management Skills. An ability to motivate and guide individuals and teams is required for business leadership and career growth.
• Decision-making and Problem-Solving. Offering creative and effective solutions, especially in high-stress situations, will always be a valued leadership and career skill.
• Negotiation Skills. Your bargaining ability will often result in more money in business and career situations.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset. A vision for identifying and implementing business ideas requires a skillset that can be of value in nearly every life situation. The creativity, curiosity, persistence, and motivation of effective entrepreneurs will result in financial and career success.
• Self-Discipline and Time Management. Wise time use and consistency in achieving your financial goals are fundamental for long-term money success. Committing saving and investing allows you to build wealth through the compounding effects of time value of money. 
• Curiosity and Ongoing Learning. Awareness of new trends, technology, and markets provides guidance for both investing and emerging career opportunities.
• Networking. Connections with others are vital for professional success and personal development. Your network can uncover opportunities and resources. Making friends, especially those in different socio-economic situations can help grow your financial potential. When low-income people interact with those with a higher income, this often results in less-affluent people considering ways to expand their saving and investing.  Bottom of Form

For additional information on skills to build wealth, go to:

Link #1

Link #2

Teaching Suggestions

• Have students talk to others to obtain suggestions for building wealth.
• Have students create a visual proposal (poster, slide presentation, or video) to communicate actions that would help people improve skills for building wealth.

Discussion Questions 

1. Which of these skills are your strongest? Which skills need to be improved?
2. Describe actions a person might take to improve one or more of these skills.