From $2.26 to $1.35M: How This Guy Cracked the Millionaire Code in 5 Years

Grant Sabatier’s wake-up call came at 24—broke, living with parents, and holding just $2.26 in the bank. Instead of spiraling, he reverse-engineered his way to $1 million by 30.

The Math That Changed Everything

Sabatier did simple math: if annual expenses = $50k, then he needed 25x that ($1.25M) to live off interest. Traditional timeline? 30 years. His goal? 5 years. That meant $50/day savings + 5% annual returns.

He started even smaller—just $5/day in a Roth IRA—but the habit stuck.

The Money Moves That Actually Worked

1. Leveled up his income: Taught himself digital marketing via YouTube, landed a $50k job, then built websites for law firms (charged $500→$50k per site)
2. Maxed tax-advantaged accounts: $18.5k/year in 401k, rest into IRAs and brokerage accounts
3. Kept it stupid simple: 80% in index funds (like S&P 500), some individual stocks, real estate
4. Slashed expenses: Lived with roommates, cut subscriptions, practiced “pay yourself first”
5. Scaled the hustle: Went from $5/day → some days saving $20k

The Power Play Nobody Talks About

Compound interest. Every dollar he invested at 24 is worth ~$3.25 today. Start at 25 vs 35? You’ll need $172/month vs $461/month to hit $1M by 65 (assuming 10% returns).

Real Talk: He worked 90+ hour weeks and saved 60-70% of income. Not sustainable for everyone. But the framework works: increase income, automate savings, invest in index funds, keep costs brutal.

Today at 32, Sabatier has $1.35M and runs MillennialMoney.com sharing the playbook.