Unlike someone born into a rich family, a self-made millionaire has made their fortune themselves. While some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth and have everything handed to them on a platter, most have to earn their own living. But who actually manages to become a self-made millionaire in the end? Surely very few. They also say the first million is the hardest. Only a few truly manage it. If you have a particular talent, for example you can sing or act brilliantly, you can rake in millions in a very short time if you're lucky. Elton John, for example, is said to have been a multimillionaire at 23 after just a few released songs. That doesn't happen to every musician, singer or actor, though. Only the A-list really gets rich. Most of them have to keep their heads above water. The music business in particular is also very unpredictable. Sometimes you wonder why some artists become rich and famous so quickly while others never get going. If you're interested in who has especially large amounts of money, check the Forbes list. In 2019, Scarlett Johansson was the highest-paid actress with $56 million earned that year, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson earned 89 million euros from his films and fees. Chloé Kardashian was the first billionaire under 30.

self-made millionaire

Who is a self-made millionaire?

The German band Die Prinzen sing in a well-known hit about wishing they were millionaires so their bank account would never run dry.

The theme also plays a leading role in the entertaining films Slumdog Millionaire from 2008, which won eight Oscars, and Million Dollar Baby from 2004 with Hilary Swank. A must-watch! The quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which has been running for 20 years and is hosted in Germany by Günther Jauch, also plays on the wish to be rich. The show runs in several countries. The well-known TV quiz show is popular everywhere and has already turned a few ordinary people into millionaires.

Well-known self-made millionaires are, as we all know, for example Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. A German prime example is the supermodel Heidi Klum from Bergisch Gladbach, who is among the richest Germans. And at the moment, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world.

Being able to afford anything as a self-made millionaire

Of course it's fantastic to be able to afford anything. For some people money simply plays no role. They have other problems instead. Sometimes the poor and the rich have the same worries, regardless of money.