A millennial paid off six figures in debt and built a $1 million net worth. She explains how she invests her money.

Rose Han is a YouTuber, financial educator, and the author of 'Add A Zero.'Courtesy of Rose HanRose Han overcame $100,000 in debt by increasing her income and controlling expenses.After tackling her debt, she got serious about investing and built a seven-figure net worth.She mainly invests in index funds, dividend stocks, and rental properties.Rose Han's parents moved from Korea to the US when she was a toddler.As a first-generation Korean-American, "it was really, really ingrained in me to go to a good school, whatever the cost," Han told Business Insider. "Especially if you're a child of immigrants, you need to make your parents proud and make their sacrifice coming to the country worth it."She did just that, graduating from NYU — but not without racking up a six-figure tab. Between student loans and a small amount of credit card debt, she said she owed about $100,000 total."It took me a couple of years to actually start doing anything about my debt," said Han, who landed a job as a financial analyst on Wall Street and spent her early paychecks on clothes and nights out in New York. "I felt a lot of shame, and just overwhelmed about this debt, like it's never going to go away."After about two years of avoiding her financial situation, Han had what she calls her "financial awakening." She was stuck in a job she didn't like, but needed the paycheck. "I realized, if I want the life that I want to have, this debt is not going away. I'm going to have to address it.Han's family moved to the US when she was a toddler.Courtesy of Rose HanIn 2014, she made a couple of serious changes.She increased her income, starting by negotiating a raise at work and eventually by creating additional revenue streams. Next, she reined in her spending."The other piece of it is actually having your expenses under control, so that when you do make more, all that can go toward debt and not just lifestyle creep," she said. "So I got really mindful about my spending." Investing her way to $1 millionHan prioritized her high-interest credit card debt, about $5,000, and then started investing while simultaneously chipping away at her student loans.Her wealth began to snowball as she created more revenue streams and had more money to funnel into investments. Her first side hustle was freelance bookkeeping on Upwork. She also hosted free personal finance meet-ups, which evolved into a profitable financial literacy business that she now runs full-time. Han generates revenue from her two online courses, brand deals, affiliate links, and book sales. She's also built a YouTube following of nearly 1 million subscribers and gets paid from ads."It exploded for me when I started my own business," she said, referring to her net worth. "In the beginning, I was investing small amounts of money. I was working a job and I was negotiating good pay and putting that toward my financial goals and investing more, but it's one thing to double $10,000 with good investment returns versus doubling $100,000."That's why her advice, especially for young investors, is to "focus on the income side — the earning side — so that you can invest more."As of 2025, Han is worth seven figures between her stock and real estate portfolios. BI viewed screenshots of her brokerage accounts and estimated equity in her rental properties.Here's how she invests her money.Stock market: Index funds and dividend stocksWhen Han first started putting her money to work, "I got really excited about investing in gold and buying individual stocks to find the next big thing," she said. But reading about the financial independence, retire early (FIRE) movement sold her on a more long-term approach of buying total market index funds."I realized I take enough risk in my career on the income side of things that I would like my investments and really my entire financial life to be automated, boring, and safe," she said. "That's not to say, not profitable. It's just, I don't need things to be super exciting to do really well. Over 30 years, if you invest in a regular S&P 500 index fund, you'll turn $500 a month into a million, statistically, so it doesn't mean boring and automated isn't extremely profitable."Han, who started her career in New York, resides in Los Angeles.Courtesy of Rose HanHan owns the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF (VTI), the Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF (VXUS), and the Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF (VNQ).She owns two individual stocks: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Coinbase (COIN). She also buys dividend stocks and receives quarterly payments as a shareholder. She calls it "the laziest income stream you could ever build," because once you buy a dividend stock, you're completely hands-off. Of course, dividends are never guaranteed, and she noted that it does require a lot of money to build up this income stream to the point where it's significant passive income.Real estate: Long-term rentalsHan started buying rental properties in 2022."I had some cash that I wanted to put to work, and my first thought was, 'I'll do index funds, obviously — just put more into what I already have,'" she said. "But I'd always been curious about rental property. It just seemed kind of daunting to get into it."The opportunity presented itself when she was living out of a converted camper van and traveling across the country. While stopping through Las Vegas, she met a few real estate brokers and investors."They showed me some properties and I ran the numbers and realized, 'These actually cash flow.' Vegas, at the time, was a good market where you could find cash-flowing properties without trying too hard," she said. "I did my due diligence, so I was like, 'OK, let's do it.' And it turned out to be a good decision, although there have been a lot of unexpected repairs and things that, of course, happen. But overall, it's been a good move."Han spent about a year living out of her camper van and traveling around the US.Courtesy of Rose HanLike her stock portfolio, she prefers the safer, more consistent version of real estate investing: hosting long-term tenants, rather than doing short-term vacation rentals."I know I could make a lot more with Airbnb and short-term, but it takes a lot more management and more repairs because there's a lot of turnover," said Han, who owns rentals in Las Vegas and Mexico City. "To me, it's OK to leave money on the table with my investments as long as, over time, they're going to get where I need them to be."Riskier investmentsHan has a sliver of her overall portfolio in crypto, including bitcoin and ethereum. She also does a little bit of options trading."There are always people who are like, you can optimize and make fast, bigger money by investing in individual stocks and renovating real estate, like fixer-uppers, rather than just long-term index funds and rental property that just give you boring cash flow every month," she said. While she doesn't mind allocating a small amount of her money to riskier bets, Han prefers to drown out the noise and play the long game.Read the original article on Business Insider

Comments

Business News

Home Depot buying specialty building products distributor GMS in $4.3Bn deal

ABC News

Comments

Business News

Home Depot buying specialty building products distributor GMS in $4.3Bn deal

TSB giving customers £310 if they act before midnight

Barclays, NatWest and Nationwide customers paid £185 to switch

‘Plan to modernise’ as garden centre in same family for five generations sold

Hertz customers outraged over AI-powered scanner that charges hundreds of dollars for small scuffs on rental cars

Revealed: Two-thirds of small businesses would now vote Remain after profits hit by Brexit

Fears mount over UK fuel supplies after Lindsey oil refinery owner collapses

Nissan to axe hundreds of jobs at Sunderland plant

Plug-in panels and boost to rooftop installations among Government’s solar plans

Protesters target Wimbledon over Barclays sponsorship links to arms firms

How plug-in balcony solar panels could help Britons save 30% on energy bills

Republicans dismiss Democrats' warning that changes to Medicaid will leave millions uninsured

Republican Senate tax bill would add $3.3 trillion to the U.S. debt load, CBO says

Suspense surrounds Senate vote on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' as July 4 deadline looms

Canada rescinds digital services tax after Trump's trade threat

Italian fashion house Prada under fire for copying Indian sandal design without credit

Severe heat wave hits southern Europe and raises wildfire risks

Women can be drafted into the Danish military as Russian aggression and military investment grows

A hard-right lawmaker is sworn in as Greece's migration minister

Republican Senate tax bill would add $3.3 trillion to the US debt load, CBO says

Senate Republicans are in a sprint on Trump's big bill after a weekend of setbacks

Major driveway change on Tuesday will affect hundreds of thousands of owners

Pensioners aged over 66 can get £441 per month with these conditions

Premium Bonds group of savers warned they will be more impacted by rates drop

WASPI state pension compensation fight update as Starmer told to cave in

Why islanders are furious about the Scottish Government's £4.4m 'rescue' fund

WH Smith cuts sale price of high street business after weaker trading

US-UK trade, AI and a shake up of rules on investment advice

Miliband eyes refinery support after Lindsey collapse

Halifax customers urged to 'close accounts' after major change

4 million households would get £725 income boost under DWP welfare bill

British Gas, EDF, EON and Octopus customers urged to take photo of meter before midnight

Rachel Reeves urged to 'means test' state pension

Older savers issued warning over cash savings

NatWest customers can get £125 cash bonus before August

Council tax rules are changing: Expert explains how it could affect the amount you pay

Santander to close 38 banks in July – full list mapped

Undocumented workers power L.A.'s restaurants. Will the industry protect them?

Fuel margins remain high despite lower prices at the pump, watchdog finds

Major UK bank will now pay you £185 to switch to them

Millie Mackintosh tells fans which ‘luminising’ sunscreen she’s been using during the heatwave

Home Bargains selling 100ml bottle of £100 designer perfume for £40

200,000 people won’t face universal credit reassessment under proposed DWP welfare bill

‘I sleep with this fan on every night and it’s incredible in a heatwave’

Banks get power to suggest how savers can get better returns - but it isn't financial advice

Billionaires shouldn't exist, says Zohran Mamdani, as he runs to be mayor of the world's billionaire capital

This company wants to be the first to mine the ocean floor, with Trump's help

UK economic rebound confirmed as consumer spending strengthens – ONS

Fuel margins remain high despite lower prices at the pump, watchdog finds

Inheritance tax 'complex HMRC rules' means gifts aren't always tax free

UK households urged to check meter readings today ahead of £122 energy bill cut

I just witnessed a weekend of crime in ‘lawless London’ - but none of it actually happened

Warning issued to anyone with 1 particular type of ISA

Government issues council tax exemption update over 'impossible to sell' homes

Fed Chair Jerome Powell accused of lying to Congress over $2.5B ‘Palace of Versailles’ HQ revamp

Would Shell and BP creating a £200bn oil behemoth be a good idea for anyone at all?

Calls to reform Lifetime ISAs over ‘nonsensical’ rules causing savers to lose their own money

Rise in number of mortgage approvals to home buyers in May, says Bank of England

Sophia Webster teams up with Waitrose to launch the ultimate summer tote bag

‘Elegant and fast-growing’ flamingo tree that adds a splash of colour to your patio is 50% off