Author name: Steve Burns

After a lifelong fascination with financial markets, Steve began investing in 1993 and trading his accounts in 1995. It was love at first trade. After more than 30 successful years in the markets, Steve now dedicates his time to helping traders improve their psychology and profitability. New Trader U offers an extensive blog resource with more than 4,000 original articles, online courses, and best-selling books covering various topics.

Why Was Charlie Munger’s Net Worth So Much Lower than Warren Buffett’s?

Why Was Charlie Munger’s Net Worth So Much Lower than Warren Buffett’s?

Both Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett worked at Buffett & Son, the Omaha grocery store owned by Warren’s grandfather, Ernest P. Buffett. While they shared the same employer as teenagers, they did not work there at the same time. Charlie Munger worked at the store in the late 1930s. Warren Buffett worked there later, notably […]

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10 Subtle Ways to Spot a "Quiet Millionaire" (Stealth Wealth Explained)

10 Subtle Ways to Spot a “Quiet Millionaire” (Stealth Wealth Explained)

Walk into most wealthy neighborhoods, and you’ll see luxury cars, designer clothes, and homes designed to impress. But the most affluent people often don’t look the part. They’re the quiet millionaires who’ve built serious wealth while staying invisible in the status game. Stealth wealth isn’t about hiding success. It’s about refusing to broadcast it. These

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Minimum Annual Income Needed To Qualify As Middle Class In Ohio 2026

Minimum Annual Income Needed To Qualify As Middle Class In Ohio 2026

The middle class has long represented the economic backbone of American society, but defining exactly who qualifies for this status requires more than gut feeling or cultural assumptions. In Ohio, where millions of families navigate the balance between financial stability and economic uncertainty, understanding the actual income thresholds that separate economic classes can reshape how

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7 Subtle Signs You’ve Moved Beyond the Middle Class

7 Subtle Signs You’ve Moved Beyond the Middle Class

Most people picture wealth the wrong way. They think of luxury cars, big houses, and flashy vacations on social media. But the fundamental shift out of middle-class financial patterns isn’t loud. It’s quiet, structural, and often completely invisible to the outside world. Self-made millionaires don’t chase appearances. They chase clarity, discipline, and freedom from external

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The Psychology of Generation X Explained

The Psychology of Generation X Explained

Generation X, born roughly between 1965 and 1980, occupies a unique space in the generational conversation. They are often overlooked, quietly wedged between the culturally dominant Boomers and the frequently discussed Millennials. Yet their psychological makeup is deeply fascinating, and far more layered than most people realize. Understanding how Gen X thinks, reacts, and operates

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5 Things the Middle Class Think Are Assets (But Aren’t)

5 Things the Middle Class Think Are Assets (But Aren’t)

The middle class has been sold a financial narrative that confuses lifestyle purchases with wealth-building investments. An asset, by definition, puts money in your pocket. A liability takes money out. Yet millions of households proudly list items on their personal balance sheets that drain cash flow every single month while calling them assets. This misunderstanding

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Why Warren Buffett Makes People Pay for Their Own Lunch (A Wealth Mindset Lesson)

Why Warren Buffett Makes People Pay for Their Own Lunch (A Wealth Mindset Lesson)

Warren Buffett’s wealth-building wisdom extends far beyond his stock picks and annual shareholder letters. One of the most overlooked lessons from the Oracle of Omaha comes from an unusual practice that catches most people off guard when they first experience it. When Buffett invites students to lunch, he makes them pay for their own meal.

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Dave Ramsey: 10 Things Poor People Waste Money On: Frugal Living Tips

Dave Ramsey: 10 Things Poor People Waste Money On: Frugal Living Tips

Dave Ramsey has spent decades teaching people how to escape the paycheck-to-paycheck trap. His message cuts through financial denial with surgical precision. He identifies ten specific money drains that keep people broke, regardless of income. These aren’t minor inconveniences. They’re wealth destroyers that compound over time, turning temporary setbacks into permanent poverty. Understanding these patterns

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5 Things the Wealthy Never Invest In or Buy (Avoid at All Costs)

5 Things the Wealthy Never Invest In or Buy (Avoid at All Costs)

Building wealth isn’t just about what you invest in. It’s equally about what you avoid. The self-made wealthy have spent years learning which purchases and investments quietly destroy financial progress, and they’ve deliberately removed them from their financial lives. The middle class often believes that wealth is built solely through income. But high-net-worth individuals know

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10 Secrets Self-Made Middle-Class Millionaires Don’t Tell You, According to Dave Ramsey

10 Secrets Self-Made Middle-Class Millionaires Don’t Tell You, According to Dave Ramsey

When most people picture a millionaire, they imagine someone who struck it rich overnight, inherited a fortune, or stumbled into some secret financial shortcut. The reality is far less glamorous and far more actionable. Dave Ramsey and his team at Ramsey Solutions conducted an extensive study of everyday millionaires, and what they found challenges nearly

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5 Frugal Living Tips That Really Work: Warren Buffett’s Money Saving Habits

5 Frugal Living Tips That Really Work: Warren Buffett’s Money Saving Habits

Most people assume that building real wealth requires a high income or a lucky break. The truth is far more straightforward and far less exciting. Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest people on the planet, has spent decades proving that frugality is not about deprivation. It is about intention. Warren Buffett didn’t become frugal after

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If You Really Want to Grow Your Wealth, Stop Wasting Money on These 7 Things

If You Really Want to Grow Your Wealth, Stop Wasting Money on These 7 Things

Most middle-class Americans believe they’re making wise financial decisions. They clip coupons, hunt for sales, and take pride in finding deals. Yet they struggle to build meaningful wealth. The problem isn’t what you think. Research by Thomas Stanley, over decades of studying millionaires, reveals that the wealthy don’t just spend less—they spend differently. Their priorities

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10 Things That Scream “I’m Pretending to Be Upper Class” (Middle-Class Behavior)

10 Things That Scream “I’m Pretending to Be Upper Class” (Middle-Class Behavior)

The “Middle-Class Trap” is the phenomenon in which people try so hard to signal status that they end up revealing exactly where they actually sit on the economic ladder. Actual old money or upper-class behavior is often defined by discretion and utility, whereas pretending to be upper-class is usually determined by performance. The difference isn’t

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Warren Buffett: 7 Things Poor People Waste Money On

Warren Buffett: The 7 Things Poor People Waste Money On

Warren Buffett built a fortune worth billions while living in a modest Omaha home he bought in 1958 for $31,500. His wealth didn’t come from flashy purchases or risky gambles. It came from decades of disciplined decisions about where money should and shouldn’t go. The Oracle of Omaha’s approach to spending reveals uncomfortable truths about

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The 5 Biggest Middle-Class Habits Keeping You in the Rat Race

The 5 Biggest Middle-Class Habits Keeping People in the Rat Race

The path to wealth isn’t hidden behind complex investment strategies or secret financial formulas. The real barrier sits much closer to home, embedded in daily behaviors that most people never question. These habits feel responsible, safe, and socially acceptable, yet they systematically prevent the accumulation of meaningful wealth. Understanding these five patterns below isn’t about

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The 5 Greatest Wealth-Building Lessons That Changed My Life

The 5 Greatest Wealth-Building Lessons That Changed My Life

Looking back on my journey from struggling trader to financial independence, I can pinpoint exactly when things changed. It wasn’t a single breakthrough or lucky trade. It was adopting five specific principles that most middle-class earners never learn. These lessons didn’t come from textbooks or financial advisors. They came from years of mistakes, studying successful

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5 Life Lessons Every Man Needs From The Art Of War by Sun Tzu

5 Life Lessons Every Man Needs From The Art Of War by Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War has survived 2,500 years not because it teaches battlefield tactics, but because it reveals fundamental truths about strategy, competition, and human nature. Written during China’s Warring States period, this ancient text offers principles that translate directly into modern challenges. Whether you’re negotiating a salary, building a business, or navigating

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5 Money Rules the Wealthy Follow That the Broke Can’t Even Understand

5 Money Rules the Wealthy Follow That the Broke Can’t Even Understand

The gap between the wealthy and the broke isn’t just about income. It’s about operating under completely different mental models about how money actually works. The following five principles represent thinking patterns that the wealthy internalize early, that the financially struggling people never quite grasp. The difference isn’t intelligence; it’s perspective. 1. Cash Flow Beats

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5 Middle-Class Habits to Give Up if You Want to Be Successful

5 Middle-Class Habits to Give Up if You Want to Be Successful

The middle class gets many things right. They save diligently, work hard, and follow conventional wisdom about career progression and financial responsibility. But there’s a paradox at the heart of middle-class financial behavior: the very habits that provide stability and social acceptance often cap long-term wealth building. Success and wealth don’t typically come from doing

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