Tom Corley’s five-year study reveals that consistent routines, from early rising to disciplined spending, are key to building wealth, challenging the notion of luck as a primary factor.
Tom Corley’s long-running study of money habits argues that wealth is built less by luck than by routine. In his book “Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals”, Corley says he tracked the daily behaviour of 233 affluent people and 128 with low incomes over five years, and concluded that repeated choices, not chance, were the main divider. He defined the wealthy group as people earning at least $160,000 a year and holding $3.2 million in assets.
Among the habits Corley links most closely to higher incomes is getting up early. He says many of the people he studied started the day at least three hours before work, often using the time to read, exercise and prepare. He also found that wealthy people were more likely to eat lunch without long breaks, keep working through the day rather than drifting, and use task lists to stay focused on long-term goals.
Corley’s research also points to a broader pattern of discipline away from the desk. He says many affluent people pay close attention to diet, avoid excess alcohol and fast food, and treat health as a business asset that helps them stay productive for longer. The study also found that gossip occupied only a small share of time among the rich, while evenings were more likely to be spent on networking, volunteering or other activities that build useful relationships rather than endless scrolling online.
Another key finding was financial restraint. Corley says wealthy people tend to spend less than they earn and often create several income streams before reaching their first million. He has also argued that about 95% of daily behaviour is automatic, which makes habit change crucial, and that a new routine can take months to become second nature. That emphasis on entrepreneurship resonates with Hispanic business owners in the United States: a recent summary cited by LA NACION said Latino entrepreneurs accounted for about 36% of new businesses in 2023, while Latinos own 5.66 million businesses nationwide.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
