At 29 I had a zero net worth. Not negative — zero. No savings, but also no debt. I'd been living paycheck to paycheck for 7 years after college.

Here's how I went from zero to $120,000 net worth in 5 years without a dramatic income jump.

Year 1: Got clear on my actual income and expenses for the first time. Cut three subscriptions, renegotiated car insurance, and started a $200/month automatic transfer to a HYSA.

Year 2: Got a 9% raise at my annual review after documenting my contributions for the first time. Increased savings to $600/month.

Year 3: Refinanced my car (still had a small balance) to a lower rate and redirected the savings. Opened a Roth IRA for the first time.

Year 4: Maxed my Roth IRA. Started contributing 10% to 401k on top of the match contribution.

Year 5: Fully funded emergency fund, Roth maxed, 401k at 15%, taxable brokerage opened.

The income at year 1 was $58k. At year 5 it's $74k. The change wasn't from earning dramatically more — it was from finally knowing where the money was going.