While it's not the sole factor in determining your level of wealth, your amount of disposable income is probably a fairly strong indicator. At the very least it indicates your financial planning ability, as a person living above their means will have a lower percentage of their income available as disposable income. There are of course ways to improve your percentage of disposable income, which we'll discuss below.



Raise your Income

There are many ways to accomplish this, not solely restricted to getting a new job or even taking on more responsibilities at your current place of employment. A great way to make this happen is by increasing your training or education. A more highly trained or educated individual can expect to be paid greater rates even in the same position. Of course if you want to move forward in your career and take on a higher position that's certainly possible too by improving your skills. You'll also be increasing your job security and ability to get work through another employer should something happen at your current place of employment.

You could also take on another job on the side, though this could severely limit the amount of free time you have, thus limiting the purpose of having more disposal income to some extent. For short bursts though, this could be a nice method to building up a good deal of disposable income that could last you for some time.

Another option aimed at increasing your income would be to start a small business or strike out on your own as a freelance worker, should the field you occupy allow for such. By getting out from under the constraints of a structured company's pay rates you can drastically increase your earning potential, often with less work put in to boot. The beginning stages of such a venture can be discouraging though, and may require a good deal of capital to get started. You can expect to put in many long hours to get your venture off the ground before things settle down and the money hopefully starts rolling in at a steady pace. With the difficult in starting a successful small business, you may want to do so on the side without quitting your day job at first to make sure the venture is viable.

Saving and Investing

Investing can create a nice level of passive income after a time, though it will initially take deposits from your disposable income to get it started. There can also be risk involved in investing, so if you aren't well versed in financial matters you may need to rely on a financial advisor, which could recommend starting with a zero interest transfer card. If you happen to have a huge chunk of capital sitting around that can be wisely invested though, you could create a nice little stream of revenue coming in with very little work.

Cut Spending

This is basically a lifestyle decision. You're not so much spending less as you are using your money differently. Driving around in a more affordable car or living in a more affordable apartment can vastly increase your level of disposable income, with no real detriment to your way of life. It's all about what you value and living true to yourself.