Here's a first stab at a list for those of us that aspire to be competent and confident in the realm of personal finance: Less than a month: Emergency - one bad day from homelessnessOne to three months: Urgent - a moderate amount of bad luck from homelessnessThree to six months: Whew - The baseline of being able to sleep soundly at night, still in all-out hustle modeSix months to two years: Satisfactory - no longer afraid continuing to support one's self/family if job/business is lostTwo to five years: Well-off, Investments are just starting to produce meaningful amounts of supplemental incomeFive or more years: Confident - Investment income may be even more than most people's salaries25 Years or more: Financially Independent - even with the conservative 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate$100,000 more passive income than one spends to support their lifestyle: Wealthy$500,000 or more in passive income above and beyond what's needed to support one's lifestyle: Ultra WealthyThoughts?

@Justin Bautista - some Seattle investors are offloading / 1031-ing their rentals within the city limits because of our regulations and current city council - this election cycle was an opportunity to swing back to a moderate center, but with Kshama Sawant winning another term we as Landlords in Seattle will keep being cast as the bad guys.

I wish a moderator would read this and remove the sticker, now after 4 years, and avoid this thread to be pinned at the top.

Moderator noteThank you to those that responded in a respectful and helpful way.

Russell Brazil I'm interested in your opinion, as a moderator you've seen your share of predictions and bubble discussions.

I had a moderately bad tenant replace himself with a moderately good tenant

In Indiana you can get a moderate size(1500 sqft) home rehabbed for $200k

I believe that you'll be far more successful in your search for human greed by looking at individuals with moderately high incomes and little net worth than you will by examining the motivations of self-made millionaires who built their fortunes investing in real estate. 

I'm surprised and disappointed that the moderators are allowing this to occur. 

I'm a moderate and I think rants about left-wing people all thinking the same way is insulting to at least half of the country.