Unexpected millionaire: 36-year-old Florida man isn’t sure how to manage his $3.6 million windfall. Dave Ramsey believes he can build a $24 million fortune within 21 years with a simple plan

“I never made more than about $85,000 a year and then was left with a couple million dollars,” he told host Dave Ramsey. Like many Americans, this accidental millionaire is now worried about making the right financial choices.

Unprepared for inheritances

Roughly 15% of American adults expect to receive an inheritance in the next decade, according to a 2023 survey by New York Life. Just 42% of those expecting wealth to be passed down to them feel very comfortable financially handling it. The rest may struggle with anxiety and self-doubt.

In Jonathan’s case, these feelings were probably exacerbated by the shocking loss of his mother and the circumstances of her death.

“The first year [I] wasn't too well,” he said. “[I] kind of went backwards probably a little bit, and I tried to get myself together and be better for my kids, and I think I've been doing pretty well the last two years.”

Since his mother's passing, the father of two has stopped working and lived off his inheritance. His mother left him $2.5 million while her new husband left him $1.1 million. Today, his assets are collectively worth $3.5 million.

To avoid depleting this wealth further, Ramsey shared a simple plan.

Wealth management

Jonathan doesn’t need to work, but Ramsey believes he should. “... at 36, doing nothing is not a plan. Emotionally [or] spiritually,” he said. "You're going to have to get a job, you're going to have to get a purpose."