In order for someone to be considered an “ultra-high-net-worth individual,” they typically need to have at least $30 million worth of net investable assets to their name. However, this isn’t really a legal definition. As the name suggests, ultra-high-net-worth individuals are the wealthiest people on the planet, including the world’s billionaires. These individuals sit significantly above those who are considered high-net-worth individuals. The number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals continues to grow, and the demographics of these individuals are constantly shifting, according to several journals and studies around the world.
What Constitutes Being an Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual?
While there’s no legal standard when it comes to defining who is an ultra-high-net-worth individual (UHNWI), they’re often defined as those who have $30 million or more in assets. These funds must be in investable assets, which is an important distinction to make. For instance, many startup founders, business owners and real estate investors may have more than $30 million in net worth on paper, but those funds may not all be available to invest. In turn, such individuals would not be considered ultra-high-net-worth under this definition.
Ultra-high-net-worth individuals are in a distinct category of their own, though there are similar counterparts, the most common of which is high-net-worth individual. To be in this group, you need more than $1.5 million in net worth of $750,000 in investable assets. It’s important to note that to reach either of these thresholds, investable assets will need to be net of liabilities as well. So those with lofty amounts to invest as well as high levels of debt may not reach the tier they expect to.
While ultra-high-net-worth individuals are usually defined as having more than $30 million in investable net assets, remember that this isn’t a strict definition. Most people, countries and financial institutions will abide by this standard, but some will have other definitions. If a financial institution says it only works with ultra-high-net-worth individual clients, it’s worth clarifying with the company personally.