Smart strategies to grow your wealth in the UAE by 2030

Trying to time the market is a minefield, while investing in low-cost index funds remains one of the most effective ways to increase wealth, experts say

The stock market has consistently recorded long-term growth of 7 per cent to 10 per cent per year. Getty Images

Imagine looking back in 2030 and realising your money has grown – not through a windfall, but through smart, consistent moves made today. Building your wealth over the next few years hinges on setting up a plan now to automate savings, spend wisely, invest steadily and diversify your income.

We asked personal finance experts to share some strategies on ways to boost one's net worth by 2030.

Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com, advises investors to track global stocks by using an all-world exchange-traded fund. Pawan Singh / The National

Steve Cronin, a financial independence coach and founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com

Nothing will make you rich by 2030, it's less than five years away. However, if you want your money to work hard for you without blowing up, the stock market has over 100 years of data showing excellent long-term growth of 7 per cent to 10 per cent per year.

You don’t need to pick stocks; instead, you can track the shares of companies listed on stock exchanges worldwide very easily with an all-world exchange-traded fund such as the Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF (VWRA).

Five years is not quite a long enough time horizon to ensure good performance but, over the decades, this simple investment is likely to outperform nearly everything else.

Blair Hoover says, once you have a significant savings rate, your time to financial independence will be between 10 to 28 years. Victor Besa / The National

Blair Hoover, founder, Choose Your Own Finance advisory

The best way to gain wealth is to invest a high percentage of your income in low-cost index funds over the long term. In order to do this, you will need to either increase your income, decrease your expenses, or both.

Once you have a significant savings rate (30 per cent to 70 per cent of your income), your time to financial independence will be between 10 to 28 years, depending on that savings rate.

If you want to build significant wealth by 2030, you will do best to invest now in yourself. Invest in your capacity to increase your income (through education or training), invest in your financial education, and invest time in tracking your cash flow so you have the ability to plan.

Ben Bolger says your earning potential is always likely to be capped working for someone else. Vidhyaa Chandramohan for The National

Ben Bolger, financial planner in Abu Dhabi

When it comes to investments that could make you rich by 2030, I think it’s worth stepping back and redefining what “rich” really means. For me, it’s not about chasing fast money or going all in on the next big thing. It’s about building financial independence – a life that gives you freedom, flexibility, more time with the people you love and alignment with your values.

1. Invest in yourself – whether that’s upskilling, getting a qualification that unlocks a better job, or even just reading a book/listening to a podcast that shifts your mindset. In a fast-moving place like the UAE, staying ahead through learning is important.
2. Starting a side hustle – something you can test in the evenings that might eventually grow into your full-time thing. Your earning potential is always likely to be capped working for someone else.
3. Spending time on your network – not in a transactional way but by building genuine relationships. The UAE is full of very successful and influential people and the right conversation at the right time can open doors money can’t buy.
4. Owning income-generating assets – that could be real estate, ETFs, or dividend stocks. I’m not a fan of hit-and-hope strategies like putting everything into crypto or a single share. That’s not a plan, that’s a gamble.
5. Make your whole family financially literate. Talking about money at home, modelling good habits, helping your kids understand how it all works. That stuff changes the future generations of your family and compounds over decades.

Rupert Connor says one of the most common mistakes investors make is trying to time the market. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Rupert Connor, partner at Abacus Financial Consultants

Invest spare cash: Finding the right balance is crucial. Hold too little cash and you cannot fund day-to-day life, and risk being unprepared for emergencies. Hold too much, and you will miss out on long-term investment growth and see your net worth destroyed by inflation. You need enough cash to cover your day-to-day spending, an emergency fund and any larger short-term expenses that you won’t be able to cover from your normal income.

If your emergency fund is in place and you do not have short-term goals, excess cash should be invested. Investments are a vehicle for building wealth over time, but only money you can leave untouched with some degree of certainty for five years or more should be invested.

Don’t attempt to time markets: One of the most common mistakes investors make is trying to time the market – buying low and selling high. It requires predicting market movements with precision, something that even the highest paid professional investors rarely manage. Unsuccessful market timing is a mistake that compounds into much bigger losses down the line. For example, missing only the 10 best days in the market over a 40-year period can halve the returns you achieve.

Do not panic-sell during market downturns: Markets tend to have temporary corrections every four to six years. Unfortunately, this is the price of admission for generating long-term returns. For example, in the last 20 years we have had the Great Financial Crisis (2008), Covid-19 (2020) and the war in Ukraine and rising inflation (2022). When markets experience these downturns, your instincts can often lead to panic-selling. But this behaviour is reactionary and locks in losses that prevent investors from benefiting from eventual (inevitable) recoveries.

Avoid a bad investment strategy: Overconfidence in one’s own ability – or someone else’s ability – to pick winning stocks can lead to concentrated portfolios, excessive risk, increased trading costs, and a detachment from the market. This behaviour increases risk and transaction costs, which can erode returns.

Diversification mitigates this risk. A well-diversified portfolio can absorb the impact of poor performance in any single investment, industry, or country, and provide more stable returns over time.

Avoid high costs: Many expat investors are unaware of the high costs they are exposed to. These costs are often hidden under layers of product and investment charges. It is not uncommon to see total costs of 4 per cent, 5 per cent or even 6 per cent per annum.

Considering markets typically return 6 per cent to 8 per cent on average, you can see how it becomes very difficult to grow your money if you are “leaking” similar amounts out the other end through costs.

Do not try to get rich quick: The temptation to get rich quick by investing in cryptocurrencies is strong, but approach this space with caution. Avoid emotional decisions and behavioural biases (like herding/following the crowd) and make sure you are making informed decisions.

While we would never advise it, some clients like to keep a “fun fund” separate to their life savings and the core of their portfolio. This is a small pot of money – typically 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the total portfolio – that can be used to make speculative bets on individual companies, commodities or start-ups.

If you decide to invest in cryptocurrencies, this should be done within your fun fund. If you are already invested heavily in cryptocurrencies (far beyond 5 per cent to 10 per cent of your portfolio), review your portfolio.