Investors who are seeking the secret to becoming rich are likely to be disappointed to find there is no secret; they invest their money in the same assets as everyone else. There are however, key differences:

1. DIFFERENT MINDSET
* The rich, also described as high net worth individuals, commonly defined as those with at least $US1 million in assets (not including their home) get rich slow. There is no magic formula - it's more about time, patience and sticking to a plan and letting compound growth and leverage work their magic.

* They generally invest across a range of growth assets; they diversify so as to not have all their eggs in the one basket.

* They usually have `patience' as their middle name. They are prepared to ride out the ups and downs of the market, with the knowledge that at the end of the day, it will be growth assets that provide the best returns.

* Warren Buffett, the world's most successful investor says that the market is a mechanism for transferring wealth from the impatient to the patient. Buffett and rich investors don't see a downturn in the market as a negative, but as an opportunity to buy.

2. DIFFERENT STRUCTURES
* Such as family trusts and self-managed superannuation funds - all designed to minimize tax.

* They also prefer to invest directly into shares and property, rather than through managed structures.