7 Brilliant Ways to Build Wealth After 40

Last updated Aug. 6, 2026 | By FinanceBuzz Editors

Your 40s (and beyond) is a great time to get serious about building your wealth. There's a good chance your career is taking off and you're earning more money than you ever have before. With upcoming expenses like college and retirement looming, investing smartly and saving money are more important than ever.

Now is the time to make sure you're putting that money to work for you.

Turn your home’s value into extra cash

If you want to pay a large expense now, like a home improvement project or credit card debt, you may have considered using your home equity as leverage to borrow a large sum of money.

But with interest rates rising in recent years, a cash-out refinance or home equity loan may not make financial sense.

Here’s a potential solution: Get a home equity line of credit (HELOC) instead.

Using LendingTree’s simple HELOC matching tool¹ LendingTree, LLC is a Marketing Lead Generator and is a Duly Licensed Mortgage Broker, as required by law, with its main office located at 1415 Vantage Park Drive, Suite 700, Charlotte, NC 28203, NMLS Unique Identifier #1136. LendingTree, LLC is known as LT Technologies in lieu of true name LendingTree, LLC in NY. LendingTree technology and processes are patented under U.S. Patent Nos. 6,385,594 and 6,611,816 and licensed under U.S. Patent Nos. 5,995,947 and 5,758,328. © 2026 LendingTree, LLC. All Rights Reserved. This site is directed at, and made available to, persons in the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii only. Terms and Conditions may apply. (yes, the company from the commercials), you can compare rates and see what works for you.

How a home equity line of credit is different: Your line of credit acts similar to a credit card, where you can withdraw funds when you need them, and you’re only responsible for minimum monthly payments for what’s called the “draw period,” which is usually 10 years. After this borrowing period ends, you pay off the rest of your balance during an extended repayment period, which is usually 20 years.

Plus, as a revolving line of credit, rates are usually variable, so you won’t be locked into a fixed rate if they ever go lower.

To get started:

Check out LendingTree’s HELOC matching tool.
Answer a few questions.
Be matched with personalized offers for you.

Visit LendingTree

Set up direct deposit and complete qualifying activities - pocket $500

If you aren't banking with Truist, you're missing out on a boost of extra cash just by following a few simple steps.

Earn a bonus of $500 after you open a new Truist One Checking account online, in a branch, or by phone between July 14, 2026 and February 2, 2027 using a valid promo code.² Terms and Conditions: Truist Checking $500 Offer: Offer Information: Open a new Truist One Checking account or Truist Marquee Checking account online, in a branch or by phone from 7/14/26 through 2/2/27 and earn $500 after you complete the following qualifying activities within 120 days of the account opening (the day after your account is opened is considered day 1). All required transactions for qualifying activities must post to the enrolled account within the 120-day qualification period. <ul> <li>Receive at least two qualifying direct deposits* totaling $2,000 or more, AND</li> <li>Complete at least 20 qualifying debit card purchases**</li> </ul> Enrollment in the promotion is required (see Enrollment Instructions). A valid promo code must be applied at account opening to enroll in the promotion and cannot be added after the account is opened. Promo codes are single-use only, should not be shared, and once redeemed, the promo code will no longer be valid. *A qualifying direct deposit is an electronic credit (greater than $5.00) deposited into your new checking account via ACH. Person-to-person payments (such as Zelle®), Real Time Payments (RTP), pre-authorized transfers made from one account to another, or deposits made via a branch, ATM, online transfer, mobile device, debit/prepaid card number or the mail are not eligible direct deposits. **Qualifying debit card purchases include any purchase made with a Truist debit card and posted to the new checking account within 120 days of account opening. ATM withdrawals using your debit card are not qualifying transactions. Zelle® transactions are not qualifying transactions. Bank fees are not included. Offer Eligibility: Clients that are the primary account holder on an existing personal checking account with Truist or who have closed a personal checking account with Truist on or after 7/14/25 are not eligible to participate. Offer valid for Truist One Checking accounts and Truist Marquee Checking accounts only. The new checking account cannot be changed to an account type not included in this client offer. Primary account holder must be 18 or older at the time of account opening. Truist employees, Directors, Officers, and Local Boards/Advisors are not eligible. Offer is available only to U.S. residents with a valid U.S. taxpayer identification number. The client must have a physical address in: AL, AR, FL, GA, IN, KY, MD, MS, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV or DC. Reward Processing: The reward will be deposited to the new checking account within 10 business days after the qualification requirements have been met. The Promotion is only applicable once per checking account and per client. Truist may report the value of any offer reward received to the IRS as required by law. Any applicable taxes are the responsibility of the recipient. Reward forfeiture will occur if at the time of attempted payout the new checking account: (1) has a $0.00 or negative current balance or (2) is restricted or closed. An account is considered restricted if it has a temporary or permanent block that prevents credits from posting to the account. Other Terms: The minimum opening deposit for Truist One Checking is $50. The minimum opening deposit for Truist Marquee Checking is $100. The offer is non-transferable, may not be combined with any other checking offers, is subject to change, and may be discontinued at any time. Truist reserves the right, in its sole discretion: 1) to prohibit a reward payout for any offers claimed through third-party websites with no affiliation or prior authorization from Truist; and 2) to disqualify any account if Truist suspects accounts are being opened for the purpose of exploiting this promotional offer. For Truist Marquee Checking, the Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is 0.01% for all balances $0.01 and above. The APY is accurate as of 7/14/26 and subject to change at any time, including after account opening. Fees may reduce earnings. All standard account terms and conditions apply. Enrollment Instructions: Online: A valid promo code must be entered in the promo code field during account opening and the offer must be accepted when presented. By Phone or In Person: Request enrollment in the promotion using a valid promo code during account opening. Once enrolled in the promotion, progress updates are available through Truist Online and Mobile Banking or by calling 800-423-0948. Version 2 06032026 Truist Bank, Member FDIC. ©2026, Truist Financial Corporation. Truist, Truist Purple and the Truist Logo are service marks of Truist Financial Corporation. To earn the $500 bonus, your account needs to receive at least 2 qualifying direct deposits totaling $2,000 or more and complete 20 qualifying debit card purchase transactions within 120 days of account opening. The reward will be deposited to the new checking account within 10 business days after the qualification requirements have been met and verified. Terms apply.

This is a great way to supercharge your earnings. It basically takes no extra work at all other than following the steps above. Plus, your new account offers benefits like no overdraft fee and options to avoid a monthly maintenance fee on top of the bonus.

Open your account and earn a $500 bonus

Don’t pay a CENT to contractors for home repairs until you do this

Sounds crazy. And maybe you’re not even sure if this is real. But … you’re probably curious anyway. Choice Home Warranty makes it so you might be able to save $100s in home repairs!

They’ve been around since 2008 (so you know they’re legit) and they offer affordable plans to cover appliances and systems in your home that could break down from routine wear and tear.

Think of it like this: Say your air conditioning unit breaks down during a heatwave. Instead of paying $1,500 for repairs, you may only need to pay a $100 service fee with Choice Home Warranty, and their techs come and fix it ASAP. This could save you $1,400 almost instantly!

Choose a plan here and you can still lock in their ultra-low 2026 rates (for a limited time). Then, whenever a covered system in your home breaks down, all you have to do is make your claim online or give them a call. Their team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.³ CHW reserves the right to offer cash back in lieu of repair or replacement in the amount of CHW's actual cost (which at times may be less than retail) to repair or replace any covered system, component or appliance. In the event that CHW makes such payment, CHW will provide written notification of the basis for the amount of the payment. First Month Free with purchase of any single payment home warranty plan. The product being offered is a service contract and is separate and distinct from any product or service warranty which may be provided by the home builder or manufacturer.

Choose a plan from Choice Home Warranty here and lock in 2026 rates

P.S. Use the links above and you’ll get $50 off and 1 month free. We don’t know how long this will last, so take advantage of it today before it disappears.

Alert: American adults lost $47 billion to scams and fraud in 2025

That's right. According to a recent report, American adults lost $47 billion to scams and identity fraud in 2025.

But you can safeguard your identity with Coveron (previously NordProtect) — an all-in-one protection service designed by cybersecurity experts. Coveron includes up to $1,000,000 in identity theft recovery coverage, helping reimburse you for eligible recovery expenses if needed.

Plans start as low as $7.49 per month (when charged annually) and include 24/7 dark web monitoring, credit score tracking, and real-time security alerts to notify you about potential threats, from compromised accounts to suspicious credit activity.

Before you make your next online purchase or open your next email, protect what you’ve built — for a fraction of what identity theft could cost you.

Get the 1-year plan now for 50% off