There are 4 key things that determine your wealth and status in America, according to this personal finance expert — how do you stack up for 2025?

The four-way litmus test

Here are the four dimensions of status and financial success as Sanchez identifies them:

Where you live

Codie’s catchphrase: “Your partners, taxes, assets, quality of life and opportunities all are largely driven by this one choice.”

This point works for both expensive and bargain locations. If you live in Texas, for example, you’ll save on state income tax. In Galveston, beachfront homes on the Gulf of Mexico go for as little as $260,000; more than 1,400 people moved to Galveston from Los Angeles between September and November of 2024.

Yet L.A., while much more costly, offers unrivaled access to Hollywood's ritzy entertainment industry. Sanchez doesn’t specify which direction to take, only that it’s an important decision to make when considering wealth and status.

Who your friends are

Codie’s catchphrase: “You don’t need friends, you need allies.”

That old saw about the company you keep has obvious implications. Both at work and out on the town, those with high standing and earning power tend to welcome ever-present newcomers into their orbit. The key, as Sanchez sees it, is to focus on which ones will cheer you on and support efforts to better yourself — which hints at wealth of a different kind.

Who you marry

Codie’s catchphrase: “Marry someone who pushes you towards your goals.”

Sanchez points to the way positive couples build each other up and encourage mutual success. The key is to remember that two people in a relationship will often have career and life goals, both as individuals and as a couple, writes David Khalili, a licensed marriage and family therapist. Keeping those goals congruent means couples are communicating well, another foundational quality for abundance in marriage and beyond.

What you spend your time on

Codie’s catchphrase: “If you can decrease the amount of time you have thinking about an idea to actually taking action on that idea, your life will change.”

This sentiment is nothing new, but still hits home. Sanchez echoes the writings of German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who once famously said, “knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”

In his five-year study of the financial habits of wealthy people, author-CPA Thomas Corley found that nearly 70% of those surveyed write down their goals; 67% set new goals yearly, and 62% set new goals daily.

Writing down goals for the year is akin to creating the ideas that Sanchez speaks of, but jotting down your daily goals and seeing them through could help you take action on those ideas.

Earn cash back on what you buy most

Maximize your spending and earn up to 6% cash back on groceries, streaming, gas, and more. Whether it’s everyday purchases or splurges, this card puts money back in your pocket.

Learn more

A few of Sanchez’s shortcomings

Just because she’s pithy and sharp doesn’t exactly mean Sanchez always hits the mark. For example, she thinks “it’s a myth” that a marriage requires hard work, but there’s plenty of evidence that suggests successful marriages require just that. Simply put, marriages aren’t often successful when they’re put on cruise control.

Sanchez also says that friends who tell you to “slow down” aren’t the ones you need. But what if they’re the same friends who fear you’re succumbing to an out-of-balance work addiction in your pursuit of riches? While exact numbers are hard to pin down, research shows that workaholism affects between 27% and 30% of the gainfully employed, and burning out at the office can potentially lead to a lack of wealth in other areas of life.

There’s little doubt Sanchez inspires a great many followers. One Instagram user even noted, “Boy do I wish I had this presented to me 25 years ago!!!! My life would have looked VERY different!” But you’d be wise to look further into Sanchez’s rapid-fire wealth and status tips and evaluate how they might apply to you before taking them at face value.