Another year, another survey telling us what we already feel in our bones: the goalposts for “wealthy” and even “financially comfortable” have been lugged further down the field. It’s a bit like a cruel game where, just as you get closer, someone yells, “Just kidding, a bit further!”

This time, the friendly folks at Charles Schwab have done us the service of putting some hard numbers on our collective financial anxiety. According to their latest poll, the magic number to be considered “financially comfortable” in America is now a cool $839,000. To be officially stamped as “wealthy,” you’ll need to amass a nest egg of about $2.3 million.

If you’re feeling a little light in the pockets reading this, you’re not alone. The survey helpfully points out that a majority of us feel that getting to these lofty heights is tougher than ever, thanks to the usual suspects: inflation, a sputtering economy and near-total uncertainty.

What may be most interesting, though, is the human element behind the numbers. The survey suggests that wealth isn’t just about the zeroes in your bank account — people also equate it with happiness, strong relationships, and good health. It seems we haven’t completely lost our minds. We know a mountain of cash is a miserable perch if you’re lonely and sick. In fact, a good chunk of people surveyed claimed to feel wealthy in these non-financial aspects of their lives, which is either a testament to the enduring human spirit or a classic case of cognitive dissonance.

Then there’s the generational divide. Gen Z and the Millennials are somehow more optimistic about their chances of striking it rich. Good for them. They’re also more likely to have a financial plan, which is a lesson a lot of us learned the hard way. It’s easy to be cynical, but they’re not wrong. Having a roadmap, even a flawed one, is better than wandering through the financial wilderness without a compass.

So, what’s the takeaway from all this? Is it time to despair? Hardly. It’s a reminder that the definition of wealth is personal and that comparing your own financial journey to a national average is a recipe for heartburn. While the numbers might seem daunting, the core message is that having a plan, saving, and investing are still the fundamentals of building a secure future.

And just maybe, taking stock of the “wealth” you already have in life — the relationships, the good health — isn’t such a bad idea either. It might not pay the bills, but it makes the journey a whole lot more enjoyable.

Once you’ve done that, I have to say the stock market remains the greatest generator of wealth ever seen on this planet. But it takes courage and persistence to ride the waves of volatility.

You can just pick an index fund and have some confidence in doubling your money every 6-9 years. That’s great if you want to hit that $839,000 target and have 6-9 years and about $400,000 already in your pocket . . . otherwise, you need to reach for more than the index fund experience.

How many times do you need to double your money to be “comfortable?” How long do you have? The GameChangers stocks I’ve recommended in the past year have rallied at a rate of 49% annualized, which shifts the math enormously.

At that speed, the $400,000 investor might only need a year or two to hit the target and then have the rest of their market career to take a victory lap, getting farther and farther ahead of the index funds. And of course this lowers the starting barrier, making “comfort” possible for a wider pool of people.

GameChangers goes back to 2010. According to one gauge of “average annualized returns,” the hundreds of stocks in that portfolio have earned about 19% a year in the aggregate. Run that math forward and it implies a “double the money moment” after four years, triple the money about 30 months after that and in a 15-year timeline the math suggests a 13X outcome.

Of course you’d have to stick around for 15 years to turn $65,000 into $839,000. But for those of us who don’t have forever to play with, the trajectory has been a lot steeper than what people have historically settled for in the index funds. And that’s not just hyperbole. It’s what the math suggests.

You can win. That’s why the market still exists.