He Was Delivering Pizzas Five Years Ago, But Opened A Roth IRA Anyway. ‘We Are Now Very Much On Our Way To Being Tax-Free Millionaires’

Five years ago, personal finance content creator JC Rodriguez was delivering pizzas and trying to make the most of a modest income. In the middle of the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, he made a decision that would shape his financial future: he opened a Roth IRA.

“We are now very much on our way to being tax-free millionaires,” Rodriguez said in a video on his “The Frugal Rich” YouTube channel. The statement may sound bold, but it reflects what can happen when small, consistent investments are allowed to grow over time.

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Starting Small And Building The Habit

Rodriguez didn’t begin by maxing out his retirement account. According to him, his first-year contribution totaled just $500. The following year he invested $4,200, still below the annual limit.

“I was literally just going off of what I had left at the end of the month,” he said.

As his income increased and he learned more about investing, he began contributing more. By the third year, he said he was fully funding his Roth IRA and, after getting married, his wife joined him in maxing out hers as well.

Rodriguez believes many people overcomplicate investing and spend years researching without ever getting started.

“Financial success is based highly on behavior as opposed to math and head knowledge,” he said in the video.

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Rodriguez also pushed back on the idea that people need a high income before they can invest.

“I’ve seen too many people think that they need to reach this certain income threshold and once their income is this amount, then they’ll be ready and worthy to start investing,” he said.

Instead, he argues that building the habit matters most. Even contributions of $50 or $100 per month can help establish long-term investing discipline.

Why He Believes The Roth IRA Is So Powerful

Rodriguez describes the Roth IRA as “one of the easiest ways for you to become a tax-free millionaire.”

He says that because Roth IRA contributions are made with after-tax dollars, qualified withdrawals in retirement can be taken tax-free. That means both contributions and investment gains can potentially avoid future taxes.

Rodriguez also points to contribution limits and income restrictions as evidence of the account’s value.

“Whenever the government has to place limits or restrictions on a certain type of investing account, probably means that it’s a pretty good investing account,” he said in the video.

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After five years of investing, Rodriguez said he has contributed roughly $30,000 of his own money. His account has also generated approximately $18,000 in gains, though he acknowledged that part of that growth came from investing during the market downturn in 2020.

If you’re looking for more flexibility in your retirement plan and want to be on your way to becoming a “tax-free millionaire” too, IRA Financial offers self-directed IRAs that let you invest beyond traditional stocks and mutual funds. You can use retirement funds for alternative assets like real estate, private equity and cryptocurrency. No hidden fees. Built to follow IRS rules. Simple setup.

Today, Rodriguez primarily invests in low-cost index funds and automates every contribution. His biggest lesson after five years is simple.

“The most important thing here is to start the habit of investing.”

Read Next: Tax-advantaged Bitcoin investing exists — and Bitcoin IRA has helped 170,000+ clients do it, with 60+ cryptocurrencies and seamless IRA and 401(k) rollovers.

Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market

Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.

Arrived

Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.

ARK7

Residential real estate has historically provided investors with income potential and long-term appreciation, but direct ownership can be expensive and time-consuming. ARK7 enables investors to buy fractional shares of rental properties, offering access to potential rental income and real estate exposure without property management responsibilities. By lowering the barrier to entry, the platform gives investors another way to diversify beyond traditional stocks and bonds.

Doroni

Electric aviation is an emerging industry with the potential to transform personal transportation and urban mobility. Doroni is developing eVTOL aircraft designed for personal use, aiming to combine the convenience of a car with the flexibility of vertical flight. As interest in advanced air mobility grows worldwide, the company is positioning itself within a sector that could play a significant role in the future of transportation.

Immersed

Immersed is building technology for the future of work through spatial computing. Known for its AR/VR productivity platform that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens, the company has grown to more than 1.5 million users worldwide. Immersed is also developing Visor, a lightweight headset designed specifically for professional productivity, positioning the company at the intersection of remote work, extended reality (XR), and next-generation computing.

Vinovest

Fine wine and rare whiskey have historically moved independently of the stock market, making them a compelling alternative asset. Vinovest manages authenticated, insured portfolios of investment-grade wine and whiskey starting at $5,000 — sourcing, storage, and insurance all handled for you.

EnergyX

EnergyX is a clean energy technology company focused on direct lithium extraction and refinery technologies for the lithium-ion battery supply chain. Its proprietary DLE systems are designed to recover lithium from brine resources more efficiently and with less environmental impact, supporting efforts to expand lithium supply for electric vehicles, grid-scale storage, and other battery applications.

FarmTogether

Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.

EquityMultiple

For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.

Fundrise

Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.

American Hartford Gold

American Hartford Gold is a precious metals dealer that helps clients buy physical gold and silver coins and bars, either for direct delivery or within self-directed precious metals IRAs. The company’s services include gold and silver IRAs, IRA rollovers, and home delivery of bullion, giving investors a way to use tangible metals to diversify portfolios and seek protection against inflation and market volatility.

Mode Mobile

Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream.

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