UFC star Sean Strickland's brutally blunt money advice reaches 5.2 million views in just two easy steps

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Two-time UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is known for expressing blunt opinions without much of a filter.

Now he’s applying the same style to personal finance—and millions of people are paying attention.

“Listen up, little M————,” Strickland began in a post (1) on X, before laying out a strikingly simple plan for building wealth.

“Open a high yield account. Save for 3 months.”[s] of life. Then open a Fidelity Go with FXAIX. Any solid fund. Invest every dollar you have.

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In other words, Strickland urged his followers to first open a high-interest savings account and accumulate enough cash to cover three months of living expenses.

Once that safety net is in place, he recommends putting every available dollar into a solid mutual fund. He specifically mentioned the Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX (2)), a mutual fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index.

Strickland also explained what to do if you need to access that cash reserve.

“When [you] “Pull from your high return, stop investing, replenish the high return,” he wrote. “Then back to investing.” I believe in you.”

The idea is simple: When you withdraw money from your high-yield account, you temporarily pause your investments and replenish the cash reserve. As soon as the liquidity cushion is full again, the contributions can be returned to the market.

As of July 24, the post has generated 5.2 million views and more than 33,000 likes, while screenshots and discussions of the strategy have been shared across Instagram, threads, and other platforms.

Perhaps the biggest surprise isn’t that Strickland offered financial advice. It’s that behind his typically mundane delivery, the strategy is remarkably solid.

Step 1: Build a financial safety net

Strickland’s first step is to save enough money to cover three months of living expenses.

This financial cushion provides breathing room when the unexpected happens and helps prevent short-term setbacks from turning into longer-term financial difficulties. Whether it’s a medical bill, a major car repair, or a sudden loss of income, this money can help you stay afloat while you think about the next step.

How big should the safety net be?

Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey suggests (3) creating an emergency fund that can cover three to six months of living expenses. Most importantly, be consistent – add little by little until your safety net takes shape.

For starters, a high-yield account like a Wealthfront Cash account can be a great place to grow your emergency fund because it offers both competitive interest rates and easy access to your money when you need it.

A Wealthfront Cash Account currently offers a base APY of 3.30% through program banks, and new customers can receive an additional 0.75% up to $150,000 in the first three months, for a total variable APY of 4.05%.

That’s 10 times the national savings rate, according to the June FDIC report.

In addition, Wealthfront offers new customers who enable direct deposit (at least $1,000/month) into their cash account and open and fund a new investment account an additional 0.25% APY increase with no expiration date or balance limit, meaning your APY can be as high as 4.30%.

With no minimum balance or account fees, plus 24/7 withdrawals and free domestic transfers, your money stays available at all times. Additionally, you will gain access to up to $8 million worth of FDIC insurance authorization through program banks.

Read more: Millionaires under 43 only hold 25% of their wealth in stocks. This is actually where your money goes

Step 2: Invest every extra dollar

Once the emergency account is full, Strickland’s strategy changes greatly from saving to investing.

More specifically, he said to invest “every dollar” in the Fidelity index fund, which tracks the S&P 500 – or another solid fund.

Of course, the amount someone can comfortably invest depends on their income, obligations, and financial goals. But Strickland’s broader strategy of continually investing in the benchmark index was widely endorsed – including by legendary investor Warren Buffett.

“In my opinion, the best thing for most people to do is own the S&P 500 index fund,” Buffett famously said (4). It’s a simple approach that gives investors access to 500 of America’s largest companies across a wide range of industries, allowing for instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active trading.

The beauty of this approach is also its accessibility – everyone, regardless of their wealth, can benefit from it. And even small amounts can grow over time, with tools like Acorns, a popular app that automatically invests your loose change.

Signing up for Acorns only takes a few minutes: All you have to do is link your cards, and Acorns will round up every purchase to the nearest dollar and invest the difference – your spare change – in a diversified portfolio.

With Acorns, you can invest in an S&P 500 ETF for as little as $5—and if you sign up today, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to get you started on your investing journey.

What Strickland is currently investing in

While Strickland’s core message is clear, stocks aren’t the only assets catching his attention.

In a follow-up post on X, Strickland revealed that he is currently investing in real estate.

“Yeah man, I’m only partially liquid because I invest in real estate,” he wrote (5). “The moment I make it, every second dollar goes back into the market.”

He then summarized his view even more clearly: “Saving money means losing money.”

This statement requires some context.

Cash serves an important purpose when reserved for emergencies, upcoming purchases, and short-term financial obligations. However, over long periods of time, inflation can steadily erode a country’s purchasing power.

For this reason, wealth creation strategies typically distinguish between funds that need to remain safe and accessible and funds that can be invested in assets with greater long-term growth or income potential.

Stocks are an option. Real estate is another.

Become a real estate mogul

Rental properties can generate recurring income and provide protection against inflation, as property values and rents tend to increase with the cost of living.

However, high real estate prices can make purchasing a home more difficult, especially if mortgage rates are still high. And being a landlord isn’t necessarily a self-service job – managing tenants, maintenance and repairs can quickly eat up your time (and revenue).

The good news? You don’t have to buy a property right away – or deal with leaky faucets – to invest in real estate today. Crowdfunding platforms like Mogul offer an easier way to participate in this income-generating asset class.

A real estate investment platform that offers fractional ownership of prime rental properties, Mogul offers investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation, and tax benefits – without the need for a large down payment or late-night calls from tenants.

Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team handpicks the top 1% of single-family homes for rent across the country. In other words, you get access to institutional-quality offerings at a fraction of the usual cost.

Each property goes through a rigorous vetting process that requires a return of at least 12% even in downside scenarios. Overall, the platform has an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Listings often sell out in less than three hours, with investments typically ranging from $15,000 to $40,000 per property.

Open an account and browse available properties here to start investing today.

Diversity with multi-family properties

Another option is to invest in multifamily real estate. In a report prepared by JPMorgan (6), Al Brooks – the firm’s vice chairman of commercial banking – said: “I think multifamily is absolutely where you want to be as an investor.”

Accredited investors can now take advantage of this opportunity through platforms such as Lightstone DIRECT, which gives accredited investors access to single-property, multifamily and industrial deals.

Lightstone DIRECT’s direct-to-investor model ensures a high level of alignment between individual investors and a vertically integrated, institutional owner-operator – a sophisticated and optimized option for individual investors looking to diversify into private market real estate.

With Lightstone DIRECT, accredited individuals can access the same multifamily and industrial assets that Lightstone pursues with its own capital, with the minimum investment starting at $100,000.

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UFC star Sean Strickland’s brutally blunt money advice reaches 5.2 million views in just two easy steps