'Everyone can become a millionaire if you set your mind to it' - Albert van Wyk

In his self-published book, 'A Millionaire at 22', Van Wyk — who is now 26, still lives with his parents and uses a second-hand cellphone — describes how as a 19-year-old fresh out of school he used the money he would’ve received from a bursary as a down payment to acquire a property.

However, he needed his dad's help to become a millionaire. 

Writes van Wyk: “After a long debate, I made a deal with my dad. The deal stated that if I was able to secure a bursary to study at the University of Pretoria, I could keep the bursary money and invest it in any investment of my choice. My dad still had to pay for my studies.”

So when everyone else took their June-July holiday in matric, he was locked away studying to ensure that he was able to secure the marks he needed to get the bursary.

With the bursary money in hand, he approached an investor with a proposal to put down more money for him to acquire his first property, which he planned to convert into a student digs.

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The book is all about equipping readers with the necessary tools to become financially established and independent.

Everyone can become a millionaire if they set their mind to it, van Wyk said. It’s all about hard work, taking advice and not being afraid to take chances.

The biggest inspiration for his millionaire state of mind was his father. “My dad taught me that if you want to become a millionaire, you need to learn from a millionaire,” he said.

Now at the age of 26 and the owner of three thriving businesses, he is sharing the financial lessons he learned along the way through the course “Young Millionaires”, which he developed as part of the nationally-run 'Young Entrepreneurs' programme.

For Van Wyk, the “Young Millionaires” course is part of a much bigger dream to help all young South Africans become financially literate and create the wealth they need to reach their dreams.