I’m speaking about their primary retirement accounts, not some secondary or tertiary play account. Maxing out your 401 with any semblance of a match works wonders after 15-20 years. It’s not some crazy formula for the elite - quite the contrary.
The biggest difference I see, and this is purely anecdotal, is Sr execs never seem to not be working. Joe 6 pack leaves at 1700 and doesn’t think about his job again until the next AM , while the execs are still working, ensuring that they earn some crazy pay, but also ensuring joe 6 pack isn’t laid off at Christmas. More anecdotal, joe 6 pack doesn’t give a single fuck about the viability of the company, as long as his check hits Friday. The execs seem worried about his image if the company fails, or being replaced. I’ve been with the president of my company at 3 places (as our careers grew) - he’s a brilliant guy with an insane motor. But I can’t count the days he’s realized while we’re on the phone at night, that he went the full day/evening without seeing his family (when we were wfh). Hell I quit sending him stuff after midnight because it would be immediately followed with a lengthy call. I take my wife to the limits with my work, I don’t know how some of these guys do it. Also, major props to the guys who start businesses that get big and demand ALL of your time and energy. Keeping it all together is work in itself. The guys that make 400x the average worker, eh. But 10-15x, I understand that all day long.