Replying to Avatar HODL

Wealth is important and necessary, but I’ve met far too many rich people who are unhappy.

Usually because in the pursuit of wealth they neglected their health or relationships. Sometimes both.

You should strive to max all three of these variables as best you can.

If I was to give life advice to someone just starting out in life, I’d say prioritize your health in middle school, high school and college. Focus on eating right and getting in amazing shape. You’ll build the habits that will carry you through the rest of your life and you’ll look your best during the years when dating and sex matter a lot. Providing you more ability to find a high quality life partner, because long term high trust relationships are crucial for sustained happiness contentment etc…

Then in early adulthood go hard on the pursuit of wealth. Your twenties are the time to work your ass off and put yourself in position to own your time down the line. Better to give up 5-10 years now and own the next 30, rather than goof off in your twenties and end up stuck as a wage slave for 30 years. Save and invest aggressively, take risks, embrace sacrifice. Allow your peers to make fun of you, knowing you have a plan. Let compounding work for you.

Retire in your 30’s sometime around the time you’re starting your family and spend the rest of your life devoted to your kids, spouse and interests. Refocusing all efforts on health and happiness. Don’t take a single action unless it brings you more in either of those dimensions, while simultaneously tending to and growing the wealth you built up to this point.

People think for whatever reason that this sort of life path is not attainable, but it’s very much within the reach of the average college educated westerner. Most just have a defeatist mindset, which ultimately lead them in the wrong direction.

Big problem is, a lot of people are no good with money, they don’t know how to save or manage it.. You could give them million$ in their 20s and it would be gone by their 30s, no matter how many life lessons you give them.

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You gotta learn. Your life quality depends on it.

"I'm not good with money" is usually a massive cope. If life is a game, money is one way to keep score. If you don't have enough it's not because you suck at money, it's because you suck at life.

Believe me, I know inflation is real and the system is rigged and all that. In some countries, maybe in ways that are almost impossible to overcome. But I'm talking about the US for anyone born in the past 100 years right now.

Money is what you get in exchange for your productive effort. However much you haven't consumed, you still have. All you've had to do in the US is work, don't consume more than you produce, put your money in the bank, maybe buy a house when you can afford it, and you'll have made out okay. You didn't need to know anything about investing, I mean you could have put your savings in a checking account earning 0 interest, and if you produce more than you consume consistently the balance goes up. It's not hard, in fact it just happens automatically.

If you're constantly broke, you're either not productive enough, or you consume too much. Stop being lazy and put in some time and energy working. Cut back your lifestyle and do without some non essentials until you can actually afford them.

It's harsh and nobody broke wants to hear it, but that's the reality in the US. It's like telling a fat person they need to stop eating so much. They'll whine about metabolism and nutrient dense food and yada yada yada, but the reality is none of that matters when you're obese. You need to put down the fork and stop eating. For a year, if that's what it takes. People have done it, and they lost weight and didn't die. Then you can start talking nuance.

Same with finances. Learn to be productive and live within your means. Then you can start getting into the nuance of managing money. But if you can't keep a dollar in your pocket, you don't have any money to manage and never will. It's a life problem, not a money problem.

For the most part sure, but just like some people aren’t good at cooking or art, they just aren’t good with money.. Yes, everyone should be, should at least have a foundational understanding, but they don’t.. Stocks, bonds, inflation, interest, etc. are already way too deep for many..

There are also a lot of gotchas. A veritable cornucopia of scum trying to separate you from your money. Including your government.

You could spend everyday all day just learning the bullshit. Where the next gotcha will come from. Some people are really excellent that bullshit.

When most of you just want to do a good job, live a decent life, and call it a day.

Look at all this crap that's going on today. Many of you worked really hard. Got a good education. We're very prudent and responsible with your money.

Then your president and your employer said you have to take this extremely toxic poison so they can profit from it. Or you are going to be kicked to the curb.

You obey and take the poison. Then you end up dead. Or the walking dead. Maybe it has happened to you. Or it's happening to you. GOTCHA!!!..👺👹💰💊💉🤮😫💀⚰️⚱️😠😂🤣😭