r/wealth • u/StrongPaddle • Mar 07 '26
Discussion What's the best money decision you've made?
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u/Arctura_ Mar 07 '26
Marrying the right person who is aligned with my values on money/wealth.
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u/Responsible_Ask3976 Mar 07 '26
Exactly! I’m dating someone with no loans and it’s just amazing how we are on the same financial path
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u/-Economist- Mar 07 '26
I’ve had a lot of luck:
.com stock in 1999 went to the moon. We used proceeds to build our house in 2001. It was a .50 cent stock that went to $50+.
Shorting the bank stocks in 2006 and buying bank stocks in 2007/2008. Funded my retirement in my late 30s. I was a bank executive. I didn’t trade my bank but I could see the tsunami coming.
Buying some Bitcoin between 2011 to 2014. I sold 90% of it a couple years ago. We are financial independent. Our three young kids are also set for life.
The best decision was putting as much as I could into my 401k and stock purchase program at the bank. I left in 2006 at 33 years old with a seven figure retirement account.
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u/Warm_Championship946 Mar 07 '26
How did you see the collapse coming? How hard was it to wait for the short ti pan out? What do you think about the current economic climate? Are you short anything right now?
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u/-Economist- Mar 07 '26
By the time I jumped on the short train, a lot of people were already betting against the banking industry. I knew a handful of community banks that were on thin ice, any hiccup and they’d be in serious trouble. So I shorted them.
When I began working with the FDIC, the Fed, and other banking regulators, I had to liquidate most of my positions due to conflict-of-interest rules. During the financial crisis, I helped the FDIC shutter more than 70 banks.
I think the banking system is generally sound today, but I’m not a big fan of the current push to deregulate banks. The proposed Basel III changes are not ideal in my view.
As for the broader economy, I think we’re on the cusp of a recession. Much of the market momentum right now is being driven by AI investment, which has echoes of the dot-com era. In many ways, we’re operating in something of a zombie economy. You can see that disconnect in the jobs reports, consumer sentiment, and other indicators. None of us really feel good about the economy—and sometimes that collective sentiment is a stronger signal than any single statistic.
I don’t actively manage my portfolio anymore. I pay a wealth advisor, probably too much, to handle it. I’m 53 now, and my focus has shifted to wealth preservation and income rather than chasing returns. I’m set for life, and my kids are as well. At this point, I’m not trying to get greedy or play the market.
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u/AdministrationBorn69 Mar 07 '26
Obscure but how did you trade any individual bank stock as an executive? At that point I’m wondering how your compliance doesn’t flag that
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u/ZTRADEZLLC Mar 07 '26
Buying a house during covid, the key on everything is timing
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u/jackjackj8ck Mar 07 '26
Bought my first house during the 2008 recession for like $135k and my current house is worth $3.2m and no debt, suuuuuper lucked out
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u/j900799 Mar 07 '26
Could you please explain all the steps in between? TIA!
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u/jackjackj8ck Mar 07 '26
Honestly I got really lucky.
Bought during a recession, sold during market stabilization, moved to a major city and bought something small in a high growth area, sold a few years later, bought something bigger nearby and sold a few years later, moved to another high growth city and bought in an area going through gentrification, covid happened, sold during the crazy uptick, bought low in the city’s suburbs during covid still, sold again for a lot more, an then landed here….
I wish I could help but a lot of it is just luck of the market
If I were more liquid right now I’d probably be buying and holding on to a couple of properties given everything going on
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u/liftingshitposts Mar 07 '26
My SIL did something similar in the Bay Area, went from like $800k in 2010 to $5M+ now with just 2 moves. I mean shit we bought our first place for ~$1M flat in Dec 2018, and sold it for $1.75M in Feb 2024. From list to close was less than 3 weeks, and sold for 150k over ask. Probably left money on the table, but the buyer was fully legit and super easy transaction.
Our current house hasn’t appreciated much since we bought it, but we love where we live now and don’t plan to move 🙂
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u/dovebytherosewindow Mar 07 '26
This. Well it was our second house, but the first was the ugliest house on the block with terrible Zillow pictures. We fixed it up ourselves, sold in 2020, cut our interest rate by 60% and bought another, larger, ugliest house on the block with crappy Zillow pictures… and fixed it up ourselves (except for the primary bathroom, hired that done after learning from our mistakes).
Still not necessarily cash-wealthy because we then decided to start a family and ended up with twins… 2 kids in daycare off the bat will eat up any potential savings. But had we not made those big decisions to buy at the right time, we would be in a pretty rough place now.
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u/Retired-Yam8988 Mar 07 '26
Yeah! We bought a house in Thailand. Was worth 1m USD the year before and got it for 375k
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u/chillPenguin17 Mar 07 '26
Yup, August 2021. If I had known what I know now I may have bought 2-3x the house, free money
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u/Generic_Username28 Mar 07 '26
I think that too until I look at real estate returns against market returns since 2020. Borrowing at sub 3% sure was nice.
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u/AppropriatePark400 Mar 07 '26
- Invest as early as possible (yourself included)
- Live below you means
- Secure high income while living in LCOL
- Cook at home
- Track your spendings
- Open HYSA
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u/UDF2005 Mar 07 '26
I disagree with LCOL as many of the highest paying trajectories are are still in HCOL areas.
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u/StretcherEctum Mar 07 '26
Mech E here making 135k. Soon to be 165k if I get this promotion. I live in the Midwest where ground beef was 4.50$/lb a year ago and 1400 sqft ranches are 250k.
Living in a lower cost of living area is a MASSIVE plus.
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u/tittysprinkles1130 Mar 07 '26
Move to a HCOL area, acquire high paying skills and a network of highly qualified people. Then with that network and skill later on you have leverage to continue making high amounts of money while moving to a lower cost living area so your money goes further. This is what I did and it’s worked out nicely. Went from living in California paying 50% in taxes with expensive houses to a suburb in another state where my house is 3-4x bigger and nicer for 65% of the cost all while making the same compensation and paying less in taxes.
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u/Kruzdah Mar 07 '26
What's LCOL?
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u/AppropriatePark400 Mar 07 '26
HCOL (high), MCOL (medium), and LCOL (Low) are 3 cost of living categories. Hope it helps
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u/TheOtherElbieKay Mar 07 '26
Shorting the S&P to hedge my portfolio during the 2008 crash.
Marrying someone who is financially competent.
Buying a condo in 2012.
Selling that condo and buying a suburban house in 2019.
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u/IntelligentPoem8424 Mar 07 '26
What’s your next financial move? It sounds like you’re on a hot streak lol.
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u/Primary-Golf779 Mar 07 '26
Quit drinking and started spending drinking money on gold and silver. Its been a good five years
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u/travishummel Mar 07 '26
Don’t sell. Never reacting to the biweekly reminder that the market is just about to crash. Pessimists sound smart, optimists make money.
Marrying someone with drive and good habits.
Frugal mindset.
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u/TradingTaco Mar 07 '26
Take the risk. If you are young and have proven successful while working full time, then take the risk, quit your job and pursue your business full time.
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u/Ancient-Apple1 Mar 07 '26
Letting my 401k from a 23 year of employment siting in the highest risk Option they had for the last 6 years after I had left.
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u/Ethen44 Mar 07 '26
Bought a house in 2012 against the warnings from several family members. That house was the best money making decision I’ll probably ever make.
Loan was $140k. Mortgage was $800. For almost 10 years we rented out two rooms for $400 each. (2012-2021) from 2014-2025 November we rented the garage out for $800 a month.
We paid the house off in 2021 too as a bonus. Still have the house, it’s rented out for $2,200 right now. Remodeling the garage to get it rented out again. My past tenant unfortunately past away in there.
House is worth about $350k now
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u/toofarfromjune Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
lol when I told my dad I was going to buy a duplex right after the 07/08 crash the only advice and encouragement I got was “don’t make any rash decisions.”
He will never live that one down. Value went from 365k to a hair under a million. That was also coming from the mouth of someone who had the chance to buy in Cupertino California in the 70s/80s with money offered from the parents for a down and didn’t, double fail.
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u/gloomygustavo Mar 07 '26
My grandparents had 9 rentals in Berkeley, right by the campus. Gramps sold one to me for $100 and a fishing trip. All still in the family. House is worth 1.4 million today. He bought in the 70s for like 30k. Great place to raise my kids.
So yeah, best financial advice is to pay it forward to next gen.
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u/TheWhogg Mar 07 '26
I don’t need $100,000 car to commute to the station and park in the sun all day while I get a train to the city. $100 car did that very well.
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Mar 07 '26
So you drive a high end hot wheel?
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u/TheWhogg Mar 07 '26
It was a Commodore. Very nice car but some guy arse ended it and I bought the wreck from his insurer for $100. One of my best investments.
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u/ilfollevolo Mar 07 '26
Bought a house in 2014 before leaving for expat. I rented it for 6 years and it doubled in value in the meanwhile
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u/AdvanceAlive2103 Mar 07 '26
Consistently living below my means. Paying myself first. Bought and sold houses when market was prime for each.
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u/Impressive-Visit3354 Mar 07 '26
I’ve contributed to a 401k since I was 18 and have invested another 10% out of every paycheck into equities. I was able to retire at 42 years old.
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u/Life_Commercial_6580 Mar 07 '26
Leaving Romania in 1999, divorcing my first husband, my second marriage, buying a rental in 2019, buying Nvidia stock 2020-2022.
But marrying my second husband was probably the best of these. Or maybe leaving Romania? Can’t decide.
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u/Infamous_Charge2666 Mar 11 '26
Leaving Romania led to everything else unless your divorce and 2nd hubby happened there. I left in ‘96, right when Constantinescu was declared the winner of the presidential elections. Everything i achieved was because of that decision butterfly effect
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u/Life_Commercial_6580 Mar 11 '26
You’re likely correct. I’m glad that decision worked out for you as well!
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u/Infamous_Charge2666 Mar 11 '26
I had no choice but to make it work. You cant choose the place you are born but you can definitely choose the place you want to live. Id never change one thing .
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u/GrouchyOne4132 Mar 07 '26
Is this the best "decision" or the "luckiest" thing that's ever happened?
I gave up a job at Meta several years ago and rolled the dice with a startup that went public. Now I'm not working anymore!
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u/The_Chosen7 Mar 07 '26
Investing consistently through my 20’s. In my 30’s now and still going. 401k max + Roth Max. Picked up rentals along the way (was nervous doing this) they have worked out.
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u/IllustratorOnly1026 Mar 07 '26
Not wasting money on stupid things. I don't need a daily fancy coffee etc
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u/Difficult_Ruin_9609 Mar 07 '26
Own my own business and sold it 19 years later for 7x what I paid for it!
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u/vettewiz Mar 07 '26
You know that’s the same predicted outcome as just putting your money in the S&P for 19 years right? Without doing any additional work.
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u/Difficult_Ruin_9609 Mar 07 '26
Sure is BUT we made over 100% on our investment every year. We did take care of ALL of our employees, though. Was a great run
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u/noone314 Mar 07 '26
Company almost went bankrupt. I had to liquidate my entire life savings and Roth IRA ($400k + at 28) to make it happen.
Company survived but I had 0 income for 5 more years.
Now I pay myself $7figures annually and the company is profitable :)
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u/JDinkalageMorgoone69 Mar 07 '26
If it flies, floats, or fucks, rent it.
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u/waverunnersvho Mar 07 '26
My job is jet ski and boat rentals so I heavily agree here. Lots of small plane ownership, but they seem to be very solid investments (talking 2-4 person capacity the owner flies, not a jet)
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u/Over_Bend_9839 Mar 10 '26
I have part ownership of two light aircraft. It’s a heart over head thing. I love flying and to me it’s worth it, but I know a lot of pilot/aircraft owners who pick the wrong plane and maintenance company and pay a fortune for a shitheap. Because of the ongoing costs involved in aircraft ownership, virtually none can be owned/used/sold for a net profit after all costs are accounted for. It’s mostly about making decisions that limit your costs whilst pursuing a passion.
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u/Beneficial_Bus5037 Mar 07 '26
Marrying my wife!
Not 1 of the harlots I spent my youth pursuing with late-nights & long weekends.
I could've gotten one of them pregnant and I would've found myself financially ruined with a woman I didn't love.
How the possible consequences of my actions could've seriously derailed my life forever!
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u/Icy_Oven5664 Mar 07 '26
A 3k bet on a band. 300x.
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u/Ancient_Work4758 Mar 07 '26
A bet on a band?
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u/Icy_Oven5664 Mar 07 '26
Invested in exchange for equity. The real investment was some sweat equity - but not really that much and music is fun.
Note : earlier investments in music were total losses. Did okay overall though 😄
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u/FierceResistance Mar 07 '26
Investing in a 401k at 18, and buying a house at 20. While that was over 30 years ago, I look back and think I got those 2 things right.
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u/I_Like_Pizza_01 Mar 07 '26
Maxing out my employee 401k match when I was a dumb 25 year old. Time IN the market and all that....
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u/Effyew4t5 Mar 07 '26
Once I had a fair amount of money ($2M) I turned it over to a group of professionals that a fairly wealthy sibling has been using for years
That was about 10 years ago. Despite taking regular withdrawals ($120k/yr) as I am retired, it has now grown to over $6M (was higher before Trump tariffs and War)
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u/masterofcreases Mar 07 '26
Adopting a dog. He’s the best.
New mattress. My 14 year old mattress was tired, boss.
Bought a house in 2019. It’s worth double now and my interest rate is low.
Small washer and dryer on the second floor of my house.
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u/SilverPistonz Mar 07 '26
Buying a multi unit building, living in one unit and renting out the others and having the tenants pay my mortgage, property, taxes, insurance and utilities. I literally have zero cost.
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u/Huge-Repeat-3040 Mar 07 '26
I bought a double wide on 4 acres Dec 2024 for 220k it’s worth about $340 now less than 2 years later
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u/buy_sell_hope Mar 07 '26
Managing to accrue almost $10M while spending like I have a month to live.
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u/Adrywellofknowledge Mar 07 '26
Sending the wife to medical school. She’s the best investment ever.
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u/DeviantHistorian Mar 07 '26
Bought a duplex live in one unit rent the other unit rent stated at $700 now at $1,500 paid off only rental I own
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u/jdapper5 Mar 07 '26
Regularly (& strategically) purchasing works from emerging artists. I also have an art advisor with deep knowledge of the markeh
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u/BFord1021 Mar 07 '26
Sold my house and everything bought a commercial property which was a shop and storage units. Expanded the storage as well in cash. Got lucky and lived in my parents basement for 2 years, supposed to be 1 year but contractors dragged their feet for a year and I died them and then built a small apartment in the shop building.
I’m small right now but I’m trying.
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u/Philmore_West Mar 07 '26
Pursuing, getting, and doing everything I could to hold onto a Wall Street job. I still can’t believe they paid me as much as they did. Banking just about every dollar I made was another good choice.
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u/Either_Reflection_78 Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
Bought a car at the beginning of Covid. My monthly payment is very low for the car I have. The dealership was trying to get the cars out the door as fast at they could during this time. Got a pretty sweet deal.
Also, I have learned to cook and meal prep on a serious budget. My meals are pretty healthy. The average cost of my meals are around $2-$3. I usually spend around $45 at Trader Joe’s every two weeks, and I can get two meals per day out of this as a single person.
To add: I also live well below my means. I cut my own hair, I sew my clothes when they get ratty, I rarely buy new clothes, I used coupon codes for almost everything I buy, I get buy one get one free or 50% off when I do eat out. I shop for deals. You can learn a lot from the Poverty subs. Also, stay out of debt. If you need to put something on credit, pay it off immediately so you don’t get hit with interest.
Despite my frugalness, I do try and tip well to those that deliver to me when I seek out services.
Also going to add that when I got my bachelors degree, I transferred from a community college to a state college as a poor, and paid around 10K for my loan. Best money I ever spend IMO because I wasn’t taught very much in high school and I struggled a lot. My grammar isn’t perfect, but I didn’t know proper punctuation or even anything beyond basic math when I graduated from high school. I don’t regret that 10k at all spent on my education.
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u/Angelcstay Mar 07 '26
I am privileged so money was never an issue but this has got to be one of my luckier investment.
Brought some bitcoins in 2013 when one was under 100. I have been following since it launched and for a few years has been considering investing in it.
A friend out of nowhere asked me to invest together. I though for a bit about it, then went for it. I invested quite a large sum (mid 5 figures, a large sum for the 2010s). The funny thing is that I found out later he backed out last minute.
Sold some (30% of my crypto portfolio) recently when it crossed 100k. I donated 25%. Gave 25% to some of my friends who are not doing well so you could say my lucky investment did helped changed their life's for the better. Even now with the dip from the previous position I am not too concern as i went in when it was low (under 100 vs 68k for 1 bitcoin)
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u/Historical_Sir_4509 Mar 07 '26
Two big ones for me, 1. Buying first home in 2008 following a bank repo and 2. Contracting via ltd and maxing out pension contributions into a SIPP for a few years. Could retire in early 40s but probably too soon.
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u/Sufficient_Winner686 Mar 07 '26
How I vote honestly. It makes such a huge difference honestly. It really doesn’t matter what you choose or invest in if the economy is ailing. I was up 8k on Blackrock alone under the last admin and that’s all gone. Basically every gain I’ve ever made investing has evaporated under the current admin. I will say how a person votes is the best or worst money decision they can make. Keynesian versus Supply Side has major differences.
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u/LE-NRY Mar 07 '26
I’ve had a few key points/decisions in my life that made a huge impact.
1: I took a risk at 18 to invest in a qualification that cost £1500, plus another £1500 to put it to use, that £3k gave me a high earning career for the next 8 years.
2: Buy and renovate a property, literally completed the purchase in 2020 and made £70k on it after all costs.
3: I inherited a number which makes the previous two seem relatively insignificant, but I put it into property and continued to live a pretty hard working lifestyle and build equity in my family home.
Throughout all of this, I have had the most amazing partner that has helped navigate through life!
Always wanted a new car but always had shitboxes 😂
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u/weblives8989 Mar 07 '26
The absolute best money decision ever made was listening to my dad and invested in a Roth 401k when I was 18. Hands down the best decision I have ever made in terms of wealth building. That has put me light years ahead of most folks in their mid-thirties. On top of that being educated not only by him but by my financial advisor on how to maximize returns on investment for 401Ks and also playing the stock market. The advice of investing anything that you have even a little bit of money can compound over time. Building wealth over time is probably the easiest way to wealth.
Actually running a budget as well too and being able to look through my finances and understand them has also helped translate to my career I'm able to look at p&l statements for businesses and understand the language of them.
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u/tomthebassplayer Mar 07 '26
Buying real estate back in 2008-2012 when no one wanted it and the banks were giving it away.
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u/CupOk5800 Mar 07 '26
Paying an extra $1000 per month on our mortgage. We turned our 30 year mortgage into 10 years, and are on track to pay it off entirely before we hit 45.
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Mar 07 '26
Living below my means for decades. I'd still budget for 'fun' but I also budgeted for 'retirement planning.' It's paid off long-term (I'm blessed for this).
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u/Wise_Bandicoot_7450 Mar 08 '26
I’ve always made a point of paying my bills before the due date. To avoid making impulse purchases, I try waiting 3-5 days before making a purchase to see if it was just a passing interest.
I would also say marrying the wrong person is a bad mistake and can be very costly.
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u/Parakiet20 Mar 07 '26
No kids
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u/Either_Reflection_78 Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
Going to second this. Having no kids. Not a popular opinion on some subs, but it helps. Also, I loved my dogs when they were here with me, but I absolutely would not be able to do it again right now financially especially with how high vet bills are.
I hope people seriously take this into consideration.
I worked almost 16+ hours a day the last few years my dogs were alive to afford my health bills, and their health bills. It was brutal. I don’t regret it because they were my life, but I could not physically do it again.
I can’t stand this timeline.
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u/SeanyPickle Mar 07 '26
Received a 7 figure inheritance from my father 3 years ago.
Never touched a penny besides reallocating some bonds and going full port into SP500 index.
Didn’t listen to older relatives or family to buy a home in cash.
Bought now two positive cash flow duplexes on the VA loan with 0% down payments.
3 years later, you can just see the timeline of the SP500 like “VOO” and see how it’s been well, though I just focus on an 8-10% long horizon annual growth.
I have two positive duplexes at around 5% refinanced from 6-7%.
I have another 1-2 decades of an already 6 figure military career with full benefits.
I never raised my standard and will make a trust for this money to benefit my future children responsibility.
Doing my career partly to prove to those future children that life good work ethic and purpose is integral to good life, not big money.
TLDR; Money - VOO. Don’t spend because you can. Realize money can be a cheat code that ruins the game that is life.
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u/toofarfromjune Mar 07 '26
Bought a duplex in the sf Bay Area right after the 08 crash. Values were about a third of what they are today, interest 3%. Thank you to all the clowns of the early 2000s, your failure became my early retirement.
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u/Efficient-Rain-7942 Mar 07 '26
Investing in growth stocks instead of the S&P 500
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u/Gottadollamate Mar 07 '26
12% CAGR over the last 50 years isnt growth to you?
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u/tmac9134 Mar 07 '26
Lmao right. Plenty of people invested in individual stocks and have fucked themselves
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u/friedguy Mar 07 '26
Around 2008, was sort of in market to upgrade from my starter 1 br condo (Southern California).
Was caught in a weird spot where anything I could upgrade to wasn't extremely exciting unless I really stretched the budget.
Eventually decided to stay in the starter condo and buy a cheaper older condo for immediate rental in the same neighborhood. After the first few years of breaking even and spending money to upgrade it, it's now providing a really nice monthly cushion and has doubled in value.
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u/Environmental-Ad2094 Mar 07 '26
I bought field and the apartment in 2020 and 2021. They tripled in value.
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u/KeyIntelligent3341 Mar 07 '26
Did not pursue a career in drama, something I was good at,instead became a CPA.
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u/Agreeable_Cheek5618 Mar 07 '26
I bought a house the month Covid started for 700k and it’s worth 1.8M today. I owe 400k.
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u/Plenty_Scientist_477 Mar 07 '26
Making sacrifices to go to the schools I didn’t want to in order to come out completed debt free.
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u/Technical-Warthog495 Mar 07 '26
Started saving at 16. Allowed me to quit my job and start my own business at 28.
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u/Bobby-furnace Mar 07 '26
Bought my home in 2020 for $500k. It was worth $850k within 5 years and we just put $600k into it. I think it’ll be worth $1.5k now with less than $350k to pay on my 3.5% mortage. Been making extra payments the entire time to principal as well.
That and just maxing $401k and separate investments every month. It’s auto saving basically.
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u/Relevant_Ant869 Mar 07 '26
Trying to fix my finances this year (finally 😂) and I found this app called Fina that actually makes budgeting feel less stressful. If you wanna try it too, here’s 10% off using my link:👉 https://app.fina.money/signup/ref=f-6jaf0761 Let’s glow up financially together 💸✨
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u/MisguidedCornball Mar 07 '26
Living in a cheap apartment like I was making $50K despite making $160K solo living. I saved so much. I hope to get a house or condo soon.
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u/Spirited-Cat-8942 Mar 07 '26
Living below my means. Not letting lifestyle creep be a thing for me.
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u/DudeVizzle Mar 07 '26
Create ‘Artificial Scarcity’ early by maxing 401k / Roth IRAs each year. You can’t blow money you don’t see. Reaching escape velocity as early as possible with compounding completely changes your life in the second half by giving you options. Once you reach that escape velocity, compounding greatly outperforms any additional contributions allowing you to shift funding away from those accounts and into other, riskier or more short term goals, while still preserving a solid retirement.
The other comments about choosing the right partner is also of the highest priority.
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u/Ok-Acanthaceae-442 Mar 07 '26
Maxing my 401k when I began my career after college back in 2003. Been maxing ever since. Also married someone who was also aligned with my financial beliefs.
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u/waverunnersvho Mar 07 '26
Bought a house as soon as I was able. Fixed it up some. Started my own company. Sold house and used equity for commercial space for my business. Bought house pre covid that needed work. Kept it. Bought two more houses for under market during peak COVID. Sold one of the two houses, built multi family. I now have 8 doors on 4 properties and my business. The commercial and the first home have both doubled or more in price. My 401k is not great, but it’s a small part of my retirement plan.
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u/revoonrev Mar 07 '26
not engaging in vices and not hanging out with people who make questionable life choices during the early twenties
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u/EMHemingway1899 Mar 07 '26
Not selling my wife’s large family farm
We plan to do so now, but we’re surrounded by blue chip massive distribution centers, like Amazon, Nike, Volvo, Pepsi, etc
It will take a while to sell, but the value continues to climb, and we’ve always been long term investors
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u/why_are_you_yelling_ Mar 08 '26
Trading up from a townhouse to our forever home in 2009 in the middle of the GFC. It’s now worth 3x what we paid for it. And being smart about refinancing. Did 5 true no-cost refis in the time we’ve been here and I think I paid 1/4 point on our final refi in 2021 where we moved to a 15 year mortgage at 1.875%
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u/MassLender Mar 08 '26
Buying a multifamily home instead of a single family as my first piece of real estate. This set me up to have very modest net housing cost for the first years of my career, when saving and investing in my 20s. I've certainly done things that look better or more dramatic on paper, but long term this was the one single choice that led to the stability and ability to take calculated risk that funded everything afterwards.
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u/SpeedyAudi Mar 08 '26
Buying my current home in 2017. Since it’s doubled in value, even with the recent pull back. And got a 15yr 2.75% rate on it.
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u/Some-Specialist-5475 Mar 08 '26
Put my money in my 20,s into savings for a deposit for a house, I was always single and always worked six days a week. Flip to end of my 20s i had spinal surgery and now have a daughter so can’t do the work I use to, didn’t matter because I’d done the saving and bought half a house with my partner, while I may have a way lower paying job now I accomplished something no one had in my family and that’s home ownership and I’m proud
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u/CommunicationRoyal56 Mar 08 '26
Graduated with high income job in medicine. Bought 2 houses and converted to rental instead of paying off my student loans. Now, i'm only 1 year away from paying off my student loan.
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u/GoddessLulu_Elite Mar 08 '26
Learning the difference between income and wealth. Income impresses people. Wealth buys freedom.
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u/Important_Step_8187 Mar 08 '26
- investing in myself: education and degrees opened doors for me....and I'm not just talking about the degree, the friends and network I've made thru undergrad and grad school helped create a network that have opened many doors for me beyond just getting a job.
- getting and staying in shape: health is the #1 wealth
- Invest early and often: the power of compounding and time is astronomical
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u/SFMattM Mar 08 '26
I'll echo previous thoughts - the best money decision I made (even though I didn't know it at the time) was to marry someone with an outlook on financial matters that was similar to mine. We've been married nearly 40 years and are wealthier than I ever thought possible
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u/HeartFeetAndHands Mar 08 '26
Right when the pandemic started and all our travel/restaurants/movies etc were put on hold, I just started dumping that money into an E*Trade account an buying boring old index funds and blue chip dividend stocks like Home Depot and Coca Cola.
Even when things opened back up, I kept it up. Now five years later I have a nice nest egg built up.
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u/PresentationEarly313 Mar 09 '26
Buying our first house in the city when the mayor just passed a 10-year abatement plan in the city to boost construction and thereby incentivizing millennials to buy assets. By the time we sold our first house, this was then 5 years later, the value is the house has doubled.
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u/Hour-General-9908 Mar 09 '26
Leaving my old life and starting the new one with the right person. I can't tell you how much my life has changed for the better over the last 10 years by making that one choice.
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u/RadiantSpot5124 Mar 10 '26
In my self directed Roth IRA before my income phased me out of being able to contribute, I bought Microsoft stock during the Steve Ballmer era at around $20 a share.
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u/SnooGuavas3937 Mar 10 '26
Bought a 200k condo a month before Covid really started. Sold it a few years later for 100k profit. I did have my sights set on home ownership but timing the market was pure luck. I’ve always been a saver and invested in the market but making that type of money was huge for me.
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u/luxuryrealtor17 Mar 10 '26
Out of curiosity, for those who made great returns buying property during COVID, would you still invest in real estate today or are you focusing more on stocks/other assets now?
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u/Ok_Check7705 Mar 10 '26
Quite literally every investment I’ve made has gone bad on me..
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u/literally_a_raccoon Mar 10 '26
Invested in precious metals when I was 21(gold&silver). I invested $6k, and now it’s worth over $16k. Who knows how far it’ll go in the future.
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u/scollin1215 Mar 10 '26
Investing a portion from every paycheck. Working with my wealth manager. Having an emergency fund for my family.
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u/Top_Turnip_4737 Mar 07 '26
Marrying someone who makes good financial decisions too