[bacon]

@wayout

Your post trivializes the accomplishment of the OP when you claim he was just lucky. He took many steps and decisions to get where he wanted to be. These where decisions that required him to take risks sure but he also made lifestyle sacrifices that put him in an exceptionancial financial position as a young man. He won no lottery. He gave a blueprint for how he did it.

[worldwidetraveler]

(05-05-2014 08:43 PM)bacon Wrote:  

@wayout

Your post trivializes the accomplishment of the OP when you claim he was just lucky. He took many steps and decisions to get where he wanted to be. These where decisions that required him to take risks sure but he also made lifestyle sacrifices that put him in an exceptionancial financial position as a young man. He won no lottery. He gave a blueprint for how he did it.

You have to remember who Wayout is based on past posts. He is a 40 year old who lives in hostels or stays with families. His posts suggest he has a very tough time getting laid.

He is just trying to justify his mistakes. Hopefully the young guys learn from people like Wayout on what not to do.

[Brodiaga]

(05-05-2014 08:43 PM)bacon Wrote:  

@wayout

Your post trivializes the accomplishment of the OP when you claim he was just lucky. He took many steps and decisions to get where he wanted to be. These where decisions that required him to take risks sure but he also made lifestyle sacrifices that put him in an exceptionancial financial position as a young man. He won no lottery. He gave a blueprint for how he did it.

I think it's a combination of luck and effort. For example, to get into a top 5 b-school, his IQ has to be in the top 1-2% give or take as a general rule. This rule doesn't apply to people like George W Bush, but applies to most of us. Most people will not get a top 5 MBA regardless of how hard they work.

[worldwidetraveler]

(05-05-2014 08:48 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:  

I think it's a combination of luck and effort. For example, to get into a top 5 b-school, his IQ has to be in the top 1-2% give or take as a general rule. This rule doesn't apply to people like George W Bush, but applies to most of us. Most people will not get a top 5 MBA regardless of how hard they work.

I disagree. It is more tenacity and persistence that pays off. You don't need a degree from a top 5 school in order to get rich. Those that are claiming luck are just making excuses as to why they fail or worst... why they don't even try.

A better example would be when I was in college I ended up with an art degree. I was heavily into art all my life and an art degree was something that came easy to me. The only problem was the pay sucked. Instead of just accepting terrible pay, I ended up staying for an extra year and getting a IT degree because the field was hot.

I ended up landing a job that paid 40k out of school and a raise within 6 months to 45k.

During the year with that company, I worked my ass off and ended up becoming one of the go to guys for a major project. I took advantage of my position and left the full time position for a contract that paid me 100 an hour. I was working 60 hours a week on average.

So after a year out of college I was making 6k a week gross and that contract lasted for years. I could have milked it for a very long time but I waned to move on to another contract that only paid 80 an hour but was in a different location.

I didn't come from a top 5 school but I made the right decisions, worked hard and got paid a lot of money because of it. There was no luck involved. Oh yea, that first job got me out of the US for the first time and I partied my ass off while working.

I was able to build on the skills I learned to create and sell my own products. I wouldn't have been able to do all of this if I had wasted all of my 20's/30's. Even with all the work I put in I still had a fuckin blast.

[pitt]

With the internet nowadays, I think the best idea is to find a way to make money online and travel at the same time.

I just don't accept that general idea to work hard all your 20s and 30s and then travel and I also don't recommend to be travelling on some low budget. Some guys travel a lot and stay in hostels and couchsurfing..are you kidding me? If that's the way I am going to travel, then I might just stay home, work hard for few years, save some money then invest it and get to travel.

I like it how Richiep said it here: (post 32)
http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-16152-...#pid274067

[TheChef]

Really enjoyed this post! Congrats to your achievements and happy birthday Mr. Galt.

Career, Game and Fitness have always been at the top of my priorities now, and it looks like for some, it doesn't change much when you hit 40.

Curious, what do you have your sites on for the next year, or 5?

[Zyzz]

(05-05-2014 08:48 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:  

(05-05-2014 08:43 PM)bacon Wrote:  

@wayout

Your post trivializes the accomplishment of the OP when you claim he was just lucky. He took many steps and decisions to get where he wanted to be. These where decisions that required him to take risks sure but he also made lifestyle sacrifices that put him in an exceptionancial financial position as a young man. He won no lottery. He gave a blueprint for how he did it.

I think it's a combination of luck and effort. For example, to get into a top 5 b-school, his IQ has to be in the top 1-2% give or take as a general rule. This rule doesn't apply to people like George W Bush, but applies to most of us. Most people will not get a top 5 MBA regardless of how hard they work.

Getting into a top 5 MBA is more about 1)work experience, 2)GMAT scores, 3) undergrad GPA. there are other factors as well like letters of recc, community service, minority status, etc but getting into a top MBA has little to do with intelligence. correlation does not equal causation.

[Zyzz]

(05-04-2014 11:40 AM)John Galt2 Wrote:  

There has been plenty of discussion in the community on how men gain value as they age, or when men peak. Sure, we all know men age like wine and women age like milk. But I would like to take this time to add one more data point to the young guys on the this board on what your life will be like as you age, assuming you take care of yourself. If you are 40, have means, and are fit, you can basically do anything.

Life is a journey, so first let me present some general advice for the 20-somethings on the board -

- Always bet on yourself Put your head down and achieve financial success, while living beneath your means so you can start building your “Fuck You” fund . To achieve financial success, you need to take risk in your profession. No risk, no return. So shoot for a job that has a high year-end bonus, equity in a startup / start your own business, high sales commission, etc. that makes a material difference for your net worth. Put yourself in a position to get huge upsides if everything goes well. For example, at age 24 I left a job which paid a $47k salary and $3k bonus for a job that paid $40k salary with a “$10k or higher” bonus. Most people wouldn't take a salary cut for an undetermined upside but my bonus ended up being $30k and I was on my way. Thought it was all the money in the world.

- Keep fit Nothing fancy needed here, consistency in basic pullups, pushups, and squats will get you pretty far.

- Eat as nature intended I highly recommend a paleo-esque diet, which is nothing more than eating plants and animals in their most natural state.

- Learn masculine skillsets Know how to drive a manual transmission, fire a gun, ride a motorcycle, fish, scuba, and box, to name a few.

Pretty basic stuff, but trust me when I say it leads to a pretty high upside if you are disciplined. So where do you end up? Let me present my current lifestyle at 40, with the occasional comparison to when I was 25.

- Career I took 3 material risks in my career (1. Changed careers to a job with lower base but potentially higher bonus (see above) 2. Dropped out of the workforce for two years to get a top 5 mba 3. Quit Wall Street job for a startup), and all 3 propelled me to where I am today as each had a more material upside than the last. It took me 15 years, but I built a portable skillset where I can work from anywhere and, more importantly, only answer to myself. No HR dept is going to be accusing this guy of bad game...er, sexual harassment

- Women I currently rotate 3 women of various ages (29, 35, 39), all of whom are better looking than any girl I dated in my 20's. My married friends fuck their worn out 42 year old wives with short hair twice a year.

- Health I recently did a full day, head to toe examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas. Some highlights - 177 lbs (same weight when I was a high school senior), 108/68 BP, 12.1% body fat, 20/20 vision, 568 testosterone, 89 hdl, 59 triglycerides. All metrics have seen significant improvement over the last ten years.

- Location I live in a major Midwest US city during the late summer and fall, so I can enjoy the lakes and watch my favorite football team play live. I rotate where I spend my winters, thinking Buenos Aires or New Orleans next year.

- Finances Reviewing old statements (yes, I keep everything), when I was 25 I had $1,878 in my checking account and $7,231 in my 401k. With $9k in credit card debt, it doesn't take a math genius to figure out I was dead broke. Now I am well into the 7 figures and can give live off my investment earnings for the rest of my life. That, my friends, is a fuck you fund.

Just remember, the two most valuable resources for men my age are time and freedom.

"Time of your life, huh kid?" - Guido, the killer pimp

Cool story.

[RawGod]

If you're under 30, you honestly think it's over by the time you hit 40. I hope reading sites like this will help younger guys visualise that it's not true, but it's pretty hard to do.

I honestly think that if you work hard in your 20s and 30s, and miss out on partying and women, in order to have some money at age 40, it will be worth it, PROVIDED you work on maintaining your health/looks, and you don't stay totally celibate or anything extreme like that. Find a career path you are passionate about, make it work, and you can still have women here and there, but you should prioritize your career way more than women.

If you are serious in a career based in a Western country, like most STEM jobs, you should't jeopardise it for travel. Do some travel when you finish college or whatever, but don't take years off to find yourself backpacking or blow your savings on annual trips. The world will still be there when you are 40 and the women in most overseas countries are more receptive to slightly older men anyway.

[Switch]

I think the key is to find a balance between stacking bills when you are young and having a good time when you are young. You want to set yourself up to be in the best possible position financially when you are 40, but you also have to have a good time in your 20's and 30's. Remember, because of compound interest, saving 10 grand a year from ages 20-30 will net you more money by age 65 than putting in 10 grand a year from ages 30-65 (10% interest, hard, but doable). Think about that when you say money doesn't matter until you're older. Also think about how your access/ability to enjoy young women decreases with age. Balance.

[Tully Mars]

Lots of interesting thoughts and ideas on the best way to age....obviously the keys to happiness for me later in life are; health, financial security, friendship and one i think most of us are forgetting time (freedom) to enjoy our ourselves. I have lots of rich financially secure friends wrapped so deep into their career, or marriage, or tied down with multiple kids they dont even have the TIME to enjoy their money....

I to am nearing the big 4-0 and realized at a younger age that I needed to keep myself ahead of the curve......I knew that meant for me to enjoy my later years to the best possible extent I first had to have an exit plan from the USA. I knew it was not a place I wanted to be stuck at age 40.

Before that happened I had to set myself up the best possible way, not only financially, but more importantly with the proper skill sets, experience and credentials to give me this international out when the time came... the freedom to live and work overseas.

Luckily years of international travel early in my life, talking to and befriending older wiser men opened my eyes to what was to come in my own life. I also learned through observing my own parents, and learned through a few LTR that marriage is a fairytale. Who wants to spend 10 years.... let alone 30-40 years with the same person???

To me this is one of if not the biggest mistakes most men do to themselves at a young age (Below age 35). It is the worst Business move of all time....who would go into a business with 100% of their assests knowing if (and it most likely will) it went wrong you would exit with at best 50% of those assests....NO ONE!!!

I hear you... but what about kids???.....I dont want to be lonely....all Bullshit....I have more friends, and access to young femine women now than I did 15 years ago...I have time to travel home and visit family and friends stateside if necessary.....I for one do not desire kids (I am at peace with that decision), but I have friends that have had kids without marriage and they are still financially stable and the kids are loved living an exciting culturally rich life overseas.

Ok yea great sounds good you say....what are you gonna do in 20 years time....well I will be splitting my time in one of the properties I am investing in now in a part of the world that will allow old men to still be happy and enjoy being a man....(I.E. SEA, Latin America,)

Where there are also like minded men from all over the world.....young femine women not hung up on age or societal stigmas.....I will not go out to die on a golf course or gated community in Florida and Arizona sitting around the club playing cards in the sun waiting to die....

It's a great world, full of so many possibilites and oppurtunites, for the young guys just keep yourself in the game and ahead of the curve!!!

[DVY]

Props on your lifestyle. I (somewhat) independently have come to the same conclusion. MSM screams "avoid risk, get a stable job, put money in your 401k" or "fuck corporate, travel the world- join greenpeace".

The real take-away and affirmation for me is Risky emotionally but with minimal financial blowout and big financial upside. I've recently been pursuing a similar strategy, albeit in healthcare, going towards doing high-end surgery. Funny thing is that "high-end surgery" is often just hoopla. Just noise. Good diagnostics, proper planning and being prudent on case selection (risk selection) almost ensure a positive result.

Build your own way and make your own conclusions. Sell a possible small piece of salary for a piece of equity. Thats 100% way to get wealthy

[berserk]

(05-06-2014 12:18 AM)Zyzz Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 11:40 AM)John Galt2 Wrote:  

There has been plenty of discussion in the community on how men gain value as they age, or when men peak. Sure, we all know men age like wine and women age like milk. But I would like to take this time to add one more data point to the young guys on the this board on what your life will be like as you age, assuming you take care of yourself. If you are 40, have means, and are fit, you can basically do anything.

Life is a journey, so first let me present some general advice for the 20-somethings on the board -

- Always bet on yourself Put your head down and achieve financial success, while living beneath your means so you can start building your “Fuck You” fund . To achieve financial success, you need to take risk in your profession. No risk, no return. So shoot for a job that has a high year-end bonus, equity in a startup / start your own business, high sales commission, etc. that makes a material difference for your net worth. Put yourself in a position to get huge upsides if everything goes well. For example, at age 24 I left a job which paid a $47k salary and $3k bonus for a job that paid $40k salary with a “$10k or higher” bonus. Most people wouldn't take a salary cut for an undetermined upside but my bonus ended up being $30k and I was on my way. Thought it was all the money in the world.

- Keep fit Nothing fancy needed here, consistency in basic pullups, pushups, and squats will get you pretty far.

- Eat as nature intended I highly recommend a paleo-esque diet, which is nothing more than eating plants and animals in their most natural state.

- Learn masculine skillsets Know how to drive a manual transmission, fire a gun, ride a motorcycle, fish, scuba, and box, to name a few.

Pretty basic stuff, but trust me when I say it leads to a pretty high upside if you are disciplined. So where do you end up? Let me present my current lifestyle at 40, with the occasional comparison to when I was 25.

- Career I took 3 material risks in my career (1. Changed careers to a job with lower base but potentially higher bonus (see above) 2. Dropped out of the workforce for two years to get a top 5 mba 3. Quit Wall Street job for a startup), and all 3 propelled me to where I am today as each had a more material upside than the last. It took me 15 years, but I built a portable skillset where I can work from anywhere and, more importantly, only answer to myself. No HR dept is going to be accusing this guy of bad game...er, sexual harassment

- Women I currently rotate 3 women of various ages (29, 35, 39), all of whom are better looking than any girl I dated in my 20's. My married friends fuck their worn out 42 year old wives with short hair twice a year.

- Health I recently did a full day, head to toe examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas. Some highlights - 177 lbs (same weight when I was a high school senior), 108/68 BP, 12.1% body fat, 20/20 vision, 568 testosterone, 89 hdl, 59 triglycerides. All metrics have seen significant improvement over the last ten years.

- Location I live in a major Midwest US city during the late summer and fall, so I can enjoy the lakes and watch my favorite football team play live. I rotate where I spend my winters, thinking Buenos Aires or New Orleans next year.

- Finances Reviewing old statements (yes, I keep everything), when I was 25 I had $1,878 in my checking account and $7,231 in my 401k. With $9k in credit card debt, it doesn't take a math genius to figure out I was dead broke. Now I am well into the 7 figures and can give live off my investment earnings for the rest of my life. That, my friends, is a fuck you fund.

Just remember, the two most valuable resources for men my age are time and freedom.

"Time of your life, huh kid?" - Guido, the killer pimp

Cool story.

I currently work in finance now(equity research) but am looking to move into something else in the front office. Was curious what you were doing while working in finance? What kind of start up did you join and how you found the opportunity? Can you speak a bit about what you do now and how you are able to swing it? Thanks.

We're all gonna make it brah.

[Steve9]

(05-06-2014 07:58 AM)Tully Mars Wrote:  

i think most of us are forgetting time (freedom) to enjoy our ourselves. I have lots of rich financially secure friends wrapped so deep into their career, or marriage, or tied down with multiple kids they dont even have the TIME to enjoy their money....

I agree that having the free TIME to really enjoy life is crucial.

The younger guys on RVF focused on climbing the corporate/career ladder need to think really hard about whether it is worth it.

[el conquistador]

I don't understand some of the hate the OP has been getting for 'missing out on children' or sacrificing his youth for the sake of making money.

He can basically do anything he wants with his life now and I doubt he’ll ever be broke or lonely.

My aim is to spend these years:
-Building financial assets
-Acquiring valuable and highly-sought after skills
-Collecting unique and enviable experiences
-Eating strict and working out

If you reach your 40th birthday with those four under your belt you are set.

[RexImperator]

Good for the OP. Sounds like he's in a pretty good place to me.

[John Galt2]

Some additional responses -

Quote:

Curious, what do you have your sites on for the next year, or 5?

Basically, continue what I am doing - eating well, staying fit, actively managing my investments/companies. And start living more overseas.

Quote:

I currently work in finance now(equity research) but am looking to move into something else in the front office. Was curious what you were doing while working in finance? What kind of start up did you join and how you found the opportunity? Can you speak a bit about what you do now and how you are able to swing it? Thanks.

Research can be pretty lucrative if you can leverage that into a decent hedge fund. I was an investment banker, your typical coverage guy doing equity raises, m&a, etc. That business is so tough right now with all the deferred comp...no thanks.

Without getting too detailed in a public forum, the startup was a consumer driven web based business. I found it randomly through old contacts, I never expected my career to take that turn but I was eager to take on more risk to see what I could do ("bet on yourself"). PM me for more details.

[PHC19]

(05-06-2014 01:13 AM)Switch Wrote:  

I think the key is to find a balance between stacking bills when you are young and having a good time when you are young. You want to set yourself up to be in the best possible position financially when you are 40, but you also have to have a good time in your 20's and 30's. Remember, because of compound interest, saving 10 grand a year from ages 20-30 will net you more money by age 65 than putting in 10 grand a year from ages 30-65 (10% interest, hard, but doable). Think about that when you say money doesn't matter until you're older. Also think about how your access/ability to enjoy young women decreases with age. Balance.

Do you know what current interest rates are?

[amity]

I've also turned 40 pretty recently, and have an LTR on the go.
Thing is though, now that I've discovered game, I have more options than I ever had as a 20 or 30something man.
I also dress better, and am in pretty good shape, aside from being a bit on the skinny side (but am working on that).
Am not exactly financially stable, but again am slowly getting that side of things into order.
I know now, that had a I learned game a few years ago, I probably would not have entered the LTR I'm in now, as cool as this girl is.
Reason why is of course, cos now, almost every time I go out, I see opportunities, I have developed a level of confidence with women I never had before.
My approach anxiety is lessening with every day, I regularly night game now, with my regular wing and occasionally I day game too.
When you live in a city, with a plentiful and ever replenishing supply of tourists, students, and other assorted HBs, it seems to me that only a fool, a tied down beta provider or a eunuch would not avail of the opportunities that walk in front of him daily.

[coginnav]

(05-04-2014 11:40 AM)John Galt2 Wrote:  

There has been plenty of discussion in the community on how men gain value as they age, or when men peak. Sure, we all know men age like wine and women age like milk. But I would like to take this time to add one more data point to the young guys on the this board on what your life will be like as you age, assuming you take care of yourself. If you are 40, have means, and are fit, you can basically do anything.

Life is a journey, so first let me present some general advice for the 20-somethings on the board -

- Always bet on yourself Put your head down and achieve financial success, while living beneath your means so you can start building your “Fuck You” fund . To achieve financial success, you need to take risk in your profession. No risk, no return. So shoot for a job that has a high year-end bonus, equity in a startup / start your own business, high sales commission, etc. that makes a material difference for your net worth. Put yourself in a position to get huge upsides if everything goes well. For example, at age 24 I left a job which paid a $47k salary and $3k bonus for a job that paid $40k salary with a “$10k or higher” bonus. Most people wouldn't take a salary cut for an undetermined upside but my bonus ended up being $30k and I was on my way. Thought it was all the money in the world.

- Keep fit Nothing fancy needed here, consistency in basic pullups, pushups, and squats will get you pretty far.

- Eat as nature intended I highly recommend a paleo-esque diet, which is nothing more than eating plants and animals in their most natural state.

- Learn masculine skillsets Know how to drive a manual transmission, fire a gun, ride a motorcycle, fish, scuba, and box, to name a few.

Pretty basic stuff, but trust me when I say it leads to a pretty high upside if you are disciplined. So where do you end up? Let me present my current lifestyle at 40, with the occasional comparison to when I was 25.

- Career I took 3 material risks in my career (1. Changed careers to a job with lower base but potentially higher bonus (see above) 2. Dropped out of the workforce for two years to get a top 5 mba 3. Quit Wall Street job for a startup), and all 3 propelled me to where I am today as each had a more material upside than the last. It took me 15 years, but I built a portable skillset where I can work from anywhere and, more importantly, only answer to myself. No HR dept is going to be accusing this guy of bad game...er, sexual harassment

- Women I currently rotate 3 women of various ages (29, 35, 39), all of whom are better looking than any girl I dated in my 20's. My married friends fuck their worn out 42 year old wives with short hair twice a year.

- Health I recently did a full day, head to toe examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas. Some highlights - 177 lbs (same weight when I was a high school senior), 108/68 BP, 12.1% body fat, 20/20 vision, 568 testosterone, 89 hdl, 59 triglycerides. All metrics have seen significant improvement over the last ten years.

- Location I live in a major Midwest US city during the late summer and fall, so I can enjoy the lakes and watch my favorite football team play live. I rotate where I spend my winters, thinking Buenos Aires or New Orleans next year.

- Finances Reviewing old statements (yes, I keep everything), when I was 25 I had $1,878 in my checking account and $7,231 in my 401k. With $9k in credit card debt, it doesn't take a math genius to figure out I was dead broke. Now I am well into the 7 figures and can give live off my investment earnings for the rest of my life. That, my friends, is a fuck you fund.

Just remember, the two most valuable resources for men my age are time and freedom.

"Time of your life, huh kid?" - Guido, the killer pimp

Thank you a lot...

[BadWolf]

Quote:

@wayout

Your post trivializes the accomplishment of the OP when you claim he was just lucky. He took many steps and decisions to get where he wanted to be. These where decisions that required him to take risks sure but he also made lifestyle sacrifices that put him in an exceptionancial financial position as a young man. He won no lottery. He gave a blueprint for how he did it.

Quote:

Stories like these are pure speculation. Some people got lucky and built a nice life by the age they are 40 and some worked hard all their lives,saving and got wiped out by 40 anyway. Most people who start a business fail withing one year losing all invested money! Basically there are no guaranties in life and absolutely no sure way to achieve financial goals.
I am glad I partied well into my thirties..always had my own place,traveled a lot,worked less than 40 hours a week and got into huge debt. I turned 40 myself not long ago - and I feel great. I am glad I didn't miss out on life! I often think back about all parties in college and traveling and all the girls I hooked up - while others worked full time and barely had time to sleep! At 40 I don't have the energy or patience to chase 20 y.o anymore...and sure as hell I am not interested in 30+ women. I enjoy sex less now compare to my 20's. Now is a good time to start making money. At least now I have life experience and less distractions

That sounds great but at the same time, travel during your 20's is also a good bet IMO, makes you aware of the opportunities and situations abroad. If you can travel the world and live on nothing, you can make it in any country, anywhere without any money. You can spend your time stacking paper but give up a life of adventure when you still have that optimistic outlook in the 20's. You also give up a lot of life's lessons and wisdom that travelling to foreign countries brings... and when I say travelling I mean not with a backpack, that's more tourism. People are generally friendlier and more open to meeting young travellers than they are with older men, especially young 20 y/o women. As a young man in Mexico, I found people were very willing to bring me into their homes, let me stay with them and try to introduce their hot daughters to me (more than one occasion). I got free food, brought to family parties, block parties, weddings. I had loads of adventures that I would never have gotten access to if I were not a young man. I also took HUGE risks with my life that I would NEVER take today, you only have that kind of blind ignorance in your 20s. In a way I wish I had done more stupid things like base jumping and shark diving in my 20s... then again, I might be dead.... anyway.

I spent my 20's having marathon sex sessions in cheap, rented apartments with my young foreign girlfriends while my friends spent their time at home in the grind. I remember sitting atop the pyramid of the sun just outside Mexico city at 25 yearsold and thinking about my friend Cody who was working as a production manager in a hot, muggy factory 12 hours a day or of my friend Michael who worked 60 hours a week behind a computer monitor. Later that day I sat down to a 3 course meal (mostly cheap tacos and steaks) just outside the pyramid for less than 5 bucks and recalled how I used to eat lunch meat sandwhiches out of a paper bag. Some of us aren't located near Wallstreets or major centers, some of us aren't interested in retiring with loads of cash. My cousin retired with loads of cash in her 30's, with a house, car and tons of cool stuff... yeah she retired right into the ground from a sudden bout of brain cancer.

If you did it during your 20's you won't really have the desire to do it in your 30's. I went to night clubs 4 days a week in my 20's, now I go maybe once a year. I was out partying in the 3rd world quite a bit, Asia and several parts of Central and South America but now I just want to have a family and a relaxing 9 to 5 job. At 20, I didn't care about having money, it wasn't taking me where I wanted to go and funny enough, to me $3000 USD in the bank was enough to live on for at least 6 months. That meant video games whenever I wanted, touring all the wonders of the world, no one to be accountable for, no stress, ESL work (basically talking for money) and little to no HR. I have been to over 20 countries and lived in about 6 or 7 and I did it all in my 20's when I had the energy to see it. Honestly, now at 34, I have neither the desire, nor the motivation to bounce around. I also had WAY more sexual stamina and interest in my 20's that seems to have dropped off quite a bit as I enter my 30's. Finally, money may attract women but so does 'experience' and I still managed to bag hot, rich girls who would drive me places and fvck my brains out while living out of dumpy little apartments.

While you have your million dollar life, and I'm not ripping on you for that, respect that Wayout and several other of us made it around the world with what you probably spend on toilet paper in a month. I had my lifestyle at $10 a day and it was also the best time in my life. I might not be a bigshot but I'm happily married with a wife that thinks that we've got it made living in a cheap 2 bedroom apartment that oftens gets visits from cockroaches and mold. For me, I have my free time, a decent job that is semi-satisfying and a good person that I couldn't be more content to spend my life with. Hopefully in the next 5 years we'll have a couple of kids to start the cycle over.

I just wanted to post my experience to balance out the thread a bit. Everything in life is a sacrifice, you either stick your nose to the grind and come out with loads of money or you sit back and enjoy life and later work hard (or not).

Millions are not necessary for a happy life. If someone offered me a job working on flying saucers and travelling to different planets, I would happily sign over the next 40 years of my life and do it all for free.

[InternationalPlayboy]

I am in my mid 20's and luckily for me, my internet income is doing pretty solid. What it allows me to do is arbitrage. Live in 3rd world like a king with my money, and still slowly save up. I have no debt thanks to the parents paying for college.

But one good thing about your 20's you can still hit up the college freshman, aka the 18 year olds. Nothing better then a innocent looking girl getting the D with her fresh tight pussy. 30 year old women who've hit the wall don't interest me. So best to be in the game while you are in your prime.

Sometimes I do worry though my income will dry up. But already the partying is wearing down. Hangovers keep getting worse. I definitely would not do the stuff I've done if I was in my 40's.

Side Note: I highly suggest anyone who doesn't get into the top elite private schools to save the money and go to your state school. The money saved is quite a lot. My parents had to foot less then one year ivy league education for my entire college tuition (thanks to scholarships).

[?Kick]

Great post. And happy 40th. Agree wholeheartedly with the point about learning a masculine skill set.

[Nomad77]

I have an interesting twist on this. I have made it twice already and both times threw it away just so I could start over and do it again. I found that once I "made it" life got boring. Once you have enough money to buy whatever you want and don't need to worry about a paycheck it sort of takes the fun out of life. I have found that what I really enjoyed about life was not the security of having made it but the journey of getting there. Now, I am on that journey for one more time and this time will probably be the last. A lot depends on your personality. Some people get all stressed out under pressure and others thrive. Life is like walking on a rope in the air. You can do it with with a safety net or you can do without one. I have done it both ways and I have learned that I preferred living without the safety net. I already know I am not going to take anything wherever I am going when I die anyway and even if I have kids, why should I deprive them of the fun of doing this all from zero just like I did.

PS Some quick stats... at 16 I started selling electronic equipment and by the time I was 21 I was a regional sales manager living in a house in Europe, with a company car and expense account and a very beautiful girlfriend. By any measure I had it made and then I became depressed because I thought to myself, is this it? What was I going to do with the rest of my life? I dumped everything, job, girl, house, everything. And went to college just for the heck of it. I got a degree in International Business and Marketing. After college I started a computer consulting company with two of my college buddies. By the time I was 28, we were a multi-million dollar company. By 36 I was living in Brazil, Europe, and Miami. I had a nice apartment on the water in Miami and nice car below that I rarely used. Again, I became depressed thinking if this was it, so once again I dumped everything and actually ran up a huge debt just for fun. (Actually, I've basically zeroed out my net worth. I have burned my ship at the shore. Either I will succeed once again or I will die broke.) I wanted it to be really challenging this time. Now I am having fun, doing it all over again. I have to admit though, it's lot harder now simply because I don't have the same energy I did when I was 28. But it's what I love to do, dig myself out of deep holes. To me, that's what makes life fun and interesting. Whenever I had "made it" I was bored and miserable. As an underdog, I feel alive. My next money making attempt will be some kind of software/website/app business. Anyone want to join me?

PS That was my apartment building below. When I sold that apartment I made a cool $250,000 and I wasn't even here - I was in Brazil. There is also no sure path to wealth or pussy. For every path that can lead to success there are thousands of paths to failure.

[iknowexactly]

(05-10-2014 12:27 PM)John Galt2 Wrote:  

Some additional responses -

Quote:

Curious, what do you have your sites on for the next year, or 5?

Basically, continue what I am doing - eating well, staying fit, actively managing my investments/companies. And start living more overseas.

I am almost at the opposite end of the spectrum from Mr. Galt.

He is going to manage his investments, I have hardly any. Good chance I'll never own real estate except in some Godforsaken desert.

I envy him very much in some ways. One thing I think we could agree on is start saving early, no matter how little. $50 s month, $200 would be better. Keep your credit clean and try to buy at least one rental property. Worry about the big coup also, but start saving.

But you have to choose what fits your character, or rather your character will choose what you do. Because you can't be/do everything in life unless you are an .0001% outlier, like Ian Anderson who was world famous as a musician and now is very wealthy in Britain.

I'm guessing, OP will never, for instance, be able to play guitar like I can; or write songs like I can. If he, can after working that hard as well, he's a genius and hats off to him.

What we tend to do is tell others what to do-- based on our own character, not theirs.

-------.

I have a friend who's even flakier than me, he hasn't been able to hold a job more than a few months his whole life.

But now he has two kids, his genes will outlive mine unless I play "catch up" child wise.

I wouldn't want to live his life of financial precariousness ( he's always trying to mooch money off me.).

But I also would never want to live Mr. Galt's period of 10 years of 70 hour weeks. I really appreciate his honesty in revealing that period, I'm sure many people would minimize it, "It was hard for a few years.."


---------------

I'm in my late 50s, somewhere in the middle, less responsible than most people but not a total scrambler. I don't have anything like 7 figures saved, more like low 5 figures, but I played catch up, which-- as Mr. Galt says-- doesn't really work. When I called up Social Security the worker wondered why I had only worked full time about 10 years in my life. Well, lolzlzl, that was one of my primary goals in life.

I spent many days, carelessly riding a bicycle through the fields of Upstate NY, or northern California, admiring the beauty, while other toiled in cubicles. I can never catch up with them, and they can never catch up with me.

I can make about $500 a day with a skill I learned, but I'm too old in my late 50s to want to do it long enough to buy a nice house etc. ( My credit is so fucked up they should put in in a museum.)

I have a passive income, but only enough to live in Cambodia or maybe Phils.

And I think each of us lived according to our characters....

I've always had really bad business sense, but was book smart. Top 1% in all verbal tests I took, about top 5% in math.

I leveraged that to get some education that saved me from total desperation.

Ahh, but playing the guitar... that was/is the joy of my life. To create Art is to feel like a God. And to be good it must be central for the critical time period between 16-30.

Right when more materialistically oriented people really get their money train going.

Catch up isn't a viable strategy in the arts any more than it is in money. Neuromuscular plasticity declines too fast.

As you get older, you face the fact the great majority of people can only live maybe 1.5 lives. Only a few can really do two things well. For most people, if you have no particular creative drive, you're better off busting ass like OP did, so you can say FU later.

----

If you want to bust ass and make money early, the medical doctors where I sometimes work get $5000 per week to work ONE DAY and be on call to prescribe over the phone , which amounts to 5 calls a week-- they get about $800 per five minute phone call.
You could start at about 30 if you went straight through and did a four year residency.