26 Short Personal Finances Lessons From a 26-Year-Old Millennial
The most powerful money lessons from the best finance books in 4 minutes
Photo by Joshua Rondeau on Unsplash
People spend the majority of their life trying to earn and make more money.
But they invest relatively little time in understanding how to make money work for them.
You won't get rich renting out your time. You have to build equity in a business. Develop your own side-hustle and multiple sources of scalable income not attached to time.
There is no such thing as a get-rich-quick scheme. People selling you this myth are getting rich off you. If any business product is free, you aren't the customer; you're the product.
"Lotteries are a tax on stupid people who can't do maths," writes Naval Ravikant. Real wealth creation should be a certainty, not a lottery.
Passive income doesn't really exist, but scalable income does. Scalable income means there is no guarantee you will make any money, but there are also no limits on what you can make.
Creating wealth happens slowly. And then quickly. Every year creates more wealth through more opportunities and compound interest.
You don't rise to the level of your financial goals, you fall to the level of your financial systems. A financial goal without a financial system is a financial delusion.
Just like how you can't out-exercise a poor diet, you can't out-earn poor spending habits. It is not how much you make but how much you are able to keep.
Getting to your first $100,000 is the hardest financial milestone you will reach. Every subsequent $100,000 gets easier and easier. Not magically, but through simple mathematics.
Your psychology will determine your personal finance strategy. There is no right or wrong strategy. Only appropriate strategies specific to your context.
Most experts can't be trusted. Tune out the noise. Ignore the news cycle. Don't be fooled by those who shout the loudest. Focus on a few key signals and stick to your investment strategy.
Invisible life stories about money will keep you trapped. How you were raised and your parent's relationship with money will impact you more than you think.
You don't need to be above average to create wealth. Simply getting the average market returns over a long period of time will guarantee your long-term wealth.
Compound interest is your path to long-term wealth. "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it earns it, he who doesn't pays it" — Einstein
Compound costs are the greatest danger to creating wealth. Where returns are concerned, time is your friend. But where costs are concerned, time is your enemy.
Investing in index funds is the only sensible option for the vast majority of people. Stock picking, active mutual funds, crypto or NFTs should make up a minor proportion of your portfolio.
Past performance does not indicate future performance. But it is still the best indicator we have.
Frugality is NOT about being cheap. Frugality is purchasing with intention and maximizing the value of everything you have.
The mindset that got you rich is a different mindset from keeping you rich. Every new stage of life requires a new way of thinking and doing. What got you here, won't get you there.
The real point of having wealth is to get your time back. You can always make more money. But you can never make more time. Wealth is freedom and control over your time.
Your money mindset is the most important factor in your wealth-building journey. You can't expect to make $1 million dollars with $2 thinking.
Never risk your reputation, freedom, relationships, or happiness for money. There are some things in life more valuable than having 1s and 0s in your bank account.
Financial comparison is the thief of joy. Keeping up with the Joneses keeps you financially poor and psychologically miserable.
Not investing early in your 20s is the #1 financial regret most people tell me. I have no study to cite, only anecdotal evidence from every 30-something I've talked to about personal finance.
There is no difference between investing or savings. Both are the same thing, just different asset classes.
The best investment strategy is the one that helps you sleep at night. No financial strategy is worth losing your health over.
The reason to win the money game is to stop playing. There are bigger things in life to worry and care about. Win the money game so you can be free from it.
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