One of the questions I get asked a lot is what I’d do differently if I had to start over from scratch. Like, ground zero.
I’m an 18-year-old kid who just graduated high school.
I have the whole world in front of me. Every option is on the table.
And I want to be a millionaire by 35. That’s the goal.
Knowing what I know now (that’s a lot of “knows…”), here’s exactly what I would do if I were starting over and wanted $1M by 35.
1: Get a degree. Match strengths with the highest-paying career field and go after it. No liberal arts B.S. Go to college to earn, not learn.
2: Switch companies every 4 years. Easy money. Here’s how.
3: Marry right. There’s no reward for marrying early. But, there’s a HUGE punishment for marrying wrong. Don’t rush, marry right.
4: Say “yes” to everything. In over your head? Big deal. Figure it out. Riches come to those who say yes to opportunities.
5: Cut losers. If they’re not in to win, they’re out.
6: Heavily use credit cards (and pay them off every month). Hello, travel points, cash-back rewards, and an 800 credit score. Good credit saves you money and gives you better rates on biz loans.
7: Start AT LEAST three businesses. The wealthiest people start their own companies. If one fails, start another.
8: Ignore haters. When you don’t act like a normal person, normal people will criticize you. That’s okay. It means you’re doing it right.
9: Invest at least 25% of your income. If your expenses are too high, CUT THEM. Investing is more important than your BMW.
10: Show up every day. Be the first one in the office. Stop taking sick days because you want to go shopping. That won’t get you rich.
11: Shut off the damn news. The news is bullshit. It will make you afraid and scared people 100% have compromised emotional intelligence.
12: Automate everything. 401(k)s. Brokerage accounts. Bill pay. Everything is on auto-pilot. Automatic wealth. How it works.
13: Index and chill. Don’t day trade. 5% max in individual stocks. There’s a reason why index funds outperform most other assets.
14: NEVER keep up with the Joneses. They’re broke.
15: Learn from millionaires. Make friends with them. Ask them questions. They are the best teachers.
16: Stop sucking. Put in the work to be better. Lazy is average. Average is how you stay poor. Raise your standards and exceed them.
17: Stop being easily offended. If it’s easy to offend you, you’ll never get rich (unless you’re a highly-paid political pundent).
18: Wait to have kids. Controversial, but it works. Kids are expensive. If your priority is $1M by 35, no kids will make it 1000x easier.
There ya have it. $1,000,000 by 35 by shutting out the distractions and focusing entirely on building wealth quickly. Then, you can coast all the way to traditional retirement at 65 living a stress-free life.
This is what my wife and I did, and it worked.
