This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
No plan and warped thoughts will get you nowhere
“Sweet! What entrepreneurial avenues do you plan to follow to make that happen?” I asked.
Her response was, I have a mentor and can’t share the information they’re giving me.
“Oh, okay, well, how did your mentor build their wealth? What kind of ventures did they pursue.”
I can’t share that information.
Oh okay. Well, how did the couple that just retired at 24 build their wealth?
I can’t willingly share that information. Because it’s not fair to share, and it’s proprietary.
Okay…
The whole conversation left a weird taste in my mouth.
The wealthiest people (not just financially) are willing to share knowledge and ideas with others. They don’t harbor secrets and try to keep the wealth all to themselves. They also enjoy exploring ideas with others to avoid pitfalls and blind spots.
If someone were to ask me how I obtained financial success, I would keep it straight:
Live below my means.
Study personal finance books.
Always maintain several streams of income.
Consistently invest in a diverse investment pool.
Never rely on others to financially provide for me.
Continue to increase my income yearly (at a minimum).
Network with people who have and earn more money than me to learn from their experiences.
It’s pretty cut and dry, and if a person desires to dive deeper, I’m happy to do so.
But this woman couldn’t share anything about her wealth or retirement plan. I asked if she would be investing, and she said it was gambling, so she doesn’t invest. She just puts her money in a savings account. So I am unsure how she plans to amass enough wealth to retire at such a young age earning five figures between her and her husband and putting money in a fireplace (aka a savings account).
Later during the conversation, I asked her what she plans to do in her retirement, and she said travel.
I thought to myself, you’re going to travel for a straight 40 years of your life with no other purpose?
What made it worse is she struggled to name somewhere she desired to travel.
When she asked me about retirement, I told her; I never want to retire. I love what I do, and I’ll find something else when I don’t. Why would I wait to travel until I retire? I do that now.
In the meantime, she’s working a job she hates, intending to retire in a few years without a plan she can publicly talk about.
It all sounds super sketchy – especially considering she finds investing the equivalent of gambling.
There is likely no financial plan that will help you retire early without some form of investment – even if it’s small.
And if you don’t have a sound and robust financial plan, don’t can’t expect to hit your financial targets.
Building wealth isn’t a secret. The process looks different for everyone, but it’s public knowledge. The way to do it is to spend less than you earn or make really smart investments that eventually turn into a profit; these investments can be monetary or non-monetary.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.