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if you don't mind, what kind of things could you have done to be more responsible in your 20's? does this mean you spent too much on cars, weren't making good investments, bought too big of a house?

one of my biggest (and probably big among many people) is that i can be content for a while but then once i come into more money, am always able to find something new that i could use. in college i find this particularly difficult because it's a time of freedom, but also a time where being smart can go a lon gway.

i think a real estate investment might be a very good idea because it's profitable, gives one something to do/deal with, and gives a feeling of more substance than a stock or bond.

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My main problem was a general lack of planning for the future vis a vis spending it as soon as I got it. When you're in your twenties, you don't believe that'll you'll actually be 40 one day. Then you look around the bar and notice that the average person is 10 years younger than you.

I finally got tired of being broke all the time, did some soul searching as to why I was in that situation, and came to the conclusion that I simply wasn't making any effort to accumumlate wealth. From that point on, I've never been broke a single day in my life.

With regard to investments, Real Estate is fine. I own my own apartment, but I prefer stocks because of their greater liquidity. In addition, being a landlord can be a real pain in the ass.