HACKER Q&A
📣 snowisgone

What are fastest paths to financial success?


At Digg, one mentor gave me the savvy advice that the fastest path to financial success was working for four years at three different just-about-to-IPO companies. A surefire way to retire by forty. (This is, for the record, pretty good advice.)

https://lethain.com/forty-year-career/

What are other fastest paths to financial success? Currently am a software engineer, so looking for advice in this career choice.

  👤 icedchai Accepted Answer ✓
I'd start by reading "The Millionaire Next Door." It basically boils down to 1) get a decent paying job, 2) live below your means, 3) save/invest the rest of your money for 20 to 30+ years.

Hitting 3 "about-to-IPO" companies that actually do IPO and also give you a decent return is very, very low probability. One of the first startups I worked for, during the dot-bom boom, went IPO. Less than two year later it was near bankruptcy. Everyone's options were under water. Maybe a couple guys cashed out a bit, but nothing life changing.

👤 AnimalMuppet
The fastest path to financial ruin is to look for the fastest path to financial success. Slow and steady may take longer, but it's much more reliable.
👤 catacombs

Step 1: Don't be poor. Step 2: Repeat.