FrioAg 00 said:
I feel like you're either leaving off a big part of the story like an inherited fund, a once in lifetime windfall, or your definition of an underwhelming career is very different than mine.
If you aren't north of $5-10m already you are expecting a very rare investment return looking forward to get to $15-20 in the next decade or so. And if you have indeed accumulated $5-10m it seems odd you'd use terms like you have related to your career, or becoming debt free just 6 years ago, etc.
None of my business, just can't quite make sense of what you've shared so far.
No big inheritance. My dad did buy me some shares in my name in the 70s that became worth about $50-70k in the mid 90s that I used as seed for investing. I never spent any of it. I grew that a lot over the past 25 years. I started investing in Nov 1999.
I am a saver, I don't take loans and I don't overspend. My wife sometimes grumbles that I obsess over "small purchases". I tell her I obsess over everything.
My career has been good, don't get me wrong. I have 3 degrees, of which one Engg degree is from A&M. Salary has been good and I broke through the 6 figs mark about 15 years ago. If I complain about my career, it is just because it has not met MY personal expectations. I need to GTFO from my city and go to an area where jobs in my field (high tech) are in plenty. Like the Bay Area, Seattle or Austin. Completely my fault that I messed up.
But I am a survivor.
My salary and my wife's salaries are a somewhat smaller percentage of the net household "revenue" (usually). This is a good sign which means I depend more on myself and less on a company to pay my bills.
Debt wise, my dad funded my undergrad so I did not have any debt to begin with. I just had a home mortgage that I paid off quickly (in 8 years) by paying towards principal when I could. I want the same for my son so I am paying all his tuition. He is doing Computer Science in a Top 5 school and focusing on that and not earning at this point.
I feel people make a big deal about this because they spend more than they can afford and think it is okay. I never did that. Save money, pay down debt and invest passively.