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      07-31-2011, 10:14 PM   #29
BayMoWe335
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Drives: 2010 E92 335i 6MT
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: US

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Youth is truly wasted on the young. Imagine what the right investing strategy could do for a 19 year old putting the money away. This decision could literally costs you hundreds of thousands when you retire.

It's not every day you can save a wad of money. Life gets more expensive the longer you live. I work for a Fortune 100 company with some seriously smart people. Still, I can't tell you how many colleagues I have that make more than $100k/year still can't save $1,500/month. They have kids, a mortgage, and a wife...It's just hard to do so you should do it while you can!

Admittedly, I am a nerd and always have been. I've never been like most kids my age. In 2000, I got a job at Walmart the day I turned 16 and made $9.50/hr and a $1 more on Sundays. Doesn't sound like much, but this was over 11 years ago and I took home over $1,200/month after taxes. I could have afforded a GTR too (except they weren't made then), but the point remains. Instead, I saved the money and even just 11 years later, I can tell you it was the best decision of my life. I saved diligently for almost 2 years and opened my first IRA in in 2002 (when I went to college to major in finance) and a brokerage account to have somewhere to put my cash that was quickly growing. I still thank my parents and professors for helping me. The Dow was in the 7,500-8,000 range when I bought an index mutual fund that paid a dividend I had auto re-invest. I'd have to do a complete spreadsheet to get the actual figures, but I can tell you that initial investment has well more than doubled.

Patience is a virtue and Mom and Dad won't pay the bills forever. I beg of you...take full advantage of earning some decent money and not having bills. IT WILL NEVER BE THAT WAY AGAIN!! Sure, you might earn more, but life gets exponentially more expensive.

However, there certainly isn't anything wrong with buying something you like; I just honestly think you'll regret it when you're older/wiser. Plus, my parents wouldn't have let me buy a car like that and continue to pay the bills for me. They would have told me I was a moron and that I needed to do the right thing while they were helping me. Buying this car really isn't a good decision, but it will be cool.

/rant

Just trying to give you a different perspective. Maybe it won't work. It's thought Ablert Einstein once said, "compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe." He might have been right.

Last edited by BayMoWe335; 07-31-2011 at 10:35 PM..
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