While I generally agree with the op's sentiment (if your goal is to gain financial independence, a high income and saving+investing will get you to that goal wi

While I generally agree with the op's sentiment (if your goal is to gain financial independence, a high income and saving+investing will get you to that goal with less risk than starting a company), it's not really certain we'll be seeing 15% or even 5% annual returns on S&P 500 for much longer. The short term (10 years to retirement) plans are not going to work if there is another global recession, especially if it's a prolonged one. And this time around there isn't much firepower left for financial manoeuvring (QE+lower interest rates)