What I found missing in my life was the routine part of money management. I now wish I had studied money management first, then found my first "job." I now ha

What I found missing in my life was the routine part of money management. I now wish I had studied money management first, then found my first "job." I now have a life plan that I oversee that takes extra income (earned, investment, gift, etc.) and saves it up until it reaches another lump sum amount to continue acquiring cash-flowing assets (I settled on real estate, specifically multi-family rentals). As my semi-passive income increases, it supplants the required earned income to keep the whole system going. And for me that means more time researching things "because I'd like to know how they work." Sometimes I research something and test/play around with it, until I suddenly realize (I am not always that quick, so my sudden takes awhile) that some of my solutions are valuable to others - Then I consider how to spin out that specific service or product to others for their benefit, and the financial (or other - I have been paid in fresh eggs, animal products, vegetables, tools, etc.) reward covers the costs and any extra financial reward adds to the aforementioned savings goals. Rinse and repeat. It lets my mind wander onto new topics that I find interesting first, the possible remuneration comes second, if at all. And until I am completely independently wealthy, I keep a service business going that provides the safety net of making sure all my expenses are paid for. This also frees up my time to work with experts (attorneys, CPAs) to figure out how to treat the US tax code (I am a US citizen) like a game - If I do something (I want to do it anyway) in THIS fashion, I get an incentive/break from my government... This has removed the "I have to make a profit!" stress I was feeling previously. And if this works for me, it seems like it would probably work for others...