w.r.t investing: If you're on a good income you are actually incentivized to do so in some countries. In the UK every pound you earn between $140K and $170K USD

w.r.t investing: If you're on a good income you are actually incentivized to do so in some countries. In the UK every pound you earn between $140K and $170K USD is effectively taxed at 65%. Investing via contributions in to a pension is tax free. 100% gross salary. Even if the market goes nowhere for 30 years that's 3.5% annualized return. You pay tax when you take your pension of course, but by that point its on your terms.