I've also seen it work the opposite way - older founders who were already wealthy paying themselves no salary at all. But yes, it is obvious that younger found

I've also seen it work the opposite way - older founders who were already wealthy paying themselves no salary at all. But yes, it is obvious that younger founders without families can live on less. Another consideration is the older you are the closer you are to retirement and the less risk you can take if you are not already wealthy.