Addicting
Well-known member
Make sure your nuts don’t sag into your zipper if you’re in a hurry.
The big 18 and adult things?
- Thread starter TrapperJ
- Start date
Charlie Bob
Well-known member
But there’s so much more to discuss, imo.
If I could tell my 18 year old self anything it would be it’s ok to be wrong sometimes.
You get to make mistakes, just learn from them .
Recognize when you’re angry and teach yourself to shut your mouth until you can talk rationally.
Learn how to strike up conversations with strangers and you will never be alone .
And realize you will change your opinions as your perspective increases, the more you see the more you will understand how everything interacts .
Pay it forward, treat people the way you want to be treated .
And embrace your fears .
I envy you OP , enjoy your ride .
If I could tell my 18 year old self anything it would be it’s ok to be wrong sometimes.
You get to make mistakes, just learn from them .
Recognize when you’re angry and teach yourself to shut your mouth until you can talk rationally.
Learn how to strike up conversations with strangers and you will never be alone .
And realize you will change your opinions as your perspective increases, the more you see the more you will understand how everything interacts .
Pay it forward, treat people the way you want to be treated .
And embrace your fears .
I envy you OP , enjoy your ride .
JShane
Well-known member
House hacking. Research it. If you have questions PM me. Happy to help.
El Jason
Well-known member
You’ll get lots of advice and learn some things the hard way. At the end of the day, make your decisions and be good with the outcome. There is no free lunch in life.
Nick87
Well-known member
Idk if you're ever really ready. You learn that one as you go and fast.
El Jason
Well-known member
Amen. Although sometimes it doesn’t seem you learn fast enough.
Redmt
Well-known member
Parenthood lasts longer than one night.
Swallow/kill your pride. I'd be lightyears ahead of where I am now if I'd have figured that one out sooner.
Pride is at the root of an enormous number of bad decisions. Why do people buy things they can't afford and live outside their means? Maybe because they're too proud to admit they're not doing as well as other around them, or maybe because they're so proud they think they deserve things they really don't. Why do people fight each other, lie to each other, put each other down (and on, and on...)? You can trace a lot of it back to pride.
On a related note, get help when you need help. In my young adult years, I was too proud to admit I had some serious problems I didn't know how to solve. Trying to fix my problems by myself almost killed me. For example - I was dealing with some pretty serious depression by the time I was 18 years old. I spent 7 miserable years trying to fight it before experiencing a breakdown and finally getting some medical help at age 25. I spent a few more years after that fumbling through life. My mental condition was better than before, but eventually realized that a hard childhood and young adulthood had left its mark and created some other problems that needed to be resolved. I started therapy at age 28. I'm 31 now and just barely feeling like I've got my life in a good spot. I could have cut quite a few years out of that difficult journey if I'd have just asked for help sooner.
Pride is at the root of an enormous number of bad decisions. Why do people buy things they can't afford and live outside their means? Maybe because they're too proud to admit they're not doing as well as other around them, or maybe because they're so proud they think they deserve things they really don't. Why do people fight each other, lie to each other, put each other down (and on, and on...)? You can trace a lot of it back to pride.
On a related note, get help when you need help. In my young adult years, I was too proud to admit I had some serious problems I didn't know how to solve. Trying to fix my problems by myself almost killed me. For example - I was dealing with some pretty serious depression by the time I was 18 years old. I spent 7 miserable years trying to fight it before experiencing a breakdown and finally getting some medical help at age 25. I spent a few more years after that fumbling through life. My mental condition was better than before, but eventually realized that a hard childhood and young adulthood had left its mark and created some other problems that needed to be resolved. I started therapy at age 28. I'm 31 now and just barely feeling like I've got my life in a good spot. I could have cut quite a few years out of that difficult journey if I'd have just asked for help sooner.
Nick87
Well-known member
Yah, I've learned thats just part of it and roll with it. Looking back my parents were obviously in the same boat.
Some other things I'd tell 18 year-old me:
- You'll gain money and status in your career when you stop chasing money and status in your career and instead just try to be as helpful as possible to your employer, coworkers, and clients.
- You'll gain friends and social influence when you stop chasing friends and social influence and instead just try to make positive contributions everywhere you go.
- Inner peace comes when your integrity is fully intact.
- Doing something painful or difficult only lasts for a time. The fear of doing something painful or difficult can cripple you for years, if not a whole lifetime. Better to just go ahead and do it, even though you're scared.
- Being a generous person feels better than saving a few dollars here and there. You won't miss the extra money you've donated, spent on fundraisers, or tipped to service staff. You will regret instances when you were in a position to help with something meaningful but chose not to.
- Life is happier when you are gracious with others and yourself. If you give people the benefit of the doubt, you'll feel compassion and love for them instead of anger and frustration at them. If you're gracious with others, it's easier to be gracious with yourself. When you're gracious with yourself, you can work through your challenges with patience and optimism instead of self-criticality and doubt.
- You'll gain money and status in your career when you stop chasing money and status in your career and instead just try to be as helpful as possible to your employer, coworkers, and clients.
- You'll gain friends and social influence when you stop chasing friends and social influence and instead just try to make positive contributions everywhere you go.
- Inner peace comes when your integrity is fully intact.
- Doing something painful or difficult only lasts for a time. The fear of doing something painful or difficult can cripple you for years, if not a whole lifetime. Better to just go ahead and do it, even though you're scared.
- Being a generous person feels better than saving a few dollars here and there. You won't miss the extra money you've donated, spent on fundraisers, or tipped to service staff. You will regret instances when you were in a position to help with something meaningful but chose not to.
- Life is happier when you are gracious with others and yourself. If you give people the benefit of the doubt, you'll feel compassion and love for them instead of anger and frustration at them. If you're gracious with others, it's easier to be gracious with yourself. When you're gracious with yourself, you can work through your challenges with patience and optimism instead of self-criticality and doubt.
Wyoming270
Active member
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2026
- Messages
- 103
4.5% return on money, year after year with no bad days and no losses ever, that can be pulled out at any age, and does not require a loan at a rate over prime or a big pentaly to use before a retirement age that is ever climbing is a powerful thing. You certainly can make more money faster in stocks, just as evenly as you can loose all that money really fast in stocks. For people who are young, having access to those funds when something breaks and they need cash can be the difference between a balanced checkbook, with a cd that had a penalty of the last 3 months interest, vs an empty checking account and a loan or credit card with a monthly payment and interest at 8.5-28%. if you have everything else squared away, and your looking to retire in the next decade or two stocks can be a way to build retirement money faster, but that doesnt make it right for everyone.
Wyoming270
Active member
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2026
- Messages
- 103
I did this! It has paid rewards that are exponential.
El Jason
Well-known member
I’m not saying they don’t have their place, because they do. You are obviously more risk averse than me, and as such they are likely a good option. My investments have done very well.
CowboyLeroy
Well-known member
Meet girls at church, not the bar.
Have your kids on the earlier side.
Have your kids on the earlier side.
elkduds
Well-known member
5 pages in, and no mention of this?
You are neither bulletproof nor invincible. Don't think you are immune from trouble, illness, injury, loss. You are at the age of maximum fearlessness, which is a severe double-edged sword. Learn from the mistakes of others, at least as much as from your own mistakes. You will make many, learn their lessons and importantly, the lessons of others' errors.
Cultivate your personal well of happiness, one that doesn't depend on others. When the rest of life sucks, go to that well and spend time with your essential worth and goodness. Many find this in nature, fishing, hunting. Faith is part of this, for some. Protect and defend it, don't surrender or compromise it to others.
I can't imagine turning 18 in this world. At your age I was all about change, stability meant stagnation. Change is now the rule, no longer the exception. To thrive you will need a stable core, one that keeps surfacing like a cork in turbulent waters. One that calms you when the sky is falling. The stronger that core, the better you will tolerate risk, rebound from setbacks, maximize opportunities and thrive on the rapid pace of change.
When evaluating advice, recognize others are telling you what they would do in your situation. They will never be in your situation. Only you are. I wish you all the risks and rewards you can handle, young sir.
You are neither bulletproof nor invincible. Don't think you are immune from trouble, illness, injury, loss. You are at the age of maximum fearlessness, which is a severe double-edged sword. Learn from the mistakes of others, at least as much as from your own mistakes. You will make many, learn their lessons and importantly, the lessons of others' errors.
Cultivate your personal well of happiness, one that doesn't depend on others. When the rest of life sucks, go to that well and spend time with your essential worth and goodness. Many find this in nature, fishing, hunting. Faith is part of this, for some. Protect and defend it, don't surrender or compromise it to others.
I can't imagine turning 18 in this world. At your age I was all about change, stability meant stagnation. Change is now the rule, no longer the exception. To thrive you will need a stable core, one that keeps surfacing like a cork in turbulent waters. One that calms you when the sky is falling. The stronger that core, the better you will tolerate risk, rebound from setbacks, maximize opportunities and thrive on the rapid pace of change.
When evaluating advice, recognize others are telling you what they would do in your situation. They will never be in your situation. Only you are. I wish you all the risks and rewards you can handle, young sir.
Nick87
Well-known member
Now you come along.... Just kidding I met my wife at a high school party, but there were plenty of bars in between 15 years later when we reconnected.
BuzzH
Well-known member
S&P 500 over the past 10 years has returned 14%/year averaged. Leaving 10% a year on the table is brutal in particluar when considering inflation.
CD's are not worth long term investment consideration until they reach 7-9%.
Your investing strategy is ass-backwards. There is little downside to assuming more risky positions early on. Time is really your biggest asset for early investing.
Your strategy would result in a very modest retirement even if coupled with a pension and SS.
I think your retirement investment "strategy" is going to lead to you asking someone if they need a cart or fries with that when you're "retired".
