On a recent flight, I sat next to an elderly man who is on his way to a 4-month vacation in Thailand. He told me that all his relatives have died, he has no kids, no wives, no debt, no attachments, only money and time to spend. We had a good talk about life.

During the flight, he gave me three advices that he said are very important for young people:

  1. Never chase after money. Do something joyful to you. Ask yourself “What is one thing that I can’t wait to do every time I wake up in the morning?” Do that thing that you find joy in, and money will come. People will pay you to have fun.
  2. Only marry someone who is synergistic with you. You two should think in the same way on matters in life. Think of two burning sticks. If you put them together, they burn more brightly as each of them alone. With synergy, you will achieve great things in life.
  3. With your income, always pay yourself first. Consider yourself a bill to pay every month. Put 50% of your income to yourself. Saving, SPY stock, anything. Time will help you. Compound interest will do the magic. Don’t go into debt, learn to delay gratification.

I think I like his advices.