Hey everyone,
I’m curious—what’s a tip, trick, or piece of advice that made a real difference in your life? It could be anything—a quote from a book, something you heard on a podcast, a YouTuber that changed your perspective, or even a life hack someone shared with you that stuck. Sometimes it’s the smallest thing that ends up making a big impact.
For me, I’d say focusing on tax efficiency and planning for early retirement (shoutout to the FIRE community!) really reshaped how I think about money and time. Also, some random YouTube rabbit holes have inspired new hobbies, new ways of cooking (pressure cooking has been a game-changer), and even how I approach learning a new language.
What’s yours? I’m open to anything—financial tips, wellness hacks, mindset shifts, whatever. Let’s hear it!
Start an IRA as soon as you can and do your best to max it out for the first ten years. Don’t lend money to family or friends. Either don’t or give it to them and stfu about it.
Read everything that interests you. Write. Keep notebooks for things that interest you. Review them with a high-liter once in a while.
Exercise— especially if you drink or smoke or eat garbage food. Even if it’s just walking
Buy a few toys and play with them. No need to get the newest best new thing for fifty years.
Get the earth under your feet when you feel stressed out .
If you have a choice between two jobs and one is a union job, pick that one.
Buy a house close to where you work. Sleep on the best mattress you can afford.
Don’t chase happiness. Living life is the Coke: happiness is the burp.
Just a ballpark figure……how much is does it cost to open your own school? Or if anyone has some realistic numbers from someone who actually opened a school.
I did— years ago. Ran it for 15 years and sold it.
There are too many variables to say how much it’ll cost. You need to find a market and place and decide how you want to proceed, with a chain school or your own design.
We did it ourselves in Yingge and it was cheap as housing was very cheap at the time.
Even the smallest places is gonna cost you 500-1,000,000 NT to get started— way more in a bigger city. Maybe more now. And you need to make it legal. That’ll cost you.
You can’t worry about what you might make ; you need to be concerned with how well you teach and manage and attract new students and get good staff.
I have always gone for the opposite, live as far away as you can comfortably commute.
Makes you think more about when you actually need to go in, and less likely to get called in at short notice. WFH sort of negates this as you can always be in work.
I could walk to our first school. Scoot to the second, and in NY, drive 15 minutes to my school. If you’re spending an hour just to travel to work every day, that sucks.
I used to take (depending on traffic/weather) up to 2h both ways enjoyed the ride/drive and when I was done Friday I was truly out of the grind till Monday.
Life hacks? I’m still trying to figure out everything, I will see when come into a quick money opportunity make sure to grab it with both hands instead of holding out for even better which may never happen.
‘Do whatever you want but don’t lie to me’ - high school law teacher (wonder if she’s still teaching)
Tread your own path - Barefoot Investor Scott Pape
Happiness can be found in the darkest of places - Albus Dumbledore
If people put as much effort into their finances as they do complaining, hating on others, and making excuses, they’d be rich - Dave Gow (a recent discovery)
But also just figuring out what is best for you and making decisions that are good for you. We can’t tell the future but we generally know what is good and bad for us
you will work like a dog but you will make money. Even now.
