April 13, 2025
You can graduate with honors and STILL have no clue how to build wealth.
Investing to build and protect wealth isn’t taught in college at all.
If that’s you, it’s probably not your fault.
Most colleges don’t emphasize personal financial education and it’s not a requirement to get your degree-
And so many students end up entering the workforce while unprepared to be financially successful.
It shouldn’t be like that!
I’d love to see personal finance taught every year to every student from first grade all the way through college.
I recently put together 15 investing tips based on my 22+ years of investing experience managing over a billion dollars professionally:
1. Behavior Trumps Market Timing
Market predictions come and go.
What matters is how you behave when things get rough.
A disciplined strategy beats gut decisions every time.
That means:
- Investing consistently, no matter what the headlines say
- Following a written plan (with your goals, timeline, and allocation)
- NOT chasing hype or panic-selling
2. Diversification Is Not Just For Stocks
True diversification means spreading across asset classes:
- Real estate
- Private businesses
- Alternative investments
Not just shuffling stocks around.
When markets crash, most stocks drop together, no matter the sector.
Holding assets that don’t move in sync with the stock market helps protect your portfolio and reduce volatility when things get ugly.
3. Cashflow Beats Speculation
High-risk bets might sound exciting, but predictable income builds sustainable freedom.
Focus on long-term value, not short-term hype.
Buying a well-located rental property that generates steady monthly cash flow and appreciates over time is long-term value.
Jumping into a meme stock because it’s trending on social media?
That’s short-term hype.
4. Risk Is Not a Number, It’s a Behavior
The biggest threat to your portfolio isn’t volatility.
It’s your reaction to it.
Build systems that remove emotion from the equation.
For example:
- Set automated rebalancing rules
- Schedule quarterly portfolio reviews
- Use a pre-written investment policy statement
- These guardrails keep you from making emotional, costly mistakes when markets drop
5. Understanding The Real Risk: Outliving Your Money
Longevity is a blessing.
But only if your money keeps up.
Inflation, healthcare, and lifestyle creep are real.
Plan accordingly:
- Build your plan to age 95 or beyond, not 75
- Include rising income sources like dividend growth stocks, rental increases, or investment annuities with inflation protection
- Set aside specific funds or strategies for healthcare and long-term care costs.
Want The Remaining 10 Tips?
I break down all 15 in THIS post.
To your financial freedom,
Chad
Disclaimer: This content is for information purposes only and does not constitute personal financial advice. Always consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions. We are not liable for any actions taken based on this content.
P.S. If you’re an entrepreneur with $25M or more in liquidity and want to make your money work even harder for you–set up a call with my team, and let’s explore new ways to make that happen.
