only advice I would give is to stay DEBT FREE, live within your means, treat your wife and family with love and respect, maintain your relationship with God, and don't talk back to cops during traffic stops.
Qtip= 1 Put your faith in Christ and believe in Him and His Word. An active faith.
2 Realize that you and no one else will ever be perfect.
3 Get used to pain and hard times because they are a'coming.
(Arthritis etc.)
4 Stay completely away from booze and cigs. (Cheap women too)
If you get confused go back to number 1.
Logger= This is not for the OP, but very related. It is what he can tell some one much younger than he is now.
"Young people can virtually assure that they and their families will avoid poverty if they follow three elementary ruled for success: 1) complete at least a high school educations; 2) work full time; and 3) wait until age 21 and get married before having a baby. People who followed all three of these rules had only a 2% chance of being in poverty and a 72% chance of joining the middle class (earning above $55,000 in 2010). If someone failed in all three of these, their chance of living in poverty was 77% and they only had a 4% chance of making it into poverty."
When you get paid, the first 10% goes to God. The next 15% goes into savings. Live below your means and if you can't pay cash you can't afford anything. Never ask, how much per month? If you have to ask that, you can't afford it. Buy a low mileage used car 2-3 years old and pay cash. Start saving for the next one. Don't buy the biggest house the bank says you can afford. When you buy a house put a minimum of 20% down and make sure your payment is not more than 25% of your net income. Pay it off as quickly as you can and start saving for the next house. Live in one, rent the other. Pay it off and buy another. Stay as liquid as possible to jump on good deals that will have a good return on them. Especially real estate.
I'm 70. Just wish I'd learned all this stuff about 40 years ago.
