Here's How I'd Become Financially Free If I Was 18 Again

Hindsight is really 20-20. Or, in this case, 20–21. Over the last 6 months, I’ve immersed myself in learning about financial independence, building your skills, and living a life without financial worry. I’ve started to make moves toward not only becoming financially literate but taking financial action.

At the same time, I can’t help but wonder why I did not know just ¼ of the things I know today. My mother was not financially literate, and my father was not around. She did what she could to keep us fed, alive, and safe, and I’m eternally grateful. However, she, too, was not provided with the information. Even at school, there were no lessons on managing money, paying bills, protecting your credit, and entrepreneurship.

We’re so lucky to have tools like YouTube at our disposal today, with many influencers teaching financial literacy. Yet, there are still millions of people around the world unaware and lacking access to this information. You should know how to create financial freedom from a child and when you go out at age 18, it’s up to you to get it done.

If I was 18 again, I’m sure I could be financially free in 10 years or less. It will probably be less since, at 35, I need to undo most of the damage I’ve done to my financial life in my 20s while building a new foundation.

So here are the steps I would take to become financially free. The conditions are:

• I have no money. I’ve just opened my very first bank account.
• I have no connections. I’m fresh out of high school, and I’m not college-educated.
• I have the knowledge I’ve learned over the last 12 months.

Let’s go:

Step 1: I’d take my same job I did at 18

I need to have some income coming in so I can use that to make more money. To do that, I’d take the same job I did at 18 in Customer Service. I worked part-time as a Call Center Rep from 18 to 20 until I was promoted to Supervisor. Taking that part-time job will keep me hungry and on my toes. I’d make sure the job provides Health Insurance benefits to minimize my costs.

I’d seriously reconsider taking on that leadership role. With that role, my time and efforts will be invested in building and developing people. When you take on more responsibility at your job, you end up forgetting your goals and dreams. I need to be focused on my goals (which I’ll write down and keep close), and for now, the job allows me to build up other income streams.

Step 2: I’d live with my parents and start building an emergency fund

So every month, like clockwork, I’d start building my emergency fund. Since I can’t trust myself to do it, I need to automate it. The account must be high-interest and easy to access for any emergencies. My emergency fund should be about 6 to 12 months of income, and I should be putting away at least 30% of my income. The goal is to get to 6 months as quickly as possible. Once I’m at 6, the savings go down to 10%, as the other 20% will go to two new vehicles.

Step 3: Create a will and a trust

I have full belief that I’ll be financially free and a million dollar net worth in 5 to 10 years. In the event of my passing, I need to have clear guidelines on where my assets will go and a trust with instructions for children or family members. I’ll ask for some extra hours at work to pay for the lawyers, paperwork, and so on.

Step 4: I’d set up Whole Life Insurance and A Brokerage Account.

With 10% of my income, I’d open a whole life insurance policy for several reasons:

• First, I’m 18, and this is the cheapest I’ll get high-quality life insurance.
• Second, life insurance buys me wealth. If I can afford a million-dollar policy, I’m technically a millionaire.
• Next, a whole life insurance policy gives me a higher return for my money than a bank account with some tax benefits, so I can build the habit of moving my cash.
• Finally, whole life insurance allows me to borrow against it in the future will little hassle. (which I intend to do later in the post.)

The other 10% goes into a Dividend stock that tracks the stock market like QQQ, VOO, or VTI. The US stock market generally performs well over time, and at 18, you got time. Wherever you are, there might be a way to open a brokerage account. If you’re in the US, this is easy as opening up a SoFi, WeBull, or Robinhood account.

Step 5: I’d get my first credit card and BE DISCIPLINED.

At age 20, I co-signed on a car loan with a family member who proceeded to fuck up my credit. I didn’t know the real ramifications of that, and I did not take it seriously myself. If there’s one massive lesson I’d teach my 18-year-old self is to protect your credit at all costs.

I’d get a credit card to funnel my living expenses into like food and utilities. Then I’d pay it off in full every month. At the same time, I’d make sure to rack up rewards that I can use in the future to pay bills or buy groceries. The cost savings can go right into stocks.

Sticking to steps 1-5 can have me set (in 20 years or so). But I want to crush it and eventually leave my job. I’m still trading time for money, which I cannot scale. So the work is just about to start.

Step 6: I’d start learning a high-income skill.

With the part time-job under control, I’d start learning a high-income skill in my off time. A high income-skill is a particular skill or talent that will provide you significant income each month. We’re talking $5000 to $10,000. In digital marketing, these still are often skills you can perform remotely, including:

• Sales
• Web Development/Coding
• Copywriting
• Digital Marketing
• Sales Funnel Building
• Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media Marketing

I’d choose one and start learning as much information as I can and possibly get certified. While I’m learning, I’ll document my journey using video and written content. During my journey, I’ll spend one hour a day honing my skill. This learning does not stop.

Step 7: Side Hustle #1: I’d share my ideas widely and monetize my content

I want to position myself as an expert in my High-Income skill of choice. So I’d document everything I learned on a platform that can pay me in return, like Medium, Vocal, YouTube, Skillshare, or a podcast. Sharing content serves several purposes:

• It helps me learn how to absorb information and present it clearly
• I can position myself with Content Marketing to freelance or consult.
• It keeps me accountable.

Admittedly, the money would be negligible in the first few months, but it would all go straight into my savings and investments.

Step 8: Surrounding myself with the right people

To get all this done, I’d need to keep my head down. The only way to do this is to surround me with mentors and like-minded people who can point out my blind spots, expose me to bigger opportunities, and keep me accountable. I’ll also need to distance myself from people (friends, coworkers, family) discouraging my progress, bringing negative energy, trying to borrow money, or leverage my time without providing value in return. The wrong people in your corner could undo all of your hard work.

I’ll find like-minded people through social media, paying for masterminds, or coaching courses. I’ll use some of my content money or work a few extra hours to build up the capital to get this done. My goal would be to use my high-income skills to help people when possible and build meaningful relationships.

Step 9: Side Hustle #2: Help other people execute their ideas

Using my high-income skill, I’ll reach out to others and use my network in my spare time to find freelance and consulting gigs. I’d create a Limited Liability Company and business bank account to benefit from any tax breaks in my respective country. The content revenue moves through here as well.

Now, I’ll be able to 10X my hourly rate since I’ll connect with high-value clients. All the money made here goes right into the growing this business, dividends, and savings. In 1-2 years of consistent work, I’ll be able to leave my part time job and focus entirely on creating content and serving others through my high-income skill. I can pay myself a salary after taxes and savings, using the

Step 10: Become an idea machine

Entrepreneur, writer, podcaster, and comedian James Altucher encourages everyone to write ten ideas a day. Exercising your creative muscle helps you develop fantastic ideas to reach out to people, create new businesses, craft content ideas, and improve your lives. You’ll often come up with several duds, but one or two unique ideas can 10X your results. Every day, I’d write ten ideas surrounding my health, business, network, and content.

Step 11: I would avoid lifestyle creep.

At this point, I should be making at least 2X my initial part-time salary. Lifestyle creep can set in. I’ll be able to afford my own apartment, nicer clothes, or more expensive dinners. It’s natural. You’ll want to reward yourself for the hard work you’ve done so far. The goal is to find the right balance. I can invest in a place away from home, food, and exercise that will keep me healthy. I don’t need to purchase a large home, cars, clothes, or eat out right now.

Step 12: Diversify some more with a multi-unit property

With more revenue coming in (over the next year or two), a strong network, and high-income clients, I can start buying back my time. It will be time for me to purchase my first real estate investment. I’d look for something like at least three doors (aka apartments or tri-plex space). I’d live in one and rent out the others, while looking for another multi-family home to purchase. My investments would look like:

• Real estate
• Divdent stocks
• Crypto
• Insurance
• Pension funds

These should start brining in returns, allowing me to live a lifestyle where I have more control over my time.

Step 13: Look for opportunities like a 'Shark Tank' shark

A few years later, it will all be about opportunity. I’ll look for businesses I can buy or get a stake in to multiply my income. With my whole life insurance, I can borrow the money I need from my policy to make a move if the opportunity arises. Since you can’t tax debt, I can still have my assets working for me while using leverage to make a purchase. Patience is necessary here. I’d be looking for 1-2 good deals a year.

Step 14: Keep scaling my investments and live a little

The goal would be to keep a steady lifestyle and pour additional income into assets. I’d also leverage debt (if needed) to jump into can’t miss opportunities. Those assets should be able to cover my lifestyle. At this point, I’ll use my assets to get my own home (if I want), car, travel, and other luxury items. I can also start giving back to others. Over these years, I’ll stick to my core principles of learning, creating ideas, networking, and investing.

Follow the blueprint

At 18, we have time and energy, but few of us have the knowledge. You can use this template at any age, but you’ll have less time to recover from failures or risks that go south. Is it easy? Absolutely not. But with consistency, you’ll be much closer to financial freedom than ever before. If you have kids or younger people in your circle, start teaching them the fundamentals today. Break the cycle.