OP Update*

It's been fun looking back at this thread and reflecting on the progress over the last eight years. Hopefully it also serves as a reminder to the younger crowd that time is your greatest ally when it comes to investing.

During my years at LSU, I spent a lot of time browsing this forum, and many of the discussions here had a significant impact on how I approached investing and personal finance. For that, thank you all.

About 10 years ago, I set a goal of reaching a $1 million net worth by age 35. We accomplished that goal a few months ago. The next milestone is reaching $1 million in liquid assets by age 39.

Life Update

- 36 years old, married, and now have two boys.
- Still working in the offshore industry, but have moved into upper management. I bring home approximately $4,800 biweekly. Quarterly bonuses not included.
- My wife took a work-from-home position that allows her to spend more time with the kids and brings home roughly $2,000 biweekly.
- Started investing in rental construction equipment, which now generates about $3,000 per month. I plan to continue scaling this business.
- Current plan is to sell my small Hill Country property and reinvest the proceeds into the rental business. The long-term goal is to use that cash flow to purchase a 100-acre ranch by age 40.

Assets

$360k in 401(k)s
$200k in taxable brokerage accounts
$50k in cash and savings
$55k in 529 plans
$120k Hunting Property
$70k in Rental Equipment

Debt

$280k remaining on the same house
$30k in vehicle loans at 0%
No other debt

The biggest lesson for me has been that there was never a magic investment or a huge windfall—just consistent saving, regular investing, and giving compounding time to work

This post was edited on 6/22/26 at 6:53 am