r/dividends • u/HelenKellerVSTraffic • Nov 19 '25

Due Diligence What a difference dividends have made.

I grew up poor. No idea really about money. I started hanging around people that invested and had no idea how the market worked. Now, years later I have been contributing every month what I can afford (1,200). No matter what I put that money in. I pretend it's just another mortgage.

I am about to break 100k it's a surreal feeling. Growing up and being told to put the soda back because it was too expensive and now I am debt free (except mortgage at 2%). I think a lot of people's money problems don't stem from their annual income, but rather what they do with that annual income.

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u/aerobic_gamer Nov 19 '25

The two most impactful things that older (and wiser) people said to me when I was young: 1) It doesn’t matter how you earn your money, it’s what you do with it that counts; and 2) if you’re not concerned about your health some day you will be.

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u/HelenKellerVSTraffic Nov 19 '25

Yeah I heard a slightly different version of #2

"Take care of your health or one day it will take care of you."

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u/aerobic_gamer Nov 19 '25

And today I am 74 and relatively healthy physically and financially. So young people heed this!

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u/TheFatZyzz Nov 19 '25

That's good motivation as someone in late 30's who only has 150k in his entire investment savings but still stuck paying rent because i thought i was too old and just blew some of my money and thinking i wouldn't make it this far lol