What I wish someone had told me when I started building wealth.
Wealth isn’t built in a moment—it’s crafted slowly, layer by layer. With every decision, misstep, and breakthrough, I’ve picked up principles that have shaped how I invest, think, and live. These aren’t just theories—they’re tried-and-true lessons from the trenches of personal finance, entrepreneurship, and long-term investing.
Here are the 11 principles that continue to guide me—and that I hope can support your own journey, too.
1. Don’t Rely on One Income Stream
Depending solely on your salary is one of the biggest financial risks you can take. The moment you lose that job, your cash flow vanishes. Multiple income streams—dividends, rental income, interest, business profits—give you resilience and freedom.
Tip: Your portfolio shouldn’t just grow; it should pay you.
2. Stop Selling Your Time
Time is your most limited asset. Instead of trading hours for income, look for ways to earn passively. Investments, automation, and scalable systems (like digital products or businesses) allow you to earn even while you sleep.
“If you’re not making money in your sleep, you’ll work until you die.” — Warren Buffett
3. Risk Is Real (and It’s Not Just Market Volatility)
True risk isn’t about a stock price dipping—it’s about permanent capital loss. Great investors aren’t adrenaline junkies chasing high returns; they’re calm navigators who avoid catastrophic mistakes.
Manage: Diversify. Avoid overleveraging. Focus on quality.
4. Stay in the Game
You don’t need to time the market perfectly. What matters is staying in long enough to benefit from compound returns. Selling in panic is the real danger.
Those who held through the 2008 crash saw their wealth double and triple in the decade that followed.
5. Cash Flow Is King
Growth is great. But cash flow pays the bills.
A portfolio that produces regular income (dividends, interest, rent) gives you flexibility—whether it’s reinvesting, weathering downturns, or simply covering your lifestyle.
6. Patience Pays
Too many people judge investments too early. Bonds need time. Startups need years. Even great stock picks take time to mature.
Give your investments time to do what they were designed to do.
7. Track Everything
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. A clear view of your finances—your net worth, asset mix, risk levels—lets you make smarter decisions.
Also, if something happens to you, your family should know where your money is. This is love in spreadsheet form.
8. Don’t Compare Apples to Oranges
Stop comparing your portfolio to someone else’s. They might be playing a completely different game with different goals and risk tolerance.
Compare yourself… to your past self.
9. Wealth Is a Team Sport
No one builds lasting wealth alone. You’ll need a good accountant, a smart lawyer, maybe a mentor or mastermind group. And let’s not forget a supportive partner or family.
Surround yourself with people who sharpen you.
10. Define “Enough”
Wealth without purpose is just numbers. Define what “enough” looks like for you. Maybe it’s €100K a year in passive income. Maybe it’s freedom to take Fridays off.
Happiness isn’t about having more—it’s about knowing when you have enough.
11. Your Real Wealth Is People
At the end of the day, wealth isn’t just about portfolios and profits. It’s about your relationships. Family. Friends. Community.
Money is a tool. Use it to create a life worth living—not just a balance sheet worth bragging about.
Final Thoughts
These principles weren’t just learned—they were earned. Through mistakes, wins, long nights, and quiet Sunday reflections.
If even one of these resonates with you, take it. Make it yours. And keep building the kind of wealth that lasts—financially and emotionally.
