Turning 19 as a man this year. What advice do y’all have for me?
Overall advices, dating advices, single or being in a relationship, financial advice, etc, etc.
14 thoughts on “Turning 19 as a man this year. What advice do y’all have for me?”
Focus on the money and making lots of it don’t chase women they will chase you in time. Have a spiritual framework and life purpose. Everything falls into place and be patient brother 🙏 never ever believe anything on social media or highlight reels some did a lot of evil and immoral things to get there . That’s not your path.
The peace of mind of not having to look over your shoulder is absolutely invaluable something I cherish after seeing so many fall.
Focus on a path and a direction, while staying open to unexpected opportunities.
Also, Tolstoy said in one of his books that “every happy family is alike, while every unhappy family is unhappy in its own particular way.”
This also goes for people: the sanest ones find each other early, pair off etc. if you wait until you’re 35 to look for SO, you will have your choice of …
You can’t force this, you have decades and decades of time, so don’t rush it, but also don’t overlook it — the choice of partner will be the single most important decision in your life (if you choose right, if you are both lucky, etc, etc) and it should not be relegated to second-place status.
Do not think of yourself as a man. You are barely out of adolescence, you still have a loooong way to go brother. Be humble. Talk little, listen much. Learn from others’ mistakes. Treat every woman, and every person with respect and kindness. And don’t spend your money on a dumb car ffs. Your first real paycheck will feel like a million bucks but it’s not. Go slow. And learn to cook for yourself.
It is an investment account where you pay no tax on the capital gains made, provided you’ve waited long enough. If you plan on investing anything, you should absolutely be putting money into this before touching anything else. It also reduces your tax liability, but that’s probably not important at your age since you’re most likely still a dependent.
It’s a type of account that allows you to invest your money tax free for retirement.
It’s very powerful. Especially the younger you are.
Learn about investing and compound interest. And no, it’s not crypto or options. 🙂
for 2026 you can max out a Roth IRA for $7500. every year the maximum grows, but just assuming you put $7500 into a Roth IRA every year from now until 65 and invest in the S&P500, you will have **$2.3m**. In today’s dollars. Since it’s in a Roth IRA, it would also be 100% tax-free
(29M) Honestly just enjoy yourself a bit and discover new things. You are young. Your brain won’t be developed fully for some time. As others have said you can get a head start financially. But really don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Everything might feel important now, and every mistake like the end of the world, but really you are still a kid and won’t have everything figured out yet. Try new things, and find new experiences. Figure out what you like, who you are, and who you want to be.
Your a man at around 30. You think you are one from about 15.
Buy Bitcoin. Dont say yes when someone offers you that first line of coke. Dont waste years or money getting educated, that shit probably wont matter in a decade anyway. Figure out a buisness thats relevant today. Get into sales.
You’re 19, we can still smell the Enfamil on your breath.
Dating: You aren’t going to marry this one, or the next one, or the one after that. Treat people with respect, but be realistic. If someone dumps you, let them go. If you aren’t happy with someone, don’t hold onto them because you think being with someone who makes you miserable is better than being alone. Trust me, being alone is WAY better.
No matter if you’re single or in a relationship, you need to keep working on improving yourself at all times. At 19, you need to get an education, whether that’s college or vocational training – as a man, you need a career and an income. The world expects you to be a protector and a provider – the easiest way to get ahead on both fronts is to become and stay financially and professionally viable. You also have more testosterone coursing through your veins now than you know what to do with, so improving yourself by getting into the gym and getting an absolutely killer body is going to be easier now than it will be at any point in the future.
Financially, pay yourself first. Know what your monthly burn is, and don’t just vibe that shit – write down a budget so that you know how much money is going in and coming out. Start an emergency fund and contribute to it until you have three to six months of expenses saved in a liquid account (money market / high-yield savings account). Don’t borrow money for frivolous stuff – if you can’t afford something with cash, you can’t afford it with Klarna. Drive used cars and maintain them well. Getting ten plus years out of a car should be the norm. If you’re in school, figure out how to graduate with minimal student debt – there is nothing wrong with community college / living at home / etc. if it means you graduate without an extra rent-sized payment in your monthly budget.
Once you are educated up and earning real money, delayed gratification is your friend. You will see a lot of people telling you that trading options or sports betting or predictions markets or crypto or some other bullshit will make you wealthy fast. Those people are trying to sell you something. You should save with the long term in mind, making regular, diversified investments. For most people that is going to look like regular purchases of index funds or ETFs. Picking single stocks is something you don’t have time to do unless you do it for a living. Don’t put more than 5% of your net worth in crypto. There is a not insignificant chance that people wake up and smell the tulips and the whole goddamn industry goes to zero.
USA specific advice: if your employer offers a tax advantaged retirement plan, take advantage of it. Try to minimize the fees you pay within a 401K or other workplace savings account – look for index funds tied to the S&P 500. Open and fund a Roth IRA, and if possible, make a 2025 contribution before April 15. Same as your employer accounts, you want to minimize fees. Don’t use a “financial advisor”, just go to Fidelity and buy index ETFs: VOO and VTI are great options. At 19, you want your retirement savings fully invested in equities, when you get to 40 and beyond, you can start looking at mixing in bonds and dividend paying stocks to establish an income portfolio. Right now, it’s growth, growth, growth.
Finally: Do not commingle your finances with someone you aren’t married to, and don’t get married to someone you wouldn’t commingle your finances with. The idea that love conquerors all is something that divorce attorneys came up with so that they’d have a never-ending flow of new business. If your values aren’t aligned with someone else’s, it doesn’t matter how attracted you are to them, that mismatch will eventually wreck your relationship. Talk openly and honestly with your serious girlfriends about money. If they aren’t equally open and honest, that’s a dealbreaker. Not a red flag, a deal breaker. When you are committed to someone enough to marry them, then that’s when “my money” and “your money” become “our money” – you had better make sure that you can trust your partner before that happens.
Congrats on turning 19, OP. Hopefully, you aren’t one of those douchebags that peaked in high school. Go take on the world!
Focus on the money and making lots of it don’t chase women they will chase you in time. Have a spiritual framework and life purpose. Everything falls into place and be patient brother 🙏 never ever believe anything on social media or highlight reels some did a lot of evil and immoral things to get there . That’s not your path.
The peace of mind of not having to look over your shoulder is absolutely invaluable something I cherish after seeing so many fall.
Don’t focus on money (:-)
Focus on a path and a direction, while staying open to unexpected opportunities.
Also, Tolstoy said in one of his books that “every happy family is alike, while every unhappy family is unhappy in its own particular way.”
This also goes for people: the sanest ones find each other early, pair off etc. if you wait until you’re 35 to look for SO, you will have your choice of …
You can’t force this, you have decades and decades of time, so don’t rush it, but also don’t overlook it — the choice of partner will be the single most important decision in your life (if you choose right, if you are both lucky, etc, etc) and it should not be relegated to second-place status.
Do not think of yourself as a man. You are barely out of adolescence, you still have a loooong way to go brother. Be humble. Talk little, listen much. Learn from others’ mistakes. Treat every woman, and every person with respect and kindness. And don’t spend your money on a dumb car ffs. Your first real paycheck will feel like a million bucks but it’s not. Go slow. And learn to cook for yourself.
Be financially wise. Learn personal finance. Earn money. Dating life will be sorted if you have money
Start saving money now. Open a Roth IRA and max your contributions to it.
What’s a Roth IRA
It is an investment account where you pay no tax on the capital gains made, provided you’ve waited long enough. If you plan on investing anything, you should absolutely be putting money into this before touching anything else. It also reduces your tax liability, but that’s probably not important at your age since you’re most likely still a dependent.
It’s a type of account that allows you to invest your money tax free for retirement.
It’s very powerful. Especially the younger you are.
Learn about investing and compound interest. And no, it’s not crypto or options. 🙂
for 2026 you can max out a Roth IRA for $7500. every year the maximum grows, but just assuming you put $7500 into a Roth IRA every year from now until 65 and invest in the S&P500, you will have **$2.3m**. In today’s dollars. Since it’s in a Roth IRA, it would also be 100% tax-free
[https://www.calculator.net/investment-calculator.html?ctype=endamount&ctargetamountv=1%2C000%2C000&cstartingprinciplev=0&cyearsv=46&cinterestratev=7&ccompound=annually&ccontributeamountv=7%2C500&cadditionat1=end&ciadditionat1=annually&printit=0&x=Calculate#calresult](https://www.calculator.net/investment-calculator.html?ctype=endamount&ctargetamountv=1%2C000%2C000&cstartingprinciplev=0&cyearsv=46&cinterestratev=7&ccompound=annually&ccontributeamountv=7%2C500&cadditionat1=end&ciadditionat1=annually&printit=0&x=Calculate#calresult)
You need to have an official W-2 job/income in order to contribute to a Roth IRA.
r/personalfinance, r/Bogleheads, r/Fire might be subreddits to get into.
avoid booze and drugs
Make sure ya saving money, start building a fitness routine, and have fun
Graduated from school is not the end of learning, it is just the beginning of learning on your own. Always humble down and learn with an open mind.
(29M) Honestly just enjoy yourself a bit and discover new things. You are young. Your brain won’t be developed fully for some time. As others have said you can get a head start financially. But really don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Everything might feel important now, and every mistake like the end of the world, but really you are still a kid and won’t have everything figured out yet. Try new things, and find new experiences. Figure out what you like, who you are, and who you want to be.
Your a man at around 30. You think you are one from about 15.
Buy Bitcoin. Dont say yes when someone offers you that first line of coke. Dont waste years or money getting educated, that shit probably wont matter in a decade anyway. Figure out a buisness thats relevant today. Get into sales.
You’re 19, we can still smell the Enfamil on your breath.
Dating: You aren’t going to marry this one, or the next one, or the one after that. Treat people with respect, but be realistic. If someone dumps you, let them go. If you aren’t happy with someone, don’t hold onto them because you think being with someone who makes you miserable is better than being alone. Trust me, being alone is WAY better.
No matter if you’re single or in a relationship, you need to keep working on improving yourself at all times. At 19, you need to get an education, whether that’s college or vocational training – as a man, you need a career and an income. The world expects you to be a protector and a provider – the easiest way to get ahead on both fronts is to become and stay financially and professionally viable. You also have more testosterone coursing through your veins now than you know what to do with, so improving yourself by getting into the gym and getting an absolutely killer body is going to be easier now than it will be at any point in the future.
Financially, pay yourself first. Know what your monthly burn is, and don’t just vibe that shit – write down a budget so that you know how much money is going in and coming out. Start an emergency fund and contribute to it until you have three to six months of expenses saved in a liquid account (money market / high-yield savings account). Don’t borrow money for frivolous stuff – if you can’t afford something with cash, you can’t afford it with Klarna. Drive used cars and maintain them well. Getting ten plus years out of a car should be the norm. If you’re in school, figure out how to graduate with minimal student debt – there is nothing wrong with community college / living at home / etc. if it means you graduate without an extra rent-sized payment in your monthly budget.
Once you are educated up and earning real money, delayed gratification is your friend. You will see a lot of people telling you that trading options or sports betting or predictions markets or crypto or some other bullshit will make you wealthy fast. Those people are trying to sell you something. You should save with the long term in mind, making regular, diversified investments. For most people that is going to look like regular purchases of index funds or ETFs. Picking single stocks is something you don’t have time to do unless you do it for a living. Don’t put more than 5% of your net worth in crypto. There is a not insignificant chance that people wake up and smell the tulips and the whole goddamn industry goes to zero.
USA specific advice: if your employer offers a tax advantaged retirement plan, take advantage of it. Try to minimize the fees you pay within a 401K or other workplace savings account – look for index funds tied to the S&P 500. Open and fund a Roth IRA, and if possible, make a 2025 contribution before April 15. Same as your employer accounts, you want to minimize fees. Don’t use a “financial advisor”, just go to Fidelity and buy index ETFs: VOO and VTI are great options. At 19, you want your retirement savings fully invested in equities, when you get to 40 and beyond, you can start looking at mixing in bonds and dividend paying stocks to establish an income portfolio. Right now, it’s growth, growth, growth.
Finally: Do not commingle your finances with someone you aren’t married to, and don’t get married to someone you wouldn’t commingle your finances with. The idea that love conquerors all is something that divorce attorneys came up with so that they’d have a never-ending flow of new business. If your values aren’t aligned with someone else’s, it doesn’t matter how attracted you are to them, that mismatch will eventually wreck your relationship. Talk openly and honestly with your serious girlfriends about money. If they aren’t equally open and honest, that’s a dealbreaker. Not a red flag, a deal breaker. When you are committed to someone enough to marry them, then that’s when “my money” and “your money” become “our money” – you had better make sure that you can trust your partner before that happens.
Congrats on turning 19, OP. Hopefully, you aren’t one of those douchebags that peaked in high school. Go take on the world!