Ownership Is The Only Way To Get Ahead
While you've been playing it safe with your paycheck, your friend who started investing 5 years ago doubled their money.
The stock market (measured by the S&P 500) has doubled since September 2020.
$10,000 invested 5 years ago is now $20,000.
Those with investments have seen their wealth increase thanks to rising asset prices.
Meanwhile, $10,000 sitting in a savings account today buys less than it did in 2020 due to inflation.
You might be making what you thought was a good income but somehow still living paycheck to paycheck.
Rent keeps going up, everything costs more, but your income barely increases.
That’s the game rigged against people who depend only on job income.
So what does this actually mean for you? It means the traditional financial advice many of our parents gave us is now a guaranteed way to fall behind.
Renting income vs Owning income
The real divide today isn’t between the rich and poor.
It’s between people who own income (through assets like stocks or businesses) and people who rent income (from a job).
The problem with rented income is simple:
It can be cut off overnight with a layoff.
It rarely keeps up with inflation.
You can only trade so many hours to make it.
That’s why so many people feel stuck living paycheck to paycheck even on “good” salaries.
Rent goes up, groceries go up, but your income doesn’t keep up.
When you own assets, you give yourself a raise.
You’re no longer 100% dependent on an employer.
Your money starts working for you and that’s how you build breathing room, stability, and eventually financial freedom.
The Illusion of Safety: Renting Income
When I was younger, I was given the standard safe advice: Go to college, get a safe job, save money, and everything would be fine.
Right after graduating college, I wasn’t sure what direction to go.
I got my real estate license the summer before but was still learning how that space worked.
And like most people in their early 20s, I had the pressure of student loans and bills waiting for me.
So I took a job at State Farm and it paid well for being fresh out of college.
But when I got there, I looked around and saw people in their 50s who had been there for decades and none of them looked remotely happy with what they were doing.
It was my first glimpse of what “playing it safe” forever really meant. I knew I didn’t want to end up like the people I saw stuck in the cubicle farm constantly complaining about work.
And in that moment, I realized that playing it safe doesn’t just cost you time. It costs you your energy, your drive, and your ability to even imagine a different future.
So after a month, I quit.
Luckily I had a real estate license, some cash saved up, and the confidence to bet on myself.
Worst case, I knew I could always find another “safe” job.
But I knew I’d regret not at least trying to pave my own path.
That cubicle farm taught me something crucial: “safe” income isn't safe at all.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying quit your job tomorrow.
But I am saying you need to stop betting your entire future on income you don't control.
Which brings me to the biggest lie people tell themselves about investing…
Investing Isn’t Only for Retirement
When most people hear about investing, they usually fall into one of three camps:
1. They think investing is only for rich people.
2. They think investing is a scam.
3. They think investing is only for retirement.
If you’ve followed The Market Hustle for any amount of time, you already know the truth about the first two.
So let’s focus on the third because it’s another limiting belief holding people back.
The truth? Investing isn’t just about stacking money for when you’re old.
It’s about building leverage today. Every dollar you invest buys you more financial breathing room by putting distance between you and desperation.
The more ownership you stack, the easier it is to walk away from a job you hate, take risks on work you actually enjoy, and escape the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.
The book Die With Zero by Bill Perkins captures this well with the idea of “time bucketing” or planning experiences in each stage of life while you’re healthy enough to enjoy them.
That could be hiking Mount Fuji in your 30s, traveling to Europe with young kids in your 40s, building a business in your 50s, or hosting a family trip in your 60s.
Investing isn’t just about enjoying life 30 years from now. It’s about giving yourself more options to enjoy life even five years from now.
It’s a lot easier to book that Europe trip in 2030 when you know you’ve got $100k invested compared to nothing.
Wealth is about living fully at every stage of life. And ownership is the only way to get there.
The Actionable Ownership Path
The good news is you don't need to become a Wall Street trader to benefit from the stock market.
You just need to start thinking like an owner instead of a renter.
I want to leave you with some actionable paths to build more ownership in your life.
To start, keep it simple:
Build your financial system. Create a money system that prioritizes stacking assets first. That way you’ll have more resources to live life more fully in every life stage (in your 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond).
Automate investing into index funds that hold all of the best stocks like FXAIX or VTI. Stocks = Ownership in businesses. Even $50/week gives you more leverage than $0/week. Ownership starts with consistent habits that take advantage of compound interest.
Build a side hustle or a skill you can monetize. Even a small freelance project or online business shifts part of your income from rented to owned. And when your bills are already covered by your main job, you can take risks and experiment without desperation. Platforms like YouTube, Udemy, and Skillshare make it easier than ever to learn new skills and create income streams you own.
Stay away from speculation, day trading, and gambling. This is not ownership and 99% of the time it backfires and makes you poorer. Real ownership is stacking quality assets that grow over time, not betting on quick wins and hoping for a massive payoff.
Create a bucket list of things you want to do in each life stage (such as a 3-month trip around the world in your 40s) and invest in experiences strategically.
Because at the end of the day, the point of ownership isn’t just more money, it’s more freedom and options to live more fully.
Freedom & Options is the Goal
When you own assets like quality stocks, you buy yourself the option to walk away from a job you hate, the leverage to bet on yourself, and the breathing room to actually live life how you want.
When you don’t, you stay at the control of employers, banks, and systems designed to keep you just comfortable enough not to question it.
That’s why ownership is the only real safety net.
And every year you wait, the gap between owners and non-owners gets wider.
If you’re ready to start owning income, Money Mastery was designed for you.
Inside the program, I’ll walk you step-by-step through building your financial system (from stacking assets to automating your investing strategy) so you can create more freedom without guessing or gambling.
New enrollment is currently closed but you can join the waitlist for Money Mastery here.
