When I was 23, right after college, I went all in on real estate wholesaling.
Influencers were flashing numbers like $30k, $40k, even $50k a month. I thought, this is my ticket.
So I poured close to $30,000 into mailers, call systems, and everything the gurus said I needed.
And it flopped. Completely. Not one deal.
That was my financial version of a mistake I also made running a half marathon: starting too fast, too soon. In the first few miles, it feels like you’re flying. But by mile 10, you’ve got nothing left, and you end up worse off than if you’d just paced yourself.
Fast Money vs. Slow Money
The truth is, building wealth requires both.
Fast Money = things that can change your trajectory quickly.
Starting a business
Landing a promotion or switching careers
Taking advantage of unique opportunities
Slow Money = the foundation that compounds quietly.
Cash-flowing real estate
Index funds (and dividends)
Bitcoin (as long-term conviction, not speculation)
My wholesaling flop taught me something critical: I was chasing fast money without a foundation. Thankfully, I was also stacking slow money behind the scenes with index funds, house hacking, and saving aggressively.
Fast forward to today:
I’ve invested over $200k in index funds
I own multiple pieces of real estate
I hold a nice stack of crypto
And I still go after fast wins — you see it. This newsletter. My YouTube channel. My coaching business. House hacking was one of my best “fast” wins.
But here’s the key: all of those feed into the foundation.
The Danger of Extremes
Only slow money → you miss the chances to accelerate freedom while you’re young.
Only fast money → the risks that feel fine in your 20s and 30s will haunt you in your 40s and 50s.
Wealth is about pacing. Sprint when it makes sense, but always have the endurance base underneath you.
Takeaway
The finish line isn’t about who starts the fastest. It’s about who has the structure to finish strong.
Fast money creates leaps. Slow money builds endurance. Together, they’re the only way to actually cross the finish line of financial freedom.