This post is inspired by a friend's blog post, which you can find at http://bullythebear.blogspot.sg/2014/09/retirement-thoughts.html#.VAyDrFahgds I guess it is easy for us to calculate. Let's say we manage to save $4k a month for the next 30 years, that would net us $1.44 mil. Sounds good. But that's 30 years later. Then we read about news like Zopim being acquired for $37mil SGD, leaving their founders as multi-millionaires while below 30 years old. What's the difference? I have come to realise that starting our own businesses is among the best way to propel our wealth. But... the caveat is that lots of hard work is needed, much more than being just self-employed. Worst is, the hard work may not even pay off in the end. Of course, such probabilities could be improved with more knowledge and learning. And that is what I have been doing/studying ......