r/fican • u/Dylantothefuture • Aug 13 '25
Hit $100k at 21 Years Old!
| (21M) started my investing journey in January 2022 at 18 years old. I would deposit whatever was left over of my paycheques after paying off my credit cards in full every two weeks. I kept doing that to this day, which lead me to accumulate over $100k in liquid assets.
I'm currently employed at a Fortune 500 retail company as a supervisor, making quite a lot of money compared to others my age. I truly started from the bottom with an entry level position, and worked my way up the ladder by chasing promotions (and working my ass off!)
I was in college for business management for a month before I left. I felt like everything I was learning was easily accessible online, and could be learned on my own time (and for free!) Because of this, left and never looked back.
I want my story to inspire fellow youngsters to pursue what they believe is right for them. It's okay to do what other people aren't. My one and only holding is an S&P 500 index fund.
No penny stocks, no crypto, no speculative assets. Just a single basic index fund.
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u/Last-Wolverine7265 Aug 13 '25
Congrats! What's the fund that youre invested in?
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 13 '25
ZSP. A basic S&P Index fund with a very low expense ratio (0.09%)
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Aug 13 '25 edited Aug 14 '25
Congrats.. the 1st 100k is always the hardest.
Edit: corrected the amount.
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Aug 13 '25
Can someone explain this app? I just joined this subreddit.
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 13 '25
Wealthsimple! An awesome platform to start your investment journey.
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Aug 13 '25
Oh shit I was actually planning on starting an account with them!!! Awesome!!!!
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Aug 15 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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Aug 15 '25
Yall im sorry but i made an account right after op told me what app it was so i cant use a code 😭
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Aug 13 '25
Is this also on ios? Can't find it
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 13 '25
I believe Wealthsimple is only available in Canada. The USA alternative is Robinhood.
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u/Fr0zenNorth Aug 13 '25
Feel free to shoot me a DM if you are interested in a promo code that gets us both $25 when you sign up. 👍
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Aug 13 '25
great job man, but make sure to continue to work at your career or your peers will surpass you quickly in 5-10 years if you coast in retail.
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u/alowester Aug 13 '25
who fucking cares about your peers, this guy is doing just fine. focus on your own shit, it’s good to get promotions but this guy does not need any help.
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Aug 14 '25
When you go to buy a house, do you say "who cares what the comparable cost?. I want to pay this much". What about cars?
Benchmarks help in life. Hes doing ok. Really depends on what he does with that money going forward.
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 13 '25
Im always hungry for a promotion 😂
But yes, quite a few of my peers have gotten too comfortable with their positions and no longer have any desire to move up.
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u/crazygrog89 Aug 14 '25
Well done as this is an incredible achievement in that age! Not sure how it works in your industry but maybe it’s worth starting a part time degree at some point even if it’s a long distance one, as some roles need this in order to progress further in your career.
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u/__B_O_N_E_S__ Aug 13 '25
That's awsome! Im also 21 but with only half that. Im a roofer so my income obviously isn't crazy but im pretty proud of what ive accomplished. I've also made an update on my journey to FI you can view it on my profile.
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 13 '25
Thank you!
Believe me man, $50k at 21 is still amazing. Keep going, you’re killing it.
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u/__B_O_N_E_S__ Aug 14 '25
Thanks Man!
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u/adamotactico Aug 27 '25
Gentlemen , 50k at 21 is a crazy amount , I’m 23 myself and have 97.4K in the market , it’s a crazy feat to be able to do so and to see others our age party and wasting money is quite funny .
Our young years are for grinding , once we hit 30-35 we will be laughing our asses off .
Keep the good work going
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u/__B_O_N_E_S__ Aug 28 '25
Right! its crazy. I hope the grind pays off. I've tried to talk to others about investing and stuff but they always seem uninterested. My dad likes to say "Don't throw your pearls to swine".
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u/BetsLikeJagger Aug 13 '25
Just curious- where do you learn to invest (in terms of what to invest in and how much to put)? I know less than nothing when it comes to investing but would obviously love to (and need to) learn.
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 13 '25
The video that inspired me was from “Chris Invests” on YouTube (this one specifically) . I also played around with compound interest calculators ( this is one I use pretty regularly ) . You could find some really good stuff in r/Fire too.
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u/SmokeyBear1111 Aug 14 '25
How did you land F500 company at 21 that is insane wow
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 14 '25
Well jobs at F500 companies aren’t all what I’d consider to be impressive…
You could be a cashier at McDonald’s and you could consider yourself a F500 employee LOL
The reason I mentioned it was because I believe most F500 jobs to be secure, and they tend to have a lot of future career opportunities.
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u/Adept-Initiative-695 Aug 14 '25
Ngl I just joined this sub I’m 19 and this inspired me I’m in university right now but I wanna balance my funds for finance and start saving asap
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u/WhereIsGraeme Aug 14 '25
OP - you might want to open a FHSA and RRSP instead of keeping half your holdings in a non-registered account. Depending on your income level it may not make sense right away, but the FHSA is truly worth funding as early as possible.
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u/JustAHumbleMonk Aug 13 '25
This kid is my hero. Dude you need to keep this up. First $100k is thr hardest.
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u/muradinner Aug 14 '25
Was worried you went over your TFSA limit for a second there, then realized your birthday must be later this year and the math started mathing!
You should open FHSA + RRSP to maximize your tax benefits though instead of focusing on a non-registered when your TFSA is maxed. Congrats on doing so well so young!
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 14 '25
Great catch! My birthday is in fact later this year haha
And yes, I recommend the same accounts to my friends when they ask which to put their money in. Personally, I like the idea of having the freedom of being able to withdraw from my accounts without any major tax penalty & losing contribution room (from my non-registered account). I do actually in fact have an RRSP set up with my employer, and they match my contributions which is very nice.
Thank you nonetheless!
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u/TwoBluesTwoBlues Aug 14 '25
Curious to know your rationale on not having an RRSP or FSHA? Congrats on the milestone btw!
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 14 '25
I mentioned it in another comment but I’ll go ahead and just copy paste what I wrote lol
I recommend RRSPs and FHSAs to my friends when they ask which to put their money in. But personally, I like the idea of having the freedom of being able to withdraw from my accounts without any major tax penalty & losing contribution room (from my non-registered account). I do actually in fact have an RRSP set up with my employer, and they match my contributions which is very nice.
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u/TwoBluesTwoBlues Aug 14 '25
Makes sense, I feel the same sometimes about the contribution room lol.
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u/Adorable-Research-55 Sep 05 '25
You are being taxed on your non-registered accounts though. If you don't have specific plans for your mo ey RRSP and FHSA are going to boost your tax return and help you out long run
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u/morericeplsty Aug 14 '25
Goddamn bro, I didn't hit that until 28. Keep going and you'll retire in your 30s. But also enjoy your youth!
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u/tinyrick2023 Aug 14 '25
Do you have a set amount that you now stick to investing or is it still just what you have left? Cheers for sharing and congratulations!!
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 14 '25
Thanks!
When I started (working part-time) , I was doing exactly $500 every paycheque. As my income increased, I slowly added more and more to that number until I was eventually able to do $1000+ a paycheque (left over money after paying off my credit cards in full.)
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u/Calm-Preference3840 Aug 13 '25
You did 35% thats all
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 13 '25
Yep. A modest return on investment and consistent savings is how I did this lol
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u/Snahhhgurrrr Aug 13 '25
He has no clue what he's talking about. 35% in 3 years is very good. Except I'm confused how you got 35%, s&p 500 has returned almost 45% since jan 2022.
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Aug 13 '25
It’s not 35% on an initial investment of 65,000 — it’s showing that the account grew by 35%, but he’s putting in a little bit every 2 weeks.
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u/Snahhhgurrrr Aug 13 '25
yeah no i totally missed that. Lol brain is not in finance mode rn.
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Aug 13 '25
Anyway - Congratulations and keep on saving and contributing !!
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Aug 13 '25
As an aside, the brokerage account tracking models all do a poor job of reflecting comparable return information on different investments. If they took some time to think about it, they could provide better dashboard tools that help you look at annualized return comparisons on different investments during different periods so that you can better evaluate your investment strategies. As it is now, I have to pull information and do these analyses myself to accurately compare investments.
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u/Snahhhgurrrr Aug 13 '25
I don't even bother, lol. I'm sure at some point I'll want to start doing deep dives into it. But for now I'm just rolling with whatever ws tells me. Thanks for the advice/heads up though.
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 13 '25
Well at the time it was REALLY taking off, I didn’t have a lot invested. Though, I was still able to get quite a good return after I was able to build up a significant amount of money.
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u/Snahhhgurrrr Aug 13 '25
Ohhh right no i can't believe I didn't think of that lmaooo. My bad yeah though getting even 35% over 3 years is the DREAM. Good stuff man hopefully I'm on the same track.
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u/human_12345 Aug 13 '25
Amazing. This made my day. I hope you go on to do bigger and better things!
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u/Bouncing_Frog Aug 14 '25
HOW?
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u/oxblood87 Dec 04 '25
$70,000 dollars left over after expenses between the age of 18 and 21.
Thats ~$25,000 EXTRA after tax dollars.
Very impressive for someone that young to have that much income, and discipline to save it, but its not realistic for the average person to be making close to six figure before the age of 30.
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u/hppy11 Feb 17 '26
Younger people have a lot more advantages for sure. Living with their family for example allow them to invest a lot more
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Aug 14 '25
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 14 '25
Luckily, my workplace has a very high preference for actual work experience rather than academic credentials.
Although I may have less formal education than others, my vast work experience and network within the company holds more weight.
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u/OverTheTop12 Aug 16 '25
You mention your vast work experience, so I'm really curious what kind of experience you were first able to manage to break into after dropping out of college? Was that the experience that carried over to your current workplace?
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 16 '25
Most of the experience I’ve had prior my currently workplace consists of basic retail experience. However, the experience gained at my current workplace is very significant.
Working in other departments, helping out at other locations, assisting with grand openings for new warehouses, teaching and coaching my employees, and just the habit of developing new skills and adapting to new environments quickly are just some examples of the type of experiences I’ve gained throughout these last few years.
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u/ConferenceAny6385 Aug 14 '25
How much did you invest in the S&P 500 for your first investment - I’m a new investor and don’t know how much is reasonable to invest in the fund and whether it’s a safe bet as my first investment. Any advice guys ?
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 14 '25
Initial investment was $1500, and I started off by putting in $500 every two weeks for about a year. As my income increased, I slowly added more to the amount I’d invest.
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u/DaKenzoKid Aug 15 '25
Respect brother !! People our age need to know that this is actually acheivable earlier in life I 100% agree
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u/Sufficient_Fault6122 Aug 15 '25
Great job, love to see it. You should divert some money from non registered into HFSA. Less tax
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u/WarningAcademic4755 Aug 16 '25
Did you buy it not matter what was happening in the market
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 16 '25
Yup. I bought what I could every two weeks, regardless of market movement.
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u/Suitable-Quarter-427 Aug 13 '25
I see all theses but no actual proof, makes no sense trying to be cool on Reddit,
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u/Adept-Initiative-695 Aug 14 '25
Brother you can just say congratulations it inspired me too I’m 19 and I just downloaded wealth simple lol I’m in sch rn but there’s nun wrong with having a plan it’s better to start now and gs to u brother 🙏🏾 proud
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u/Ammar_cheee Aug 13 '25
You are doing good however, you are so young take more risk. Good luck
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u/OwnRelationship2446 Aug 14 '25
Whats the name of the app? All using i want to start and i havé money to invest
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u/Affectionate_Carry94 Aug 14 '25
Did you diversify or just invested in ZSP?
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 14 '25
Just ZSP. I’d argue that it’s pretty diversified despite being a single index fund. Although, I only have exposure to the US market.
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u/HersheyHimhe Aug 16 '25
Just wondering did you have any support from parents? In terms of rent or any other help
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 16 '25 edited 19d ago
Yes. Luckily, I still live with my parents and they don’t charge me rent. My car’s insurance is also paid for.
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u/SpreeOfLove Aug 16 '25
You’re smart now dont do the following stupid: don’t get a girlfriend who don’t make money on her own, don’t buy a brand new car and don’t get a house you can’t afford and I forgot don’t get into real estate before you worth 10M it’s not worth jt
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u/Turbulent-Apple2911 Aug 16 '25
Hey, I'm kind of new to this whole thing. Does anybody want to give me a brief clip notes version of what this investment is and how to properly invest or beginner friendly steps?
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u/oxblood87 Dec 04 '25
It's Cliff's Notes, a product that did bried plotpoint publications of novels etc.
There are plenty of links on the sidebar/"more info" of the sub.
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u/oh_man_seriously Sep 09 '25
A supervisory role at 21, that’s impressive. I bet there a number of older people under you that are jealous.
At the rate you’re going you’re going to be a billionaire when you retire.
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Nov 03 '25
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u/Dylantothefuture Nov 04 '25
Nope, started with $1500 as an initial investment. Look at the graph lol
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Nov 04 '25
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u/Dylantothefuture Nov 04 '25
Not initially lol I put more money into investments every two weeks. Collectively, it added up to $70k. 70% of my first $100k was out of my own pocket, but I didn’t have $70k right from the beginning.
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u/SignificantBudget100 Nov 13 '25
Bros got a $100k acting like he’s retired mean while I got $2 million in assists and I feel like I’m broke and no retirement in site lol
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u/Effective_File6407 Nov 26 '25
What index funds should I look into right now? I’m a 19M and I just became profitable within my first month trading. I am hesitant about what index or ETF to get into. Many people say XEQT but with the looming impending doom I am worried. Right now I just hold 2 companies that I see have much room to grow (kraken and TMC with TMC being more short term) and meta. I have a total of 5k rn in my tfsa (1800 in cash though) and am looking for some advice
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u/powpowpow23345678 Mar 23 '26
Congrats bro. For me i just hit 14k combined on my tfsa, fhsa and rrsp
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u/ClearSkies_05 Apr 01 '26
You forgot to add the part where your parents gave you $80,000, how you still live at home with no expenses, and how they bought you a car too.
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u/Right_Masterpiece519 Aug 17 '26
You way ahead of the game lol, many grown adults over 30 or 40 yo don't even have the much
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u/OldPassenger8615 Aug 16 '25
Cap u are not 21 if u are it is definitely daddy’s money.
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u/Dylantothefuture Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
I’m not going to pretend like my parents didn’t play a role in helping me get to where I am lol. I was never charged for rent despite living with them, and my car’s insurance is paid for.
I was never given any actual money from my parents, but they’ve certainly helped me out by other means.
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u/Connect_Patient2389 Aug 13 '25
22 year old me wished i did that when i was 18