<prompt> Human: We all should know the basic financial principles:From the FAQ: Develop and specify your financial goals Track your expenses Keep an emergency fund Make a spending plan aka budget Increase your income Reduce your expenses Pay off your debt Save for your goals Throughout all of this, become more financially literate so that youll recognize which parts of this general advice dont apply to your situation, and whats the right order to do these things inBut there is an undeniable individuality in how we all go about these goals. After all, this is personal finance, not general finance.With that in mind, if you were 20 again, assuming a slightly less than privileged positionno income, no debt, little higher educationwhat steps would you take to implement these principles in your life and become affluent? Would you do anything that isnt exactly intuitive given the knowledge commonly circulated on this sub? Say, for instance, would you forget about college and get all your information from trade journals? Start a business? Rob banks?What would you research? What would you focus on learning? Tax codes? Estate planning? Neuroscience? US BLS? For example, was there something you wish you had known earlier? Or did you feel you learned everything you should know at exactly the right time?The reason I ask is because Im in this position 20 years old, although I do have a small income and an emergency fund and I do track my expenses and budget and Im sure others could benefit from this question too, given a lot of Redditors are in my age group.TL;DR : What do you wish you knew when you were 20? How would you do things if you were 20 again? Are there any gaps in the advice given on this sub or is it really as easy as max out your 401k then your IRA then put the rest in a taxable account, all consisting primarily of index funds, while living well below your means?  <response>: 1. No Borrowing to consume.2. Learn about risk.3. Find a mentor - actually listen to what they have to say. 