Wealth up vs get rich quick has been this nagging debate in my head for years, seriously. Like, here I am on December 31, 2025, sitting in my cramped apartment in Chicago—wind howling outside, leftover takeout smell lingering from last night’s “celebration”—and I’m finally admitting that chasing get rich quick almost wrecked me more than once.
Anyway, let me back up. Growing up in the Midwest, money was always tight. I remember as a kid hoarding allowance in this little metal bank, counting quarters like they were gold. Felt powerful, you know? But then adulthood hit, and I got sucked into the get rich quick vortex hard.
My Biggest Get Rich Quick Flops (And Why Wealth Up Feels So Different)
First big mistake? Crypto in 2021. Everyone was yelling “to the moon!” on Reddit, so I dumped my entire emergency fund—literally $8k I’d scraped together from side gigs—into some random altcoin because a YouTuber swore it’d 100x. Woke up one morning to it crashing 90%. I sat there staring at my phone, heart pounding, coffee going cold. Felt like such an idiot. That was pure get rich quick energy: flashy, urgent, no real plan.
Then there was the dropshipping phase. Bought a course for $997 (on credit, duh), set up a Shopify store selling weird phone gadgets. Made like $200 profit after months of ads, then Amazon knocked off my product and poof. Gone. Meanwhile, my buddy who just quietly maxed his 401(k) every year? He’s chilling with a house down payment now.
Wealth up, though—that slow, boring grind—it’s what actually stuck for me.
How I’m Finally Doing Wealth Up (My Flawed But Working Approach)
Started small, like embarrassingly small. After the crypto crash, I read “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham—took me forever, highlighting pages while eating ramen. Key takeaway? Compound interest is magic, but only if you don’t interrupt it with dumb moves.
Now? I automate everything:
- Max Roth IRA with low-cost index funds (Vanguard all the way—check their site here: https://investor.vanguard.com/investing/how-to-invest/impact-of-compounding)
- Side hustle money goes straight to high-yield savings, then investments.
- No more lottery tickets or meme stocks. (Okay, I lied—one $5 scratch-off last month, but that’s my “fun budget.”)
It’s not sexy. Some months the market dips and I panic-text my group chat. But over five years? My net worth has quietly doubled without me feeling like I’m gambling my life away.
Why Get Rich Quick Schemes Keep Sucking Us In (My Unfiltered Rant)
They’re designed that way, dude. Shiny ads, success stories (cherry-picked), FOMO everywhere. I fell for multi-level marketing too—tried selling essential oils in 2019. Recruited two friends, felt gross about it, quit after realizing the real money went to the top pyramid folks. Classic get rich quick trap.
Real wealth up comes from discipline that’s kinda painful at first. Like skipping takeout to invest $50 more. Or learning taxes the hard way after a freelance gig surprise.
For solid no-BS reading on this, “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki kicked my butt into gear (even if some parts are controversial): https://www.richdad.com/. And the classic compounding calculator from Investor.gov shows why patience wins: https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator.
Wrapping This Ramble Up—What’s Your Move?
Look, I’m no guru. Still got student loans, still stress about money sometimes. But wealth up vs get rich quick? The steady path is what actually works for flawed humans like me. No overnight millions, but actual sleep-at-night security.
If you’re reading this on New Year’s Eve like me, maybe start small tonight: Open a brokerage, throw in $100, set it to auto-invest in an S&P 500 fund. Tell me how it goes—I’m genuinely curious what you’ll try.
Happy 2026, y’all. Let’s build some real wealth this year.
