spekkio, you are young, and it is admirable that you understand the mechanics of investing. Also admirable is your ambition to make an important place for yourself in your business endeavors.
But please realize a few things.
One, the headlines are full every day of "successful", rich lawyers who are: going to jail, in jail, found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head (sometimes with a house full of dead children and a spouse as well).
They all have their own law firms too. Bernie Madoff was the picture of economic success in this country.
So was Ken Lay.
Donald Trump lives a pretty opulent lifestyle, but Warren buffet could buy Trump's entire holdings with the change in his sofa. He drives a Ford and buys his suits off the rack.
Which of these is more successful? Is either? Or, is it a tie? Who can say?
Two, I wasn't talking about saving your pennies in a passbook account. When I said "saving" I meant not spending your money an a lot of useless crap that won't comfort you in your old age.
Three, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a 9 to 5er who collects his check and goes home and never moves into an executive position. If it gets you what you need and asks no more than you are willing to give in return, it's a pretty good deal.
Four, don't kid yourself into thinking that being productive will save your ass. Many jobs are taken from productive intelligent people, because "down-sizing" them will save the jobs of their lazy, short-sighted, greedy bosses. Being a moneymaker for your employer will not always keep you safe. Being an un-productive drag on their profit margin won't necessarily endanger you either. This is the real world we're talking about.
You ARE NOT what YOU DO.
You ARE NOT what YOU OWN.
You ARE NOT what OTHERS THINK of you.
You ARE what YOU LOVE in this world.
Money and employment are simply a means to attaining and sustaining your true passions.
If you are a Cubs fan, be a great Cubs fan.
If you are a father and husband, be great at that.
If you just get off on selling real estate, or used cars, or mutual funds, then do it with all you have. But the guy next to you is not less of a success simply because his priorities are elsewhere.
It is the rare individual who finds a job that fills his life with joy. You don't know whether to envy them or pity them. In a way, they are the luckiest, because they enjoy their jobs. It makes you wonder though if they have any other joy in their lives.
I guess it is all about balance. If you know your priorities (which isn't all that common, sadly) and you keep your life arranged in that order, you'll be a success.