An Aussie TikTok investor who saved $200K by the time he was 26 has provided us with some money rules and financial advice to follow in our 20s if we want to be like him, and I have quite a few questions. Firstly, should telling people to not spend money really be considered legitimate advice?
Investor Charlie Ehlers (@charlieehlers) has gained a heap of new eyes on his account after creating a video for those in their 20s to help them save.
My bank account of $43.69 and I would usually be very grateful for such tips, but something about the video just seemed… off. Mainly the rules around buying a house and not going to uni.
“Don’t go to uni unless you’re keen on a profession for fucks sake,” he says in the video on TikTok.
“Too many people go into debt to get a degree that they don’t use.
“If you’re getting a degree, do it because you want to be in that profession.”
For one thing, choosing not to go to uni and instead becoming a full-time internet investor who gives out money tips and posts about putting money into cryptocurrencies requires privilege and support few people have.
Besides, barely anyone knows what they want to do at the other end of university when they’re 17 or 18 — hell, some people only figure out what they want to do while in the university space or go because they simply love knowledge. Sure it’s expensive but it helps a lot more people get into jobs than skipping out on uni completely does. Not everyone has an easy path to $200K in front of them.
I also need to know how we can plan for our future careers when jobs are constantly changing? It’s very odd advice.
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Ehlers also stresses that you should never buy designer clothes if you want to save the big bucks. While not buying exxy stuff would save me some money for sure, the advice also seems a bit ridiculous and obvious considering everyone knows this. We spend money on luxury items *anyway* to distract ourselves from this capitalist hellscape. A little treat. It kinda feels like a man at the top of the hill is looking down at the rest of us and telling us to not have fun.
If we can’t spend money on luxury items to distract us from this capitalist hell, what are we supposed to do? Work constantly and eternally save money? What are we even saving for at that point?
Plus, let’s talk about the circumstantial stuff here. Who in their 20s can save $200K without some kind of familial support? Those with a heap of money are often those who have lived with their parents for an extended period of time — an option unavailable to a lot of queer people who often need to leave home. His advice isn’t absurd but it just isn’t applicable to most people.
A couple of folks in the comments saw through the glitz and glamour of the “get rich by just not spending” scheme and channelled their dismay in the comments.
“So I shouldn’t buy a home, but I have to live somewhere. So I should rent somewhere, but in most cases, rent is more expensive than a mortgage. Logic???” wrote one user in response to Ehlers’ claim that “a home purchase is a lifestyle choice … an emotional decision.”
“Home purchase as a lifestyle choice?????? I need somewhere to live???” wrote another.
“Most people decide to go to uni when they’re 17-year-old school students so it’s a bit hard to think that one through properly,” wrote a third.
Saving $200K by the time you’re 26 is possible, but definitely not achievable for most people. Shit’s expensive and rough as guts out here, I’m not going to put money into crypto or avoid spending just because some rich kid told me to.
