In a bear market, learn about finance.

Please take good care of your first 1 million, as it can determine whether you can truly achieve financial freedom for the rest of your life.

When you first hold that million in cash, will you turn it into the first gold brick of your wealth empire, or will you step on the gas and exchange it for a luxury car that depreciates faster than your heartbeat?

I know what you're thinking: 1 million? I don't even have 100,000 in savings. But let me finish, this first bucket of gold can be 500,000, it can be 300,000, or even your first 100,000. It represents your first true mastery of the weapon of capital, and how you treat it will determine whether you are the master of money or a slave to it for the rest of your life.

I've seen too many stories like this: 29-year-old programmer Xiao Zhang, with an annual salary of 600,000, saved up 1 million in three years. Last year, while his colleagues all traded in for BMWs, he drove that second-hand BYD. Some laughed at him for being stingy, and he said, "Every year I drive this old car, I gain an additional 200,000 in my account." He divided the 1 million into three parts: index funds, dividend stocks, and Nasdaq. This year, the market corrected and he is down 8%, but he is not worried; instead, he is buying more. Why? He calculated that a 7% annual return means that in 30 years, this 1 million will turn into 7.6 million. Meanwhile, that colleague who bought the BMW, three years later, still owes 320,000 on the car loan, and the dealer quotes 180,000. This is the ticket to compound interest; once you tear it up, you'll never be able to enter this wealth game again.

But the most terrifying enemy is not poverty, but the trap of consumption. It's those refined lifestyles that make you look wealthy, those instant gratifications that give you a rush. They are like gentle assassins, giving you a one-way ticket to financial ruin. You earn 30,000 a month and rent a 6,000 house; that’s not excessive, but you need to equip yourself with the latest Apple devices, justifying it by saying that good tools are necessary for efficient earning. You spend 20,000 on a gym membership and personal trainer, reasoning that investing in health is investing in the future. Every weekend, you check in at Michelin restaurants and trendy afternoon teas, claiming that life should have quality. After a year, what have you gained in your account? A few bags, some trendy brands, a pile of electronic products. Meanwhile, that colleague you mocked for being stingy stuffed that 200,000 bonus into stocks and funds. The hard-earned first bucket of gold has evaporated in the lies of consumption upgrades. $BTC $ETH #巨鲸动向