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The TRUTH About Compound Interest: Why It Won't Make You Rich (and What Will) | Finance Hacked

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For years, you've been told compound interest is the key to financial freedom. But what if that's not the whole story? In this video, Finance Hacked challenges the conventional wisdom, arguing that relying solely on compound interest on a salary is a flawed path to wealth, often promoted by those who benefit from it.

Drawing lessons from figures like Warren Buffett, this video reveals that true financial freedom comes not just from compounding returns, but from building significant capital, leveraging assets, and even starting your own ventures. Discover why investing in yourself and increasing your income potential, especially when you're young, is far more impactful than simply saving pennies and waiting decades for compound interest to maybe make you comfortable.

We dissect the real strategies used by the wealthy and expose the limitations of the traditional compound interest narrative for ordinary individuals starting with little capital. Learn why a focus on building a strong financial foundation and generating cash flow is the often-overlooked secret to accelerating your journey to wealth.

If you're ready to question the status quo and learn a more effective approach to achieving financial freedom, this video is for you.

In this video, you'll discover:

Why the common understanding of compound interest is misleading.
How wealthy individuals actually built their fortunes (it's not just saving!).
The critical importance of principal and cash flow in investing.
Why investing in yourself is the most valuable investment you can make.
Unconventional ideas for building initial capital.
The "lotus effect" and the true power of compounding when applied correctly.
Don't trade your present for a potentially uncertain future based on flawed advice. Watch now and start building your path to financial freedom on a solid foundation.

If you found this video insightful, please give it a like to support the channel! We're dedicated to sharing valuable information for aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, and wealthy individuals.

Don't miss out on future videos that can help you achieve financial freedom. Subscribe to Finance Hacked and turn on notifications!

#CompoundInterest #FinancialFreedom #Investing #WealthBuilding #StockMarket #PersonalFinance #Entrepreneurship #WarrenBuffett #MoneyMindset #FinancialLiteracy
Transcript
00:00Compound interest is the most effective way for ordinary people to achieve financial freedom,
00:06Finance Hacked warmly greets you and our dear friends.
00:11I have never believed in what the majority of people believe.
00:16It is precisely because of it that at the age of 23,
00:19I was able to achieve financial freedom through speculation.
00:23The most meaningless statement in the world is to paint you a picture of 40 years from now,
00:30because by then, you might not even have a chance to regret.
00:3597% of people around the world believe that the best method of financial management is to leverage compound interest.
00:44Why is that?
00:46Because someone named Albert Einstein once said,
00:50Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.
00:54And the legendary investor Warren Buffett also affirmed that he became wealthy gradually.
01:00These two sayings have been exploited and continually spread by those with ulterior motives,
01:07causing 97% of people to buy into a flawed financial mindset,
01:12using compound interest to trade the present for the future,
01:16financial business employees hear this over and over again until they start believing it as truth.
01:23They then tell you,
01:24Start saving now.
01:26The interest you earn every day will be added to your principal,
01:30increasing each month and growing more each year.
01:34With such compounded interest,
01:36by the age of 60 you will have millions of dollars
01:39and might even become a rich old man like Warren Buffett.
01:43It sounds wonderful, doesn't it?
01:46But hold on, consider how manipulated this information is.
01:52I only want to talk about the end result.
01:55By the age of 60 I could finally drive a Porsche.
01:59So, what is so interesting about that?
02:03I agree with the idea of exchanging the present for the future,
02:08but if that means using today's money to secure future funds, then I'm not playing.
02:14Vision is important, but that is why I choose to use today's money to create more money in the present,
02:21because without money now, there can be no money later.
02:24Recently, I came across an interesting story.
02:29Someone advised his friend to quit smoking,
02:32saying that if he did not smoke a pack each day,
02:35the money saved over 20 years through compound interest would be enough to buy a Porsche.
02:42But his friend casually asked,
02:44Do you smoke?
02:45The other proudly replied,
02:48I have never smoked a single cigarette.
02:51Then the friend laughed wryly,
02:54Then where is your Porsche?
02:56You see, this is the issue,
02:58and if you are still reading,
03:00I will share with you my understanding of compound interest as a way to truly make money.
03:07As for those financial institutions constantly emailing me with offers to become their agent,
03:12they can stop, because I am not interested.
03:17I want to be direct, without intermediaries.
03:20If you support me, please hit the like button to keep the momentum.
03:24I also want to emphasize that this channel is for those who aspire to be entrepreneurs,
03:30investors, and wealthy individuals.
03:33If you don't want to miss valuable information,
03:37subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications.
03:40First, let us revisit our idol, Warren Buffett.
03:45Did he really become wealthy through compound interest?
03:50The truth is, by the age of 32 he had over $1 million from investing,
03:56and that was more than $1 million was worth several decades ago.
04:00Could he have become rich by earning a salary and relying on compound interest?
04:07At that time, the average income was only about $3.
04:12$0.00 per year, so how could he multiply that into $1 million?
04:19The reason is simple, he did not study compound interest,
04:24he learned how to leverage capital.
04:26At the age of 26, Buffett raised $100,000 from relatives and friends for investments.
04:35Six years later, he had multiplied that money tenfold.
04:40There are two key points.
04:42First, Buffett's investment returns were truly remarkable.
04:46Second, although he always advises others not to borrow money for investing,
04:52in reality he used other people's money from the very start.
04:56He consistently used financial leverage.
05:00With his risk cost being extremely low, nearly zero or even negative.
05:07In other words, he invested using other people's money,
05:11and those people even had to pay fees to him.
05:14No matter whether his investment fund company makes a profit or a loss,
05:20you still pay the management fee up front,
05:23and if the investment yields profit, he earns a percentage of the gains.
05:28Additionally, he owns many insurance companies,
05:31where the funds he mobilises are even cheaper than free money.
05:35In 2002, his company issued the first floating-rate security in history.
05:43In short, what he was truly playing with was not compound interest but financial leverage.
05:50Everyone knows that Jeff Bezos became wealthy through Amazon.
05:55Mark Zuckerberg through Facebook,
05:57and that billionaires around the world have amassed fortunes through their businesses.
06:02But why is it that only Warren Buffett is considered to have gotten rich through investing?
06:09Many think that simply buying stocks makes you like Buffett,
06:13and then they consider themselves superior to those who are not familiar with stock investing.
06:19I can only laugh because a small investor buying stocks is merely buying stocks,
06:25whereas when Buffett buys stocks, it is a takeover of the business.
06:29He gains complete control of the company.
06:34For example, take the insurance company Berkshire Hathaway,
06:38which originally was just a textile company.
06:42When Buffett acquired it,
06:45he initially intended to invest for a while and then withdraw.
06:49However, the company unexpectedly incurred heavy losses,
06:54causing him to unintentionally become the largest shareholder.
06:57The problem was that Buffett did not know how to weave fabric,
07:02so he used that company to take over another insurance company
07:06and then transformed Berkshire Hathaway into an insurance conglomerate
07:10under his management and restructuring.
07:14The share value of Berkshire Hathaway multiplied,
07:17turning it into one of the greatest financial conglomerates in the world.
07:22Buffett holds a large number of shares in the company.
07:25So how could he not be wealthy?
07:30Clearly, his capital management strategy resembles that of an entrepreneur
07:34deftly handling cash flow rather than that of a mere investor,
07:39and most importantly,
07:40all his investment activities were based on an unshakable foundation,
07:45the principal capital.
07:47This is also why the book Rich Dad Poor Dad teaches
07:51that one should become an entrepreneur before transitioning into an investor.
07:56When you have a solid foundation like Buffett's,
07:59owning a business that generates steady cash flow and passive income,
08:04then investing truly becomes effective.
08:07First, by that point your capital is large enough.
08:11If I invest a few million dollars,
08:15my rate of return need not be very high.
08:19Nor does the investment period have to be long,
08:22but I still make a lot of money.
08:25Meanwhile, if you work for a salary
08:27and set aside a portion of your earnings to invest,
08:31even if you achieve a better rate of return
08:33and investment period than I do,
08:36you might never earn in your entire life
08:38what I make in a single year.
08:41Second, I can invest in areas that you cannot.
08:46You can only buy stocks or investment funds,
08:49but I can invest in real estate
08:51or even take over small companies.
08:54Third, and most importantly,
08:57we invest without pressure.
08:59If we incur losses,
09:01our business still generates cash flow,
09:04whereas if you lose money from investing
09:06while solely relying on your job income,
09:09you might lose everything.
09:12Many people have even committed suicide for this reason.
09:16Previously, I tried everything to narrow the gap
09:19between the rich and the poor,
09:21but in the end I realized that I was too naive.
09:25The capital market operates according to a brutal law.
09:29The poor can join the ranks of the rich,
09:31but it is very difficult for the rich to become poor.
09:34I have studied this issue in great depth.
09:40Many say that before the age of 60,
09:42Buffett did not have much money,
09:44that 99% of his wealth was created after 60,
09:48but that is a misconception.
09:51In reality, at the age of 52,
09:54Buffett already had $370 million.
09:57He was very wealthy early on,
10:02and thereafter he used compound interest
10:04only to amplify his wealth.
10:07If you understand compound interest well,
10:09you will see that it has three core elements.
10:12First, the principle,
10:14the money you invest,
10:16second, the rate of return,
10:18essentially, the profitability of the investment,
10:21and third, time.
10:24Among these factors,
10:25which is the most important?
10:28It is still the principle,
10:30because interest rates and time
10:32are merely tools to multiply your initial capital,
10:35which is then reinvested.
10:38However, the risk in this process is extremely high.
10:43With every investment,
10:44you reinvest both the principle and the interest.
10:47I wonder if your math teacher
10:50ever taught you this simple rule,
10:53if you earn a 100% profit this year.
10:57$10,000 becomes $20,000,
11:00but if you lose 50% the next year,
11:03that money drops back to $10,000.
11:07In other words,
11:09if you lose 50% today,
11:11you must earn 100% tomorrow
11:13just to break even.
11:14I want to ask you,
11:17in the stock market or investment funds,
11:20is it easier to incur a 50% loss
11:22or to find an investment that can double your assets?
11:27An investment that doubles in value these days
11:30is very hard to find,
11:32whereas a stock that loses 50% of its value
11:35is all too common.
11:37This is the reality.
11:40Most stocks are influenced by the overall market.
11:43Many claim that Tesla's stock plummeted
11:47because Elon Musk was busy with Twitter,
11:49but that is just an excuse.
11:53Look at Tesla's price chart
11:54compared with the market index.
11:58Do they not resemble each other?
12:01Then look at the stocks of Facebook and Amazon.
12:03They too plunge sharply along with the overall market.
12:07These top stocks all follow the general market trend.
12:11When you buy an investment fund,
12:15examine its portfolio,
12:17most hold these major stocks.
12:20And every so often,
12:21the market undergoes a significant correction.
12:25If you only know to wait for prices to rise before buying,
12:29how will you invest?
12:31Buffett excels because he has an enormous amount of capital to invest.
12:36He not only achieves a 22% return per year,
12:41but also reinvests the following year.
12:45As for me,
12:45although my gains from speculation are higher
12:48and I make money faster,
12:50it is because I only dare to use a small portion
12:53of my capital and leverage for trading.
12:56My approach is completely different from his,
12:59I withdraw my profits as soon as I earn them,
13:02while he sticks to a strategy of earning modest yet stable profits over the long term.
13:09Apart from real estate,
13:10most of my assets are allocated to investments.
13:15In my view,
13:16real estate not only appreciates in value,
13:18but also generates cash flow from rental income,
13:22and over the long term,
13:23its returns surpass most other investment channels.
13:26This is the only area where I can effectively apply compound interest.
13:33If you understand what I am saying,
13:36you will see that I invest in a more stable way
13:39than simply reinvesting principal and interest in stock investments.
13:44When we talk about stream value,
13:47what does that mean?
13:49Suppose today you study English vocabulary,
13:52learning 10 words each day.
13:54According to the theory of financial experts,
13:58after 3 days you would remember all 30 words without forgetting any.
14:04But that is impossible.
14:07In reality,
14:08by the 4th day,
14:09among the 30 words you learned,
14:11you may have forgotten a third,
14:13leaving you with only about 20 words,
14:16the stream value you can maintain.
14:19The more you learn,
14:21the more you forget.
14:22In the stock market filled with experts,
14:26why do most people lose money?
14:29If you have ever gambled in a casino,
14:32you understand,
14:34when your capital is too small,
14:36you are not qualified to play this game,
14:38or if you are,
14:40you'll merely pray for others.
14:43And what about the real estate market?
14:46Are there no experts?
14:47In fact,
14:49the government is the greatest expert.
14:53Even the top Wall Street traders
14:55cannot guarantee that annual returns will always grow,
14:59they will surely experience losses,
15:01and once you lose,
15:03losses compound according to the rules of compound interest.
15:07If you always reinvest both principal and interest,
15:11even a slight loss can result in a very significant setback.
15:18Buffett has more capital than you,
15:20and his annual returns are higher,
15:22but throughout his early decades of investing,
15:25he could not afford any serious losses.
15:29Just one major loss could wipe out most of his accumulated gains.
15:33Therefore,
15:35the first rule when dealing with compound interest
15:38is to remember Buffett's words,
15:41number one,
15:42never allow a loss,
15:43number two,
15:45never forget rule number one,
15:47in fact,
15:47in 2020,
15:49Buffett also lost tens of billions of dollars
15:52when he bought stocks in the airline sector during the pandemic.
15:56He could afford to take the loss,
15:59but what about you?
16:01Do you have the ability to invest
16:03by risking both principal and interest?
16:07Do you own any assets that generate cash flow to cover losses?
16:12Why is compound interest said to be even more powerful than an atomic bomb?
16:18Quite simply,
16:19your math teacher once taught you the compound interest formula, right?
16:24For example,
16:25if you invest $100,000 in a stock and earn 10% in the first year,
16:31you gain $10,000.
16:34If every year you earn $10,000 by investing only $100,000 anew,
16:41after seven years you will have earned just $70,000.
16:45But if you understand compound interest and reinvest both principal and interest,
16:51it changes entirely.
16:53In the first year you invest $100,000 at 10% interest, ending up with $110,000.
17:02The next year, you invest the entire $110,000 and earn 10% again, making $121,000.
17:14The following year, you reinvest all of it, and so on.
17:19By the seventh year, your money has nearly doubled,
17:22you initially invested $100,000 and now you have almost $200,000,
17:29meaning you have broken even with a significant profit.
17:33That is why your math teacher drilled into you this truth,
17:37with simple interest you'd earn $70,000,
17:40but with compound interest you'd earn $100,000.
17:44They will tell you, the longer you compound, the greater the profit.
17:51If to date you invest $10,000 and apply compound interest,
17:56after 40 years that money could grow to $450,000.
18:02More importantly, if each year you also take $10,000 from your salary
18:07to continue investing using compound interest,
18:10your profit would be even more formidable than an atomic bomb.
18:16This investment strategy is completely sound
18:18because it is based on a perfect mathematical model.
18:23But if it were that simple, and we had known it since childhood,
18:27then why are there still so many people riding the bus
18:30instead of driving a supercar?
18:33The answer has already been mentioned.
18:36First, steady profits are not always easy to achieve.
18:40Second, as Buffett said, compound interest requires time.
18:46And most importantly, you must learn how to protect your health and extend your life.
18:53Without time, what use is compound interest, right?
18:57If Buffett had died before the age of 60,
19:01he wouldn't have earned 99% of his wealth,
19:04and if that were the case, who in the world would know him?
19:07Now, I will tell you a truth that might make you dislike entrepreneurs and business owners.
19:13If you are a salaried worker, after your 30s,
19:17if you remain merely a loyal employee,
19:20it will be very difficult for you to advance further.
19:24Why?
19:25Because everything you accumulate before the age of 30 comes to a halt,
19:30unless you are a natural genius or extraordinarily lucky.
19:35Otherwise, your career progression will be limited.
19:40This is common, typically by this age your position in the company is almost fixed,
19:45managers remain managers, department heads remain department heads,
19:49the higher you go, the fewer there are.
19:52When your position is limited, your salary becomes almost fixed.
19:59You might argue, that's not true, the company still gives annual raises.
20:05Yes, your salary on paper increases.
20:10In the past, hiring a college student might have cost only $1,000,
20:15now it might cost $2,000.
20:18But why is that?
20:20Is it because today's students are better?
20:24Is it because the quality of labour has changed?
20:29No.
20:30The salary increase is due to inflation.
20:35Nominally, your income is higher,
20:37but in reality, the actual value of that money remains the same.
20:42You can verify this by simply checking prices at the market.
20:46Many countries use this method to adjust the minimum wage to appease the majority.
20:54They tell you, we have increased your wages,
20:57but what they don't mention is that prices have also increased.
21:00On the surface, you feel like you are benefiting,
21:04but in truth, you gain nothing.
21:07Therefore, I want to speak directly to you,
21:10when you are young and do not have much capital,
21:13and you cannot control interest rates,
21:16do not dream about compound interest,
21:18it simply does not matter to you yet.
21:21I always advise young people to focus on finding ways to increase their income.
21:28Yet most worry only about saving every single penny.
21:32That is a way of self-consolation,
21:35they think that as long as they save,
21:37they will have a stable and happy future,
21:40but the result is that they become part of the 97%
21:43whose savings are wiped out by inflation and economic recession within 10 years.
21:49This is what I call shearing the sheep.
21:54Buffett can work with compound interest
21:56because he uses other people's money to create leverage.
22:00I invest in real estate using a similar approach,
22:04but we do not accept an investment method
22:07where you put in $10,000 every year
22:10and wait 60 years to exchange it for a million dollars.
22:14Our goal is to use the initial capital
22:17as a foundation to expand our assets.
22:21Not to win small by playing big.
22:24Can you see the difference?
22:26Now, here is my heartfelt advice,
22:29which those who have experienced life will understand,
22:32when you have nothing in hand,
22:34no capital,
22:35instead of wasting time trying to win small,
22:38why not focus on investing in yourself?
22:41Because you are the only asset you can control
22:45and you are the most valuable investment.
22:48Do you know how much a true genius is worth?
22:53Are exceptional talents hard to find?
22:56They must be competed for.
22:59I asked a colleague in investment banking,
23:01and he said that when they invest in outstanding startup teams,
23:07they must go directly to plead for an opportunity to invest.
23:12Founders don't even need to search for investors
23:15because investment funds are always in need of good projects.
23:19So what is the essence of the lack of good projects?
23:22It is simply the lack of people
23:25who have the capability to make a project successful.
23:30Therefore, talent is the most important factor.
23:34When you are young,
23:35if a nice suit can increase your chance of getting a job,
23:39buy it immediately without hesitation.
23:42If an evening party or a meal can help you advance,
23:46you must participate.
23:48Your life still has a long road ahead.
23:51I despise hearing about saving or cutting expenses.
23:57People only worry about saving
23:59when they fear they cannot earn more.
24:02That is why I want to point you in one direction.
24:05While the whole world does the same thing,
24:08you must find a different path,
24:10a road that even large corporations overlook.
24:14Take the money you would invest in financial products each year
24:18and use it as seed capital,
24:20combined with investing in yourself
24:22to carry out small projects that the big firms ignore,
24:26I will give you an idea for you to consider.
24:30You could pay an upfront fee to buy a Mercedes,
24:33not to show off,
24:34but to become a personal driver
24:36for senior managers at foreign companies
24:38or wealthy entrepreneurs.
24:41Because you own the car,
24:43your income is not just your driver's fee.
24:46You can include the car rental fee,
24:50fuel, parking fees,
24:52and other expenses in your service package.
24:55You only need to tell your clients,
24:58each month,
24:59pay me a fixed fee,
25:01and I will take care of everything
25:02except my own salary.
25:05In just a few years,
25:07you could recoup the cost of the car.
25:09I am not speaking hypothetically,
25:13a friend of mine did exactly that.
25:16In addition to his main job,
25:18he used the car to earn extra income
25:20during his free time.
25:23As a result,
25:24after a few years,
25:25he achieved a 100% profit.
25:29Then he hired additional drivers,
25:31expanded his investment to buy more cars,
25:34and soon became a small business owner.
25:39By then,
25:40he had capital at hand.
25:43Of course,
25:44this is just an idea,
25:46there are many details to consider,
25:48and you do not necessarily
25:50have to follow it exactly,
25:52since many candidly say
25:53they would rather die than work as a driver.
25:57Moreover,
25:58this profession has its income limitations.
26:02Although I did not follow that route,
26:04if someone can make it work,
26:06it would be great,
26:07in my opinion,
26:08in the first 20 or even 30 years of life,
26:12interest rates and time
26:14are not as important
26:15as how much capital you have.
26:18In the first 20 years of investing,
26:20the returns from interest
26:22and the effect of compound interest
26:24over time are not significant.
26:27What is crucial is that your capital
26:29must be sufficiently large.
26:31Without ample capital,
26:34it will take you an exceedingly long time
26:36to generate significant profits.
26:40When you are young,
26:41do not be overly concerned
26:42with financial investments,
26:44because the most important asset
26:46is yourself.
26:48Only when you enhance your own value
26:50will you never lack money in the future.
26:53This is what you need to focus on right now,
26:56clearly distinguish between
26:58what is important and what is urgent.
27:01That is the way you should act.
27:05However,
27:05I am not saying that compound interest
27:08is unimportant,
27:09it is indeed crucial
27:10because if you maintain profits,
27:12the effect of compounding
27:14becomes ever stronger over time.
27:17There is a principle called
27:19the lotus effect,
27:20on the 30th day,
27:22the lotus covers only half
27:24the water's surface.
27:25But by the 31st day,
27:28it covers it entirely.
27:31This is exponential growth,
27:33the power of compound interest.
27:36That means in the first 20 years,
27:38time and interest rate
27:40do not have a major impact.
27:42The most important factor
27:43remains your initial capital.
27:45Due to time constraints,
27:47I will stop here.
27:48We share free information
27:51on how to become wealthy,
27:53an entrepreneur,
27:54an investor,
27:55and achieve financial freedom.
27:58If you do not want to miss out,
28:01follow our channel,
28:02turn on notifications,
28:04and share this video.
28:05I sincerely wish that those
28:08who have supported this video
28:10will soon achieve financial freedom.
28:13If even one or two sentences
28:15from this video benefit your life,
28:18I will feel fulfilled.
28:20Goodbye and see you next time.
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