E23 - If I Was 20 Again, I’d Build This First

If I was 20 again, I would not start by investing.

Not because investing is bad.
 Not because retirement accounts don’t work.

But because most 20-year-olds don’t have an investing problem.

They have a value problem.

In this episode of Before the Returns, Jaden explains why building skills, increasing income, and developing judgment matter more in your 20s than optimizing a small investment portfolio.

You’ll hear:

• Why “time in the market” isn’t the full picture
• How earning power can compound faster than investments early on
• The danger of chasing passive income before building active value
• Why control and personal development create stronger financial foundations
• What “roots before returns” really means

This episode isn’t anti-investing. It’s about order.

Because fruit doesn’t grow without roots.

If your income, your skills, and your judgment aren’t growing… your portfolio won’t save you.

Key Takeaways

• Most young adults should prioritize skill development before portfolio optimization
• Increasing income can have a larger early impact than small investment gains
• You are your most valuable asset in your 20s
• Control and personal development create long-term financial leverage
• Investing is important — but it shouldn’t replace self-investment

Reflection Questions

• Are you building roots — or chasing returns?
• What skill, if developed over the next five years, would meaningfully increase your income?
• Are you investing because you’re ready — or because you’re afraid of being behind?
• If your portfolio disappeared tomorrow, what would still make you valuable?

Learn more at www.jadenzubal.com | Follow @jadenzubal | Join the *Before the Returns Weekly* newsletter

📩 Questions or ideas? Email: jadenzubal.wealth@gmail.com

⚖️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. It is not financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

If I was 20 again, I would not start by investing. I wouldn't open a Roth IRA first. I wouldn't download a brokerage app, and I wouldn't obsess over compound interest. And I know that is going to make some people uncomfortable. Because we have been taught that investing early is responsible. But most 20-year-olds don't have an investing problem. They have a value problem. They're trying to compound money before they've compounded themselves. And fruit does not grow without roots. If your income, your skills, and your judgment aren't growing, your portfolio won't save you. Roots before returns. With that, hello and welcome. I'm your host, Jaden Zuball. And today, I want to talk about going back. If I could go back 10 to 15 years and start over with how I invest, the things I invest in, here are some of the things that I would look at and the things that I would do. They always say hindsight is 2020. And it's a very true statement. There's a lot of things that I wish I could go back and change, although I'm happy with the results I'm getting and the direction I'm going. You know, most of us, I think, would say, hey, if I could go back 10, 15, 20 years, here's a couple things I would do different. So this is really for those of you who are just getting started on that pathway, whether you're 20 years old, 30 years old, 40 years old. If you are just getting focused into investing into your career, how to grow yourself, how to grow your net worth and your cash flow long term, this episode is for you. So if you find value in this, please consider liking, subscribing, and sharing. And let's get into it. So just to be clear though, starting out, this is not anti-investing advice or anti-retirement accounts. It's simply about order, meaning what comes first, right? Where do I think we should start or where do I wish I started if I went back 10 to 15 years? Okay, so big picture. Let's talk cultural pressures. Let's talk what does the world typically tell you to do? We always hear about 401ks, IRAs. You know, when you get a job, get that match from your employer and start putting away as much as you can as early as you can.

unknown 2:34

Right.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

So there's a little bit of maybe fear of missing out that shows up for people in, oh no, I need to get on board with the trends and I need to put my money away as quick as I can in the brokerage accounts, you know, invest in the market. They say time in the market beats timing the market. And to be fair, I agree with that statement. I do agree that time in the market is better than trying to time it. However, making sure we have things in the right order will give you a better outcome long term. Because what it really boils down to is that you can't compound what you haven't yet built. Put it into this perspective for a moment. Think about individuals who go to medical school or become attorneys, doctors, you know, all these professions that we we all know they go to school for 10, 15 years, right? And build these big careers. And during that time, typically they aren't making a lot of money while they're going to school. In fact, they're usually going into a lot of student loan debt. They get to the end of schooling, they start their position, and all of a sudden their income skyrockets. And they oftentimes become very wealthy. And the reason that happens is because they spent the time developing themselves and building into a career and a pathway where they could add value for other people and get an exchange of that value in the form of the money coming back to them. So now they can afford to really hit it hard with their investments and, you know, the brokerage accounts and the IRAs and all the things that are talked about, and they can invest in other things as well, right? And they can invest in themselves more, they can invest in their businesses more, and they can grow their practices. So there's there's a significant benefit that comes from them doing that. The same thing happens for business owners. A lot of times people start businesses, and for the first few months, few years, sometimes even longer, there's not a lot happening. And it seems like you're you're working and you're working and you're working and you're trying to build towards something. And then you hit a mark where, okay, you've finally figured it out and you've added value enough that you start to see more value coming back to you. So while opening accounts really early feels responsible, what you want to make sure of is that by doing that, it doesn't set you back in your ability to develop yourself. Because if I'm being honest, what actually changed my life was not the stock market, it wasn't the real estate, it wasn't the crypto, it wasn't any of the outside things that I invested in. It was the time that was spent developing myself. And I can say with some confidence that there were times in my life when I set myself back on self-development because I tried to invest in outside things. And that would include my real estate. It's probably one of the biggest things you guys will hear me talk about on the podcast, on the YouTube channel, on social media, is me investing in real estate. And I think there's a ton of value to it, and it's a great place to put your money, but don't let that stuff set you back from developing yourself and your talents, the things that you enjoy doing and that you know you can add value for other people in doing. Because my biggest early returns didn't come from outside investments, they came from me being more valuable to those around me. So, in the context of this episode where we're talking about roots before returns, the roots are the skills that people pay for. It's the income growth, the emotional control, the discipline, and the work ethic that enables you to develop your life into what you actually want it to be. So I believe that in many cases, during your 20s, increasing your earning power can have a bigger impact than optimizing your investment portfolio. For example, a 20% raise impacts your life more than a 7% or 8% annual return on your investment portfolio. And it's it's fine to get both if you can do both at the same time. But again, the point is don't sacrifice your growth, meaning if it takes time and energy and money to invest in your ability to do more, I believe in many cases you're going to see a better return doing that than you will by putting that money into the market and getting 8, 9, 10%, right? It doesn't matter. Likely your return's not going to be as good there as what you can get out of your own stuff. In fact, a good example of this is I have a client who owns a successful business down in Texas. And I remember talking with them once and they asked me, you know, they said, I've got$100,000 on the sidelines right now. What do you think are some good ways to deal with that? And he was specifically talking about real estate, right? Because he knows that I invest in real estate. And we were just having a conversation. And as we talked about it, really what it boiled down to was to take that$100,000 and put it into real estate, even though I think real estate is a great investment, really is not the right move for where they're at in life. Because that same$100,000 put back into their own business will generate 10 times the return for them based on the trajectory of the business and what they've been able to accomplish so far. So again, that just boils down to you are your best asset. So if we apply that concept of you are your best asset into your 20s, that's where I wish that I had spent even more time developing myself in my 20s. And I think that you will see a bigger gain by doing so. Here's another way of looking at it. So if the market were to drop 20% tomorrow, would your skill set today protect you? Meaning, are you still able to generate your income? Is everything on track for your future? Because I look at this as getting to a position where you don't have to be reliant upon just a single outside factor. So in this case, we're talking about the stock market. We don't want to be reliant upon the stock market to determine when you actually get to retire or when you get to claim financial freedom. In fact, I just put a calculator on my website that all of you can check out. There's no contact info needed, but go take a look at it. You can put in just, I think it's five or six different things, and it will tell you what your financial freedom number is, meaning here's the amount of money that you would need to have based on traditional retirement planning in order to achieve financial freedom. It'll also tell you the amount of years it's going to take you to get there based on where you're at today. Now, that is solely looking at here's the big number and just trying to put as much money away as you can and get a you know an average rate of return on that, right? Now, with more strategic planning and more focus on yourself being your best asset, we can dramatically change that number. But I think it's a really good starting place for you. It's a good place to look at and say, well, here is you know where I'm at today. Here's what my outcome could be if I just follow traditional retirement planning. But by putting the emphasis on yourself and putting the time and energy into creating the life you really want. Really, that's the way I look at all of this. Is I think for most of us, at least most of you watching this or listening to this podcast, I think most of you would probably agree that, you know, the life you want isn't going to happen without putting the time and energy into yourself to develop yourself. We hear about it in a million different ways. You a lot of times you see it with like health and nutrition. Well, it it plays the same role here financially. So for you to create the financial picture that you want, you just have to put the time and the energy into yourself, into the things that you enjoy doing, and that crossover of what you enjoy doing and what can provide value for other people. Because that's that's what we can control. We can control what we learn and where we put our time and our energy. What we can't control is what happens in the market, what happens with the real estate, what happens with other people's businesses and other people's stuff. So I'm a firm believer that by putting the time and energy into our own stuff, into our own learning and our own development, our chances of success, and success being whatever your actual goal is financially, can go up exponentially. So it really boils down to control before returns. And control builds the roots of your financial system, which then can lead to the fruit. It leads to here's all the good things that we've been able to create. And again, just to clarify, investing in these outside assets is part of the big picture. I'm by no means am I advocating for not putting money into Roth IRAs or 401ks or the market or or however you want to do that. There's plenty of tools out there, and each tool serves a little bit different purpose and will fit differently based on your goals and your needs. But what I am advocating for is focusing on yourself and your personal development and developing into a person that can provide so much value for other people that naturally you're going to start seeing some of that return of value back to you. So if I was 20 again, I wouldn't chase returns first. I would become undeniable in the marketplace. I'd build skills, income, and judgment. And by building that income first, you're going to be able to invest in all these other things and create long-term lasting wealth. Because once your roots are deep, the fruit becomes sustainable. So just a couple of questions here to help frame your mindset as you consider what your financial picture looks like today and where you're headed. First, are you building roots or are you chasing returns? Second, what skill, if developed, would meaningfully increase your income? Third, are you investing because you're ready or are you worried about falling behind? And fourth, if your portfolio disappeared tomorrow, what would still make you marketable and valuable from an income standpoint? Okay, a lot of us have probably heard sometimes on TikTok or Instagram or whatever, you see these short videos and reels of these millionaires and billionaires talking about, hey, if I were to go broke tomorrow, if I lost everything, I could become a millionaire within two months again or six months or a year or whatever. And I've heard it from multiple different people on these videos. And while it sounds a little bit crazy, the the concept is valuable there. Listen to the concept that they're talking about, because what they're really saying is it's not about the money. It's to get wealthy the first time, they had to develop all of these skills and all of these ways of bringing value from an income standpoint. Therefore, those skills are still applicable even if they lost all their money tomorrow. The skills are still there, so they can still apply them to recreate the wealth that they once had. So the market or any other investment for that matter can't compound what you haven't already built. So start with roots. Thank you for joining the show today. And please again consider liking, subscribing, and sharing. Really helps us grow the channel, and we appreciate the support. And we'll talk to you next week.