Delayed Gratification Set Me on a Good Financial Path for Life

I’ve lived by the, “Save early, spend later,” motto, influenced greatly by my pragmatic mom, since I first began earning money at a young age. I started with odd jobs like babysitting and refereeing hockey games, moved up to working at fast food restaurants, and, eventually, started my own cleaning and car-washing businesses. At each step, I learned about delayed gratification: I could either spend my money on video games, sports equipment, and other material things, or I could invest it in my future. Fortunately, I chose the latter.  In my early teens, I took all of the money I’d earned and put it towards a down payment for a condo. That choice and others taught me about saving and managing my money. [...]