Methodical (like Buffett) but audacious (not like Buffet).
Good God, no....a guy like Palihapitiya looks like a genius in a tech bull market, but you need to see how he performs during a nasty decade long bear....he pitched BOX at $23 at Sohn last year....down to $17 now...He was CNBC a couple of months ago talking bullish about Tesla - his justification: you have to trust Elon's vision. Again like I said, talk to me about him after a nasty bear.
Buffett benefited from the longest bull market in history... And has himself said he probably couldn't repeat.
Basically, you could have jerked off 40 years ago and done well.
I heard this economist speak, and he said 40 years ago when he was growing up in Minnesota, a guy was basically guaranteed to have a job at the local steel mill that would pay him enough to buy a house and raise a couple of kids.
The economist went on to say "back then in Minnesota, a guy would have to actively plan a way to mess up a middle class lifestyle that was waiting for him - drugs, jail, etc. Today, that same guy growing up in Minnesota needs to have a well thought out plan ahead of time in order to be successful - if he doesn't have a plan, he will not be in the middle class."
You said it several times yourself: If you always live below your means, you will be financially secured no matter how much you make:Sadly accurate. The guy today can do nothing wrong and still end up broke.