What big risks have paid off for you?

[floridaorange]

What risks have you taken in the past that you are grateful for in the present?

Me: moving to California @ 18, figuring out what college to attend, finding the right woman, marrying her and having two awesome boys. The risk was leaving everything I knew to go across the country.

[pikkagtr]

Taking out a LOT of stock options and maxed 401k loan , dumped most of my cash savings , begging my parents for $25k to buy 4 properties in 2008-2009 . I was young then so wreckless was what they said
Now I've paid back all the loans and then some and the houses have paid for themselves and I'm doing pretty well on residual rental income after prop taxes and management fees


Best risk I ever took

[pikkagtr]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

Where were you able to buy 4 properties for $25k?
Did you do the lease to own format?

No lol
It was cashing out crap ton of stocks , my savings , 401k maxed loan AND $25k loan from the parents
But I'm asian so they've never asked for that back
Was going to be my wedding present anyways but I'm not married

[RickFLM4]

Moving to Miami for college and sticking with it after landing in the hospital with an ulcer after a week. Staying in Miami as a young man for work after finishing school.

Quitting my (pretty good) job a few months after getting married to work for myself 20 years ago. Getting the hell out of Miami a couple of years after that to move 75 miles north to buy a home we still live in.

Jury still out: buying a vacation property in Asheville, NC about 7 months before a pandemic.

[dreamingat30fps]

Deciding to not look for another job and instead focus on my business when I got laid off in 2016. Deciding a year later to sell my 550i AND my 2016 Camaro SS to buy a truck and travel trailer. Encouraging my gf to quit her job that she hated so we could travel around the country. Doing some free/cheap work for a potential client I found on craigslist (ended up being a HUGE client for me).

[M_Six]

Moving out to IL from MA 18 years ago with a woman who has now been my wife for 16+ years. The lower cost of living and the higher salaries here have us set for life. And though I miss having a wide choice of dining and shopping, and I seriously miss the ocean and the mountains, I would make the same move again if given the choice.

[bimmette]

I had a McChicken recently and didn't get sick. Was grateful.

But also, I guess taking jobs in Germany and Singapore were big risks I took in the past. It enabled me to see the world, which opened my mind for the better.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by bimmette

I had a McChicken recently and didn't get sick. Was grateful.

But also, I guess taking jobs in Germany and Singapore were big risks I took in the past. It enabled me to see the world, which opened my mind for the better.

Same here. I worked for UPS in Germany for a year. It's was a very good year. Living in another country really does change your outlook on the world.

[spazzyfry123]

Bought my first home at a really young age as I saw the potential. Did a full gut while living in it and took out a loan to pay the loan to pay the bills for about three months while renovating. Started the reno in deep about two months before I wouldn’t be liable for capital gains taxes. Listed the house and ended up with a three way bidding war that had me under contract within two days. After all the dust settled with loans and mortgage paid off I pocketed about $75k. Super stressful time not knowing if I’d be able to pay the bills, but it sure worked!

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Interviewing for a job in 2007 when I wasn’t really looking for a job, since the role I was in was a fairly recent gig. Ended up getting it, leading to dating my wife since it was a relocation, our first house, M cars, the house we’re in now, and being able to comfortably quit my job going into this shut down.

[Conissah]

Skipping out on my usual Summer job at my county doing lawn care to wrap cars. This meant no going home for Summer to hang with my family, but I took the job anyways. It meant less money, 1099, and LONG hours, but I made amazing connections from meeting all the rich guys. One of those guys, Mann, befriended me and offered me a software internship at his company. That turned into my first job right out of college. Without taking that wrap job, I 100% would not be in the situation I am today. Mann and I are still in touch to this day. We chat it up every car event we both happen to be at.

[Germanauto]

I'm still pretty young and luckily enough life has gone as planned. But I'd say my parents deciding to move across the country when I was a teen was a gamble that paid off. Their jobs in the midwest weren't very fulfilling or lucrative and we are just very middle class. The economy there was going down the toilet too. Ever since the move they've done much better professionally and have been able to afford things we could only dream about in the past. They've been able to set me up for success as a result.

I've definitely learned that it's good to embrace change and be open to whatever comes next in life. You never know which direction life will take you. The new people you meet, places you live, where you work, etc. are all part of the ride. It's definitely more "comfortable" to stick with what you know but at least when you're young be open to new experiences.

[Tim1981]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

What risks have you taken in the past that you are grateful for in the present?

Me: moving to California @ 18, figuring out what college to attend, finding the right woman, marrying her and having two awesome boys. The risk was leaving everything I knew to go across the country.

I left my job when it was the most pleasant stage of my life to run my own business.. I am happy I took that risk

[Murf993]

Gas station sushi.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Murf993

Gas station sushi.

Now there's a serious risk indeed. Oy.

[dinonz]

Packed up my entire life into 2 suitcases and moved from NZ to Texas for a job. Left that job 3 months later and formed a startup with friends. 9 years later the startup is still going, I have a McMansion in the burbs, a Ferrari, 2 (soon to be 3) Lamborghinis and putting a pool in out back. I guess I'm happy with where things have gone.

[BimmerDimmer6]

Without a doubt buying multifamily property in 2009. At the time, it felt like the riskiest investment ever, probably was, but I was optimistic about the future and continued dumping every dollar I had into highly leveraged deals. Family thought I was crazy and would lose everything: (They were right about one of those things).

I've always had an appetite for risk and high stress, which I think resulted in some good 'luck' over the years. I believe the current 2020 Pandemic will also be reflected on in a couple of years as a "win," for a lot of smart folks. We always make a come back.

[Joekerr]

Originally Posted by dinonz

Packed up my entire life into 2 suitcases and moved from NZ to Texas for a job. Left that job 3 months later and formed a startup with friends. 9 years later the startup is still going, I have a McMansion in the burbs, a Ferrari, 2 (soon to be 3) Lamborghinis and putting a pool in out back. I guess I'm happy with where things have gone.

I still am of the belief that you ACCEPTED my offer to store one of those Lambos for you and am still waiting....sigh.

I have an oddball question for you though - I've heard NZ is beautiful. As is Australia. I've never been to either. Does NZ have as many poisonous animals as Australia?

[Chihuahua]

Hit Ctrl+Alt+Del on life in August 2006. Broke the lease on my apartment, packed as much as I could fit in my '04 MINI, drove from DC to Florida (stopped in Lorton VA to quit my job) and moved to Florida with no job and no home. Put my root down, built a career for myself, bought a house, etc. Best decision I ever made.

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by Joekerr

I still am of the belief that you ACCEPTED my offer to store one of those Lambos for you and am still waiting....sigh.

I have an oddball question for you though - I've heard NZ is beautiful. As is Australia. I've never been to either. Does NZ have as many poisonous animals as Australia?

It's in the mail!

NZ pretty much has nothing deadly or dangerous. We have no snakes at all, our spiders can only give you a nasty bite and maybe make you sick - I don't think there's any killers. No crocodiles, no alligators, no wild dogs, pretty much nothing. The most dangerous wild animals are deer and pigs, but they are not like the deer and hogs here - in NZ both of them if they so much as hear or smell a human they're generally gone long before you arrive. The water is generally too cold for sharks, but there's still the odd shark attack every year or so. That's about it.

[floridaorange]

^when I think of NZ, I think of this - amazing!

Adding to this threads primary post - what advice would you have for others who are on the fence about taking more risks.

I grew up in a family where my Dad took a big financial risk and ended up bankrupt. Our country club lifestyle came to a screeching halt. We still lived well but not without major sacrifices for many yrs.

I used to work in commercial real estate - I had several multi million dollar listings and was really get a grasp for how it all worked right before the Great Recession hit. Of course many of you will likely think - that was a great opportunity, but at that time I had another big opportunity to work with my Dad (for the first time) and after thinking long and hard about it I decided I had to do it, or I'd one day regret it.

That involved moving back from SoCal to Florida and starting a family etc. I do not regret my decision to move back necessarily - I have 2 amazing boys, a loving wife, house in nice area a dog and a partridge in a pear tree.

However, the adventurous risk taker in me has been wondering what the next big move is. It's been fun reading the responses, motivating. I have friends and family who have focused more on work and less on family and I think that's great too - they've made lots of money. Lots! I just want it all, time, money, a job I enjoy - being my own boss, and I have all of that - but it's never enough.

[Rmtt]

I guess that I'm a risk taker in general. Every job I ever had, my dad would tell me "you should be happy where you are at"......but I would usually change anyway.

Met a lot of connections this way, and have worked in so many fields. That is what is good about my degree, I can work in Chemicals (present), distribution, construction, etc. The degree translates across almost any field.

My biggest risk was probably switching careers to a field that I had no experience with, while I had a Terminally Ill child at home and a steady job already.

But it payed off.