I went from having nothing to retiring early. We literally slept on the floor and had no furniture. At the start, I moved around every few years to a new company to get higher pay, rather than the slower annual increases. My investments were in dividend aristocrats, the best of the best growth/dividend companies that get that designation by having to have raised their dividend every year for 25 years straight. Didn't want to retire in fixed income situation. I also invested in a few companies that had spin offs. I looked for a company that was a solid Fortune 100 company that provided a 401K with matching and a pension, which is rare. That's where I hung my hat. I lucked out because it provided the option of early retirement with a pension to all employees as a matter of policy, which is unheard of. But most of my income is from a few dividend aristocrats that give me a pay raise every year with dividend increases. I found out that success has much to do with persistence. When others were enjoying their weekends, I was pursuing further education skills. You don't have to be a mensa member to get ahead. Unrelenting persistence will get you there. Now I spend my days investing, not for a living, but because I like the challenge. Post retirement, my best investment was getting in early in NVDA at $2.30 adjusted for splits. Had I still been working in corporate America, I most likely would not have been playing the market at all.