Kevin O’Leary has been vocal about saving money for years. In 2024, he said people who spend $5 on coffee are “idiots” and doubled down on his disdain for wasteful spending earlier this month — “I can’t stand it when I see kids that are making 70 grand a year spending $28 for lunch,” he said on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast.
Now, in a post on X on Monday, the longtime “Shark Tank” investor explained why he feels this way, noting that his children received the same advice at a very young age.
“What’s the first piece of advice I gave my kids about money, and the last piece of advice, and the advice I always give them? Don’t spend it,” O’Leary said. “Save it. Invest it. Let it compound.”
O’Leary said that the market gives 8% to 10% interest, so take a set amount from every paycheck, gift, or income of any kind, and invest it.
Save. Invest. Compound. It’s that simple.
I don’t care if it’s a gift from grandma or your paycheck, 15% of everything goes to work. Do it long enough? You’ll be rich. pic.twitter.com/mRjrOn9tWG
— Kevin O’Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) July 14, 2025
“Take 15% of every paycheck, I don’t care how big it is. Or any gift Granny gives you. Or anything you get in a side hustle, and invest it,” O’Leary said in the video.
With this system, O’Leary says that by the time you are 65, you’ll have “millions in the bank, even if you only have a salary of $65,000.”
However, there is one caveat to it all: “Just don’t buy crap you don’t need,” he said. (And we know he means $5 coffee and $15 desk salads.)
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