AZLibertarian: I am also a Libertarian, I agree with many conservative ideas. The only thing that is sad about my life is that I keep getting older (21 and counting), and I will eventually die. Other than that I am happy. I have noticed that many Democrats are suicidal, especially the ones that hang out at DU. It has come up in many threads, especially as there number one or two reason for gun control. Despite the fact that easy access to firearms does not increase the suicide rate.
My guide to financial success to young people is. Get a part time job as soon as you can, age 14 or younger would be great. Plan wisely on what if anything to spend the money on. A few hundred a month is a lot of money to a young kid. Hopefully the person in question likes knowledge of physical things, engineering, and mechanics. That can save a fortune throughout the persons life.
By age 16 research and buy a car you want. Try to learn to wrench on your own vehicles. Buy one that has a good condition to price ratio. I suggest Honda, Toyota, or Mazda for cars, or domestic for trucks. They can last forever, have lots of cheap parts available, and they are easy to work on. If you can avoid payments you can also avoid having to get a lot of insurance. You should save enough on insurance beyond liability to pay for the car after a few years. If you like high performance cars the same thing applies, except you transfer all the parts to the new one if anything were to happen.
Write down and understand your financial situation. You may be amazed at what interest, or small things like food can cost if you do not pay attention. Buying food from gas stations or vending machines as you need it really adds up. Many people would be amazed how much money they spend day to day on things they do not notice.
Motorcycles are a cheap source of transportation, and a lot of fun. It is like taking a roller coaster to work.
I plan on living at home until I finish college this spring, and save up enough money to build my house.
www.aidomes.com 30K, my labor, plus land will get me my own 900sq ft home with half. With a bit of optimism I could own it free and clear by age 23. Adding on later would be easy. I then intend to build a street legal race car
www.attackforums.com and a highly modified jeep wrangler
www.jeepaholics.com With my fabrication and mechanical skills they should last almost forever. That will save me tons in the long run, and I will never have to make payments.
For firearms and other hobbies I usually own a small number of higher value-to-me items. I research seemingly simple things for hours, and enjoy doing it.