The Best $20 I Ever Invested and How It Changed My Life

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The Best $20 I Ever Invested and How It Changed My Life

We all have to start from somewhere, and for many, that’s close to zero. How do successful investors make their riches and start their businesses? Usually they take a small amount of money and put it towards a company, product or stock, then wait for it to grow. Others might find they use the money to invest in education, property or themselves to get the start-up energy flowing —

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GOBankingRates spoke with several successful investors who shared the best $20 they ever invested and how it changed their lives.

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Mike Wilson, founder and president at

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recalled, “I was working as a computer programmer, doing well with no intention of doing anything else professionally. Then, my mother was sold a high-commission annuity by her tax preparer. I knew it was not a good investment for my mother, but I had no idea what investment strategy/products made more sense.”

Wilson then went on to buy two books: Peter ******’s “What Works on Wall Street” (a “you can pick stocks” book) and Burton Malkiel’s “Random Walk Down Wall Street” (a “buy index funds” book) — paperbacks costing around $10 each.

“These books were both very convincing to me, and had almost completely different advice. I was hooked!” Wilson exclaimed. “Those books sent me on the path to learn more about the world of investing, which eventually led me to take an investment class in the local CFP program, which led to me taking all of the CFP classes, which gave me the wonderful opportunity to intern at a fee-only planning firm… It’s been almost 30 years since I bought those books and I’m still hooked.”

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Tim Hastings, general manager of

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, recounted his best $20 investment, which was along similar lines: “Well, the best $20 I ever invested that changed my life, was on an online course on the fundamentals of negotiation, and what makes this the most outstanding of all the investments I have made, is the fact that this investment has continued to generate profitable results both in professional career, and in my personal interactions.”

“The essential of effective communication is also another bonus that came with this $20 dollar self-improvement investment,” he continued. “What makes this a huge plus both in my career and personal journey, is the fact that this life skill has helped me better navigate negotiations in a way that better guarantees success, and this has helped improve the quality of my relationship with those I come in contact with.”

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Steven Kibbel, a financial planner, entrepreneur and Chief Editorial Advisor at

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, noted, “The best $20 I ever spent was on a finance book I found back in college.”

“That book was ‘The Richest Man in Babylon’ by George S. Clason,” Kibbel elaborated. “It might sound simple, but it broke down things in a way that just clicked, even if it was just about putting aside a bit of cash or not piling on debt.”

Kibbel also noted that purchasing the book was completely unplanned — something he merely grabbed on a whim. “But that small choice turned out to be huge,” he went on. “This book wasn’t just about investing or getting rich — it talked about how to save early, avoid debt traps and make your money work for you instead of the other way around. I realized that small steps can lead to big results, even if they’re slow.”

“That $20 investment didn’t instantly make me wealthy, but it changed how I looked at money,” Kibbel admitted. “Right after reading it, I opened a basic savings account and put away whatever I could — maybe $20 a week. It was small, but I saw it grow bit by bit. Later, I started with index funds, investing tiny amounts and watching the balance slowly build. I wasn’t taking huge risks, but I felt confident that I was building a strong foundation.”

All of these investments in one’s self may seem small in the grand scheme, but they just go to show that even $20 spent effectively can go a long ways toward improving your financial life and future.

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