© estrelas e limóns

The Big 4 payoff is like a lottery. You make partner, you get rewarded for those awful hours and those long busy seasons. If you leave before then, you have been suckered. You gave up a lot of hours at minimum wage to build someone else's firm; someone else's client relationships; someone else's partnership share. I spent years toiling at an awful salary to strengthen my firm and enrich the partners.

Don't work like this for an employer.

I regret those hours now. I have a good consulting gig, don't get me wrong. Leaving at 6 pm is a late day for me. I have few responsibilities and very little pressure. But if I had taken my 20s and poured those 100 hour work weeks into my own business, or even a small firm where I could have shared in the growth, I would have benefited enormously - more than just having a six-figure salary.

"I don't buy anything unless I need it," he said. "And even then I try to find something used. Let other people buy the new stuff. I try to scrounge for everything I need. It may not seem like much, but it makes a real difference. By pinching my pennies right along, I've been able to set aside money to invest. And now I can do whatever the hell I want."

I stopped by the mall and couldn't help but notice how packed the parking lot was yet few people inside actually shopping. Too many people hanging around the food court eating ice cream or pretzels. I could see many of the food shop owners hungry for customers as people were just milling about.

It occurred to me that shopping malls should start charging admittance fees.