Kevin O’Leary isn’t interested in your excuses – especially one wrapped in a bow.
In a 2020 interview with CNBC, the “Shark Tank” investor didn’t just suggest setting aside money. He issued instructions. “I don’t care if it’s a gift for your birthday present,” O’Leary said. “You should take 10% of your paycheck every two weeks and invest it.” Paychecks, birthday cards, cash from your side hustle scooping ice cream—it all counts. If it gets your hands on it, O’Leary expects 10% of it to go out the door and grow somewhere else.
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The concept is simple: build wealth through continuous, automated investing. “When you’re 21, or 20 or 18 or 19 and you start putting away 10% of what you make, you [have] By the time you’re 65, you’ll have over $1,000,000,” he said. But he didn’t stop there. “If no one else is going to worry about your retirement, I want you to worry about it.”
And for those already whispering about tight budgets or rent bills? He’s heard it before—and he’s not buying it. “People say, ‘I can’t afford that! I can barely afford my rent!’ But it’s not true, you buy junk everyday.”
Yes, he said “bullshit”. And he meant it.
A guy who built an empire out of software and straight talk doesn’t have much tolerance for unnecessary spending. “Would I pay $2.50 for a coffee? Never, never, never do that,” O’Leary told CNBC. “It’s such a waste of money for the cost of 20 cents.” Yes, this interview is a few years old—it’s cool to find coffee for under $3 in 2026—but the point stands. Inflation may have jacked up your drip, but the principle still holds strong: make it home, pocket the savings, invest the rest.
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It doesn’t stop at coffee. O’Leary said he also pared down his wardrobe. No spiraling closet of impulse buys – just 20 black suits, 20 white shirts, 20 black ties. It’s less a fashion statement than a money mantra: The less you spend on junk, the more you can do.
And where should that money go? O’Leary particularly likes exchange-traded funds for investors who aren’t ready to dive deep into individual stocks. “You should never have all your eggs in one basket, you should never have just one stock,” he said. ETFs offer built-in diversification – covering everything from energy to tech commodities. It’s an easy on-ramp for beginners, with the added benefit of sleepy-night stability.
