Amway – sorry, A2K, right? Personally, I think it’s a load of rot, but good luck with it. Hope it works out well for you. Just realise that it is more of a 2nd job than a passive income stream when every spare hour of your life is dedicated to attending lectures, listening to tapes, spreading the word, etc. TANSTAAFL – there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.

People I know who were able to retire by 30:

Family friends of ours who came out from Italy to cut cane in the 1940’s. Both brothers fixed care in their spare time, working like dogs to get enough money to buy their own garage (they still own it, but it’s now rented). The older brother became an apprentice builder and taught his younger brother everything he was taught. When they had money, they bought land, built houses on it and rented them to get the money to buy the next etc. Eventually they built 10 units which they just sold a few years ago for 5 million dollars. They’re both in their 70’s now with property portfolios well in the millions and they’re still building/renovating homes all the time for their children and grandchildren.

Guy I went to school with was kicked out of school at 16 on account of drug use. Six months later he’d cleaned himself up and decided to put his remarkable brain to use. He got himself a job with a share broker, learnt everything he could and started investing heavily himself. He’s 24 now, still clean and well past the stage where he needs a job to support himself.

As for people that are rich in science… yeah, I know of a couple, but not everyone can come up with something to patent. Too bad. [glum2]