41-Year-Old Who Escaped 9-To-5, Became Rich Through Stocks Shares Portfolio - 'The Best Thing in Life is Freedom'

Investing in the stock market remains one of the most efficient ways to get rich over the long term. A TD Asset Management report showed a hypothetical portfolio of $10,000 invested in the broader market at the end of 1991 would have grown to $60,000 by the close of 2021. However, just missing 1% of the best market days slashes the final portfolio value to $3,750.

About six months ago, someone asked investors on r/Stocks — a Reddit community with more than 8 million followers — whether anyone in the community actually got rich just by equities investing. The question drew over 800 responses, with many investors sharing interesting success stories and advice.

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An investor said stock investing significantly added to his wealth over a period of two decades. However, he, 41, advised young investors to first work to increase their earning potential and then use the stock market to compound wealth.

"Investing is slow. It is a much better investment to hone a very good career or learn skills that are marketable and open a business or get a really good job. My portfolio could sustain a simpler lifestyle now (roughly 100k a year in dividends) but lifestyle creep is real and I do enjoy some of the finer things. So I will work and continue to let it compound for another 10 – 15 years. But the joy is having options, I made the choice to keep working and I have the option to not to if I want to make some changes. The best thing you can have in life is freedom, idle time is not my goal," he said.

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The investor, who left his regular job to start a business years ago, said at one point he liquidated all his holdings but piled into the market again when it crashed in 2008. That's when his wealth began to compound.

"2008 hit. Surprisingly the business was still moderately successful, it was small at the time and nimble. Not a lot of overhead, so that cash I had sitting there I reinvested at a very favorable point, that would be where the 500k became 1m+. More recently the Covid crash provided a lot of opportunities because I sold a few rentals at the end of 2019 and had cash yet again… and it wasn’t an easy choice as I had probably 1m in paper losses at the time but I still reinvested most of that near the bottom."

Let's take a look at some of the stocks in the portfolio that helped the investor increase his wealth. We will also review some of his relatively newer picks that are not performing well as of today.

Advanced Micro Devices

The investor said his "biggest" gains came from Advanced Micro Devices AMD as he bought the stock when it was trading at around $8. Today, AMD shares are hovering around $111. However, the stock is under pressure as the company struggles to keep up with competitors in the AI race. Its latest data center numbers failed to impress Wall Street. Citi recently downgraded the stock to Neutral from Buy and slashed its price target to $110 from $170.

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Nvidia

The investor said he first bought Nvidia NVDA shares they were trading at around $250, before stock splits. Wall Street is gearing up for Nvidia's latest quarterly results scheduled to be released later this month. Evercore ISI recently added the stock to its Tactical Outperform list. The firm said its latest checks show the concerns regarding DeepSeek impacting chip demand are untrue as lower compute cost would boost token demand.

Broadcom

The investor who became rich by investing in stocks said he piled into Broadcom AVGO when the stock was trading at around $400, before stock splits. Last month, Oppenheimer called Broadcom one of its top semiconductor picks for 2025. The stock is up 85% over the past 12 months.

Texas Roadhouse 

Steakhouse chain Texas Roadhouse TXRH was one of the stocks that made the investor rich as he bought it when it was trading at around $35. Today, the stock price is around $170. TXRH has gained over 1,300% since its IPO in 2004.

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Nike

Nike NKE was one of the relatively recent additions to the investor's portfolio. He said at the time that his Nike position was up 13%. However, Nike shares are under pressure lately, having lost over 3.6% since the start of 2025. Citi analyst Paul Lejuez recently downgraded the stock to Neutral from Buy, saying Nike's turnaround plan may take longer than expected. 

Kinsale Capital

Specialty-insurance company Kinsale Capital Group Inc KNSL was an interesting, under-the-radar stock pick of the investor. The stock is up 15% over the past 12 months. At the time of his post, the investor said his KNSL position was up 23%. Earlier this month the company raised its quarterly dividend by over 13%. 

Match Group

Dating apps company Match Group MTCH was also a part of the investor's portfolio. He said at the time of his post that his position in the company was up 10%. However, the stock recently plunged after the company gave first-quarter revenue guidance that missed Wall Street estimates and indicated an annual decline.

Zscaler

Cloud security company Zscaler Inc ZS was also in the portfolio of the investor. The stock is down 17% over the past year. Recently, Scotiabank increased its price target on ZS to $225 from $205.

Wondering if your investments can get you to a $5,000,000 nest egg? Speak to a financial advisor today. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you up with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you.

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