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As soon as you start working in Canada, society hands you a script: Get a car. Buy a house. Upgrade your lifestyle. Repeat. I decided to write my own. When I got my first $60K tech job, I made 5 highly unpopular choices that most people around me didn't understand. Those choices are exactly how I built my first $100,000. 1️⃣ I refused to buy a car. Between insurance, gas, and financing, a car in Ontario can easily burn $800+/month. I used transit for my daily commute and delayed buying a car for several years. I saved the difference, and invested that money instead. 2️⃣ I rented and ignored the housing FOMO. Everyone told me "renting is throwing money away." But rushing into a massive mortgage on a starter salary traps your cash flow and freedom. I put all those savings into buying stocks and ETFs. 3️⃣ I soon realized corporate loyalty alone doesn't create wealth. A few percent raise every year wasn't going to change my financial future. Once I had a few years of experience, I aggressively looked for higher-paying roles instead of waiting to be noticed/promoted. 4️⃣ I avoided lifestyle inflation. I put my ego aside. I didn't upgrade my apartment or buy luxury clothes when my income started scaling. Keeping my expenses controlled gave me the freedom to invest more. This is something I still follow. 5️⃣ I prioritized building wealth over looking wealthy. Every extra dollar went straight into broad-market ETFs inside my TFSA and RRSP which allowed me to reach my 100k milestone quickly. Building wealth as an immigrant requires making decisions that feel uncomfortable today for a better tomorrow. The crowd chases status. I chose flexibility and freedom. I went from $10.20/hour to over $185K+ as a Senior Engineer by playing smart offense with my career and defense with my lifestyle. I learned that wealth is built by combining two things: 🚀 Increase your income aggressively 🛡️ Keep your lifestyle from growing at the same speed Follow along if you're building your career and wealth in Canada 🇨🇦 #personalfinance #financialfreedom #canadapersonalfinance #canada #canada🇨🇦  reelsinstagram reelitfeelit reelkarofeelkaro