Studying Money Relentlessly: The Only Way to Change Your Future 10 Years from Now

Author Park So-yeon · Publisher Maven · Published 2026-07-10 · ISBN 9791199798144

About the Book

"Investing after forty should be a game of 'not losing' rather than 'earning big'
And the only way to change your future 10 years from now is through financial literacy."

- For those worried about being left behind when others are making money
The most realistic advice from a 25-year veteran analyst

In the investment market, forty is an age where one can easily waver. Those in their twenties or thirties still have plenty of time. They can start over even if they fail, and there's enough time to recover from losses. But forty is different. The physical time available for working hard is limited. Moreover, misguided investments can shake a household's finances.

Therefore, investing after forty should be a game of 'not losing' before it's a 'game of earning big.' Because if you lose money due to bad investments, your money decreases, and your life choices narrow. Retirement planning gets delayed, children's education plans falter, the freedom to quit your job becomes more distant, and you might have to do unwanted work for longer. Therefore, after forty, not losing is paramount. Of course, market prices always fluctuate, and good assets can temporarily decline. But irreversible losses must be avoided. This is why financial literacy must precede any investment. The author tells those in their forties that the only way to change their future 10 years from now is through financial literacy.

"This book will not be very helpful for those looking for a blockbuster stock that will make them a fortune right now, or for those who want to know which industries will be promising in the future. But if you want to make money regardless of whether the market is up or down, and if you want to live comfortably without financial worries in retirement, then I strongly recommend that you study finance diligently. Starting with this book, study finance rigorously for just one year. That time will surely change your future 10 years from now."

"Even if there comes a time when you can't earn money,
the cash flow you've designed in advance will protect you."

- Why creating cash flow is the answer rather than saving 1 billion won

We need cash every month. Whether rich or poor, everyone needs three meals a day, a home to sleep in at night, and a certain level of living expenses. If you have 1 billion won in financial assets but keep spending it, it will eventually run out. However, someone who has created a cash flow of 3 million won per month through national pension, retirement pension, and private pension can maintain a stable life in retirement even without 1 billion won. Even if a time comes when you can't earn money, the cash flow you've designed in advance will protect you. So, if you want to change your future 10 years from now, start designing your cash flow now.

For instance, what if you manage to save money and contribute 9 million won to your pension account each year? If you contribute for 20 years starting at age forty and achieve an annual return of 7%, your monthly pension payout will be 4.29 million won. All of this is possible because you started at age forty. Therefore, the saying "Even ordinary people can become pension millionaires if they prepare well" is not a lie. The important thing is that if you want to become wealthy by leveraging the power of compounding, it is always more advantageous to start at 40 than at 50, and always more advantageous to start at 30 than at 40.

So, if you dream of a comfortable retirement, start as early as possible and set a financial goal to contribute 9 million won to your pension each year. Simply by changing the direction of your financial education from "how much to save" to "how to make it flow," retirement might not seem as daunting as you think. That is the power of cash flow. You will soon realize why creating cash flow is not just a technique for saving money, but a life skill that removes anxiety and secures freedom of choice.

"The amount of study the wealthy undertake is beyond imagination.
And they never invest a single penny without studying, under any circumstances."

- From the basic principles of investing learned from investment masters and classics over 25 years
to the minimal financial literacy a forty-year-old needs, the art of making capitalism work for you

Over the past 25 years, the author has witnessed the creation of numerous wealthy individuals while working in the securities industry. And she discovered one commonality among them: they all studied and deliberated intensely, then concentrated their investments only on what they were confident in, and thus became wealthy. However, opportunities for concentrated investment come at most two or three times in a lifetime. This is because there is a limit to the amount of knowledge a person can study and absorb, and to the total capital they can invest.

And the hardest thing in investing is not finding good stocks, but holding onto them until the end. However, most people fail to hold onto good companies for long. Even excellent company stocks can experience significant short-term declines, and if you lack conviction, you succumb to volatility and sell the stock. On the other hand, someone who deeply understands a company's business model, competitive advantages, and industry structure remains steadfast. This is because they have their own clear criteria for "why they bought it." Conviction comes from deep understanding, and deep understanding is only gained through thorough study. This is why great investors repeatedly emphasize studying, and why those who neglect to study can never become wealthy.

Even now, the wealthy are fiercely and ceaselessly studying finance. This is to ensure they don't miss opportunities where the potential gains overwhelmingly outweigh the potential losses. So, before complaining, "Why isn't it working for me?", one should ask themselves: "How intensely am I studying finance?" Because an investor who doesn't study will ultimately invest based on someone else's conviction, and there's a high probability they'll pay the price with their own money. This book compiles practical know-how to make capitalism work for you, from the basic principles of investing that the author learned from investment masters and classics over 25 years, to the three main methods for creating cash flow, and the minimal financial literacy a forty-year-old needs. For those who want to invest but find economic news difficult, and don't know how to save and grow their money, this book will be a useful guide to financial literacy that can be immediately applied.

"At forty, you're not too late. And the freedom to no longer do unwanted work, the freedom to spend more time with the people you want, awaits your choice."

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE | Forty, It's Not Too Late

CHAPTER 1 | Financial Literacy, The Only Way to Change Your Future 10 Years from Now

We Might Live to 140
Why I Don't Answer the Question, "Which Stocks Should I Buy?"
Forty, Is It Already Too Late?
Team Leader Kim's Painful Lesson
The Only Way to Change Your Future 10 Years from Now
The First Question to Check Before Studying Finance
Cash Flow Design Comes Before 'Saving 1 Billion Won'
A Saying You Must Never Forget as Stock Prices Rise
The Minimal Financial Literacy a Forty-Year-Old Must Have

CHAPTER 2 | Investment Principles Learned from Investment Masters and Classics Over 25 Years

The Unexpected Idea That Made George Soros Rich
Those Who Waver During Market Crashes Can Never Become Rich
The Real Reason Successful Investors Are Wary of Luck
Why I Consistently Take My Vitamins Every Day
The Essence of Wealth Learned from Hwashik Yeoljeon
Why the Wealthy Don't Dismiss a 10% Return
How to Grow Money Regardless of Bull or Bear Markets
Why I Recommend Hegel to Those in Their Forties

CHAPTER 3 | How Do They Get Even Richer?

The Amount of Study the Wealthy Undertake Is Beyond Imagination
Why Did the Wealthy Choose Concentrated Investment Instead of Diversified Investment?
A Person's Life Depends on How They Spend 30,000 Won
The Most Certain Answer to 'How Much Should I Bet?'
How Asset Allocation Makes the Rich Even Richer
The Real Reason the Wealthy Are Obsessed with Taxes
How the Wealthy Invest in Gold, Dollars, and Bitcoin

CHAPTER 4 | Diligent Financial Study

Anything Can Happen in the Stock Market at Any Time
The 3 Basic Principles of Financial Study
What's More Important Than Reading Trends
There's a Separate Way of Thinking That Makes Money
Things That People Who Have Invested Are More Likely to Miss
The Simplest Way to Reduce Wasting Money

CHAPTER 5 | A 25-Year Veteran Analyst's Practical Investment Strategy

Forty Is the Best Time to Create Cash Flow
Principle 1 for Creating Cash Flow: Don't Casually Quit Your Job
Principle 2 for Creating Cash Flow: Owning a Home Comes Before an Expensive Apartment
Principle 3 for Creating Cash Flow: Financially Literate People Start with Tax Study
3 Main Methods for Creating Cash Flow
Creating Cash Flow Ultimately Requires Execution
You Can Also Become a Pension Millionaire
A Rule You Must Remember If You Want to Become a Wealthy Grandmother

CHAPTER 6 | A Message for You Who Are Still Going to Work Tomorrow

Everyone Experiences Strong Tackles in Life: Career
How to Survive Triumphantly in the Battlefield of Life: The Art of Success
The Dignity of a Forty-Year-Old Depends on How They Act in Difficult Times: Attitude Towards Life
Don't Try Too Hard Alone: The Conditions of a Leader
The Commonality of Those Who Ultimately Succeed: Human Relationships
Why a Legendary Investor Suddenly Retired at 46: Aging