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I lucked into a lucrative job when I was 17 and worked my ass off at it. I'm not RICH rich, but I was in the 1% salary bracket throughout my 20s and I have done well by any standard.

I did an OK job of capitalizing on the windfall, making some good decisions and some poor ones too.

The lessons I took away:

- having money can be surreal, but don't mention it too often or to the wrong people. My #1 regret that I reminded my friends of where I was at way more often than was necessary. You're asking them to share the burden of surreality without sharing in the actual, you know, MONEY. So show some restraint. I must have been insufferable sometimes, but was fortunate to have good friends who stuck around and didn't take advantage.

- it's tempting to spend money on friends who can't afford to do so for themselves, but this will breed resentment. Do things they can afford.

- the incremental utility of (spent) cash drops off sharply once you have more of it than the average person. The system is rigged so that looking and feeling rich is absurdly expensive. If your savings plan doesn't pinch sometimes, it's too lax.

- one hidden cost of a baller lifestyle is that it lets the money define you, so that adjusting becomes a life-altering trauma instead of a budgeting exercise. Settle on a lifestyle and social circle that can weather your financial downturns.

- do everything you can to avoid dealing with people who work on commission.