At 35, I can look back at my financial decisions from 22-35 and identify the five that moved the needle the most.

1. Getting the full 401k match at my first job — this required no real sacrifice and established the saving habit before lifestyle inflation could catch up.

2. Buying a used car with cash at 28 — freed up $400/month that went directly to investments. That $400/month for 7 years at 7% return is now worth about $42,000.

3. Refinancing my student loans from 6.8% to 4.1% — saved $8,000 in interest over the remaining term.

4. Moving to a slightly cheaper apartment when my lease came up instead of automatically upgrading — saved $350/month for 4 years.

5. Not selling in March 2020 — this one's easy to forget but holding through the crash and recovery was worth tens of thousands in the compound growth that followed.

None of these required exotic strategies. They were all ordinary decisions made slightly more carefully than the default.