Todd PolkeInvestment Strategist l Wealth Coach l Speaker, Todd Polke · Investment Strategist l Helping Investors and Business Owners grow their Wealth Faster

I lost "the whole bloody lot" in my 20s. Here’s why it won't happen again

24 Mar 2026 · 0 min

Watch on YouTube

0:25

In this personal‑finance monologue, the speaker stresses that true wealth comes from preserving what you earn, not merely accumulating assets. He recounts a stark personal failure: after building substantial wealth in his early twenties, he lost it all because he failed to protect his portfolio. This experience drives his call to construct a robust financial structure that safeguards assets and ensures that past mistakes won’t be repeated.

The next thing is that we then need to build a structure because you've got to protect your portfolio. Wealth isn't created just because you can buy a few assets. It's not about how much you make, it's about how much you keep. Now, what I haven't shared with you, I mean, I didn't go through my entire story, but I had the outrageous privilege of losing everything in my early 20s. I built a lot of wealth and I proceeded to lose the whole bloody lot and have to start all over again because I didn't protect myself.