Kevin O’Leary isn’t interested in your excuses—especially the ones wrapped in a bow.

In a 2020 interview with CNBC, the “Shark Tank” investor didn’t just suggest setting money aside. He issued a directive. “I don’t care if it’s a gift for your birthday present,” O’Leary said. “You have to take 10% of your paycheck every two weeks and invest it.” Paychecks, birthday cards, cash from your side hustle scooping ice cream—it all counts. If it lands in your hands, O’Leary expects 10% of it to be out the door and growing somewhere else.

Don’t Miss:

• The AI Marketing Platform Backed by Insiders from Google, Meta, and Amazon — Invest at $0.85/Share

• Missed the AI Boom’s Biggest IPOs? This Platform Lets Everyday Investors Access Private Tech Early

The concept is simple: build wealth through consistent, automatic investing. “When you’re 21 years old, or 20 or 18 or 19 and you start putting aside 10% of what you make, you’ll [have] over $1,000,000 by the time you’re 65,” he said. But he didn’t stop there. “If no one else is going to worry about your retirement, I want you to worry about it.”

And for those already whispering about tight budgets or rent bills? He’s heard it before—and he’s not buying it. “People say, ‘I can’t afford that! I can barely afford my rent!’ But it’s not true, you buy crap you don’t need every day.”

Yes, he said “crap.” And he meant it.

The guy who built an empire off software and straight talk doesn’t have much tolerance for unnecessary spending. “Do I pay $2.50 for a coffee? Never, never, never do I do that,” O’Leary told CNBC. “That is such a waste of money for something that costs 20 cents.” Granted, this interview is a few years old—good luck finding a coffee under $3 in 2026—but the point stands. Inflation may have jacked up your drip, but the principle still brews strong: make it at home, pocket the savings, invest the rest.

Trending: GM-Backed EnergyX Is Solving the Lithium Supply Crisis — Invest Before They Scale Global Production

It doesn’t stop at coffee. O’Leary said he downsized his wardrobe too. No revolving closet of impulse buys—just 20 black suits, 20 white shirts, 20 black ties. It’s less a fashion statement than a money mantra: the less you spend on junk, the more you can put to work.

And where should that money go? O’Leary likes exchange-traded funds especially for investors who aren’t ready to deep-dive into individual stocks. “You should never have all of your eggs in one basket, you should never own just one stock,” he said. ETFs offer built-in diversification—covering everything from energy to tech to commodities. It’s an easier on-ramp for beginners, with the added benefit of sleep-at-night stability.