Thank you ahead of time for taking the time to post your thoughts on the following inquiry. I just wanted to take a few minutes to propose a thought experiment in hopes of sparking a discussion on what the practical strategies to achieving financial success are and what the necessary disciplines one must apply to get there. Practical strategies, in this case, can assume a starting point for a person with "x amount" to invest and is ready to start today. What do they do? Assigning your own value to "x" will affect the roadmap - What are your best/worst case scenarios, what is "x" for each scenario and what does the roadmap look like for each? For this purpose lets presuppose discipline as the barrier to entry or antecedent to strategy, at least any plausible one. What does it look like with a 45k salary for single mom with zero investment experience that just received an inheritance of "x", or the 80k salary for a single income household with 3 kids, a < 2k/mo mortgage?

If this isn't interesting enough, posit your own variables but try and keep them realistic. The idea behind this isn't novel of course, but a way to circumvent the endless and crowded sea of opinions and narrative shaping charlatans that make their daily bread by deluding the curious minds of some vague one-size-fits-all approach... but oak trees don't grow over night. 

If its interesting, lets hear what you have to say! 

Cheers, Big Ears