Strategically compounding correlated variables

A reader read a draft of my essay on measuring early stage progress, and said, that’s cute, but a more interesting question is what we should be compounding in the first place. Everyone seems to agree that: Compounding is powerful, and compounding good things is good Many things compound, including: wealth, skills, health, and relationships But then you hear some people say, tighten your belt in your twenties, don’t go out as much, and invest your savings and you’ll be set in old age And other people say: live it up in your twenties, experiences are what matters, you’ll never be young again, and who knows if you/your investments will survive until your RV-in-Arizona retirement. And other people say: go to college, and then some more college, and then some more college, and then your hourly wage will be so high you can wipe out all that student debt in the blink of an eye. (I have missed the boat on advice on how to spend your twenties, but it’s been closer to 2 and 3 than to #1.) But…

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