Mark Cuban Wanted To Get Rich Enough To Retire By 35—Not To Quit Working, But For Freedom: 'Today Is the Youngest You'll Ever Be. Live Like It'

Before he became a billionaire, starred on "Shark Tank," sold the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, or trolled Elon Musk on social media, Mark Cuban had a much simpler dream: save up enough to retire by 35—not because he wanted to coast, but because he wanted to live.

In a 2020 episode of the "Venture Voice" podcast, Cuban laid it all out. His goal was never about sipping piña coladas at 11 a.m. It was about never having to ask permission again.

"I just wanna be able to do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I wanted to do it," he said. "And I got really good at it."

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That mindset didn't come out of thin air. It started with a beat-up Fiat, discount groceries, and a $200 budget for cars.

"Live like a student," Cuban said, channeling his inner FIRE bro — one of those financial independence, retire early types — before it even had a name. The formula? Stash cash, live cheap, and let interest rates do the heavy lifting.

"If I could save $100,000 and live off of, you know, 5… whatever it was. Right? 10,000 a 100,000, 10% interest rate," he continued. "So $100,000 went $10,000 a year. If I could get up to $250,000 then I'd have $25,000. Could I live off of that? Yeah. Back then, I thought I could live off of it and that was my orientation, save up enough so I could retire and live like a student."

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The big "why" behind that scrappy plan? Watching his dad grind away, six days a week, with hardly a minute to himself.

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"My dad really didn't have his own time to himself," Cuban recalled. "Every morning, you know, he was at work or leaving for work at 7 a.m., six days a week. You know, he got home at, you know, noon or 1 on Saturdays, and that was half a day off."

His father's go-to line—equal parts reminder and rally cry—stuck: "Today's the youngest you'll ever be. Live like it."

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So while most people saw retirement as an escape hatch, Cuban saw it as a power move. Not to stop working, but to own his time.

That's what $1 million meant to him back then. Not yacht money. Not jet money. Just enough to live, roam, and "party like a rock star" but still live like a student, as he once put it.

And now? He's still working. Still building. Still doing exactly what he wants.

Because for Cuban, that was always the point.

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