You’ve probably seen that headline before. So many writers have used that line to rope in readers, then give you advice that was fresh at one point but is now generic.

“The best investment you can make is an investment in yourself. In your own education, your skills, your character.”

It’s sage advice.

Let’s be real though. It’s not why you opened this email.

You opened this email to make money. Because you saw that subject, and a little part of you thought I might have the goose that lays golden eggs.

What is the best investment you can make in your twenties? First, let’s start with a guiding principle to make sense of the advice.

You’ve probably heard people say you shouldn’t worry about making money in your twenties. Your twenties are for good times and exploration.

Don’t listen to those people. They are salty. Your twenties are the best years to focus on making as much money as you can. It holds true that once you make your first (dollar, thousand dollars, million dollars) the next (whatever amount) is easy. So make it quick and take your foot off the gas as you get older. Not the other way around.

Which leads us to the real investing advice. The absolute best investment you can make in your 20s is an investment in your financial infrastructure.

Your financial infrastructure is the system you use to turn $1 into more than one dollar.

Let me ask you this. When you get a check for $1,000, how much of that goes into your savings? Investment accounts? Do you have a certain credit card debt threshold you don’t allow yourself to go above?

At what savings benchmark do you start to look at a bigger investment like real estate? Is any of the transferring from one account to another automated?

You lack financial infrastructure if you don’t have answers to these questions.

And although rarely talked about, financial infrastructure is the basics of investing. You wouldn’t try to write a book if you can’t first write a paragraph.

So don’t try to make money investing if you haven’t first invested in your financial infrastructure.

Here are some books to get you started:

Rich Dad Poor Dad

Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

The Psychology of Money