Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTAditi GangulyTue, August 11, 2026 at 6:20 PM GMT+2 12 min readNoam Galai/ Getty ImagesMoneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below.If you want to retire early, there's a lot of advice about how to do it, but CNBC's Jim Cramer says getting out of the rat race ahead of schedule means ditching just one bad investing habit for a couple of good ones."Trading is for people who professionally traded like I did," Cramer said (1). "We don't want that for you. We want compounding … We don't want short-term capital gains."Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being oneJPMorgan still sees gold hitting $5,000/oz by Q4 — and savvy investors are protecting their wealth with a tax-advantaged Gold IRA. Learn more with a free guide from Priority GoldThe tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028 — and experts say most people won't act in time. What to do before the window closesThe Mad Money host was referring to chasing stocks for turning a quick profit, in this case, specifically Gamestop. He called this kind of investing the equivalent of "musical chairs." The comparison was apt. As everyone who's played the party game knows, eventually the music ends, and someone's left without a seat."I like you to get in and stay in," Cramer added.Still, investing is a core part of getting ready for retirement — just look at the traditional 60/40 portfolio split between stocks and bonds. As Cramer implied, an early retirement doesn't mean not investing in the market. It means making sure your money compounds over the long-term. And chasing short-term gains can zero your accounts if you make a bad call.If early retirement is something you're striving for, you're not alone. Gen Z believes the ideal retirement age is 59, while Millennials believe it is 61, according to Manulife John Hancock's 2025 Financial Resilience and Longevity Study (2).These aspirations might be too ambitious, given the affordability crisis gripping this generation. TIAA's 2025 American Retirement Confidence Survey found that two in three Americans believe retiring even between the ages of 65 and 70 is unattainable — with many planning to work until they're physically unable to do so (3).If your goal is to retire early, you'll need to save aggressively early on in your career and invest your money wisely. Cramer has some guidance in that regard.Here are the three assets he's backed in the past, plus what you need to know about them.Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info