Success

The money advice Mark Wahlberg would give his younger self

Share
Mark Wahlberg (aka Marky Mark) poses for a photo at a party at the Limelight nightclub in February 1992 in New York City, New York.
Catherine McGann | Archive Photos | Getty Images

Before he was a movie star, a teenage Mark Wahlberg was known as pop idol Marky Mark, of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, whose 1991 album was a huge success.

In 1992, Wahlberg became the face of Calvin Klein underwear, before launching his film career later that decade.

L-R) Jack Wallace, Rickey Jay Nicole, Ari Parker, Burt Reynolds, William H Macy, Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly and Phillip Seymour Hoffman pose on set of the movie 'Boogie Nights ' , circa 1997
Michael Ochs Archives | Getty Images

Flash forward to 2017, and Wahlberg was named the world's highest-paid actor by Forbes for bringing in $68 million.

Today, Wahlberg is a savvy investor and entrepreneur: He is co-owner of his family's fast food chain, Wahlburgers as well as the water brand AQUAhydrate (with partner Sean "Diddy" Combs). He also has a health and supplements company, Performance Inspired Nutrition, and most recently, he bought a minority stake in Australian Fitness Franchise F45 Training.

Mark Wahlberg and F45 Training Source: F45 Training

While Wahlberg has a lot to talk about, he says the question he asked the most is about the money advice he would give his younger self.

"People ask me that question all the time. The problem is [young Mark] would never listen, and he thought he had it all figured out," Wahlberg tells CNBC Make It.

But Wahlberg says that if he did get the chance to go back, he would think about the "bigger picture" earlier on.

"Everybody is about: 'What am I going to do today?' But I think having a long-term plan and strategy is the most important thing you can do" when it comes to money, he says.

Wahlberg says he wishes he would have taken the first couple of paychecks he made as an entertainer and invested in furthering his education.

"I would have studied business," Wahlberg says.

Wahlberg dropped out of high school in the ninth grade but received his diploma at the age of 42 in 2013 after taking classes online.

Though he is lucky enough to be able to call anybody he wants to get business advice thanks to his Hollywood ties — for example, he called billionaire Nelson Peltz to get his advice on the AQUAhydrate deal after Peltz's daughter acted with Wahlberg in "Transformers: Age of Extinction" — he still wishes he had a business degree to fall back on.

But Wahlberg has been able to learn on the fly and he has said he believes the key to getting ahead is to ask questions.

One thing Wahlberg says he would not change is investing only in things that are a direct extension of who he is.

"I don't venture off into things that I don't necessarily utilize and connect within my everyday life," he says.

Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook.

Don't miss:

Neuroscientist: Skip breakfast sometimes and 2 other simple tips to boost your brain performance

The habits Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles uses to boost his performance

This $50 million L.A. mega-home has a lavish secret buried underground
VIDEO2:5302:53
This $50 million L.A. mega-home has a lavish secret buried underground