In a perfect world, you would have made some wise investments when you were in your 20s. Then, you could build on those investments and have a vast portfolio well before you hit 50. The world isn't perfect, though, and you made some financial mistakes over the years. No matter how much you move up in the corporate world, you still have difficulty overcoming errors of the past. You might think you're doomed to be punished by the past forever, but that isn't the case.