What Financial Advice Would You Give A 20 Year-Old?

I’m going to make a statement that you may find controversial: You’re a financial success. I say it’s controversial because I meet a lot of people who are either on the precipice of retirement or have recently retired, yet they feel that they don’t have enough saved, or they just haven’t done as great a job, financially, as they would have liked.

Consider for a moment the odds that are working against a person who’s trying to reach financial retirement. Choosing the wrong career, the wrong spouse, or to not save early and aggressively, can all wreak havoc on a person’s retirement plans. Moreover, factors outside one’s control, like illness, tragedy, or just a poor general environment in which to grow up in, can derail the best laid-plans. Yet here you are, able to consider no longer working because your money now works for you! That’s incredible when you think about it.

Given where you are in life, I want to ask you to share something with me. I’d like to hear what advice you’d give a 20 year-old, and pretend they’d actually listen and implement some of what you suggest. If you’re having thoughts race through your head right now, will you hit reply on this email and let me know what’s come to your mind? I’d really like to hear from you.

Not only am I a Dad to six daughters who will soon enough have to navigate their own financial matters, but I’m becoming more and more aware that this generation of young people can’t rely on company pensions and social security in the same way their grandparents have. I’m considering ways to reach out and help this generation discover financial wisdom. Until the means to that end are more clear, I’d like to hear from you, the very people who’ve been there, done that.

Again, please consider sending me your thoughts on this matter. It doesn’t have to be a long message or even spellchecked; just let me know what you’d like 20 year-olds to know that you wish you’d known.

Thanks, in advance, for your input. I’m listening…

All the best,
Adam Cufr Signature