What Financial Advice Would You Give Your Younger Self?

• Get a part-time job in 15 years and put half of every salary into your savings account.
• Even saving an extra $1 a week can make a difference in your financial future.
• Never underestimate the power of integration. Start early and keep giving.
• Always have an emergency fund.
• Start saving/investing early.
• Live on half of your income and save the other half (or as close to this as possible).
• Save as much as you can before having children.
• Set your account to automatically deposit money into savings and/or investment accounts every month so you don’t have to remember.

SPENDING:

• If you don’t have cash, don’t use your credit card.
• You will remove most of the items you have collected. Don’t buy things!
• Think twice, or even thrice, before clicking buy!
• Buying fancy clothes, accessories, and cars is a waste of money.
• Set a budget and actually stick to it.

INVESTMENT:

• Start investing early. Don’t stop contributing to your investment accounts no matter what.
• Open an IRA at 18 and automatically deposit $10 a month until you can handle more.
• Find a good financial advisor.
• Don’t withdraw from your investment account even if you feel it’s the only way to pay off your debts.
• Start saving for your children’s college early with a 529 account.
• Invest in real estate and rentals — their value continues to grow.

CREDIT:

• Go to public school. Private liberal arts colleges are not eligible for student loans.
• Don’t finance anything other than your house. Credit cards and car payments are just a waste of money.
• Pay more toward your mortgage every month — it goes toward principal and you’ll pay it off faster.
• Put down your credit cards – maybe even cut them up.
• Don’t get a school loan — it’s not worth it.
• Don’t get into debt. Time!

OTHER:

• Live simply! Just because you have money doesn’t mean you have to spend it.
• Take good care of your health. Medical care is expensive.
• Don’t let your emotions get the better of you.
• No one cares what car you drive. Find something inexpensive to get you from point A to point B.
• Don’t worry about “keeping up with the Joneses — they may be in debt!”
• Take Dave Ramsey’s classes.
• Don’t overdo it at Christmas (or birthdays or other holidays). Be together and be happy.
• If you make a bad financial decision, just make sure you learn something from it.
• Make sure you enjoy your money while you have it (within reason). You don’t need to save all the money for “someday” because “someday” may never come and you can’t take your money with you when you leave.
• Learn as much as you can about investing, CDs, stocks, mutual funds, etc. Keep reading.
• Don’t buy a house with a friend or sibling (or anyone you plan to live with for a very long time.)
• Tenth faithfully, no matter what.

You may also enjoy:

• What Would You Give Up or Do Differently If You Had to Reduce Your Monthly Expenses?
• 45+ Things You Might Forget to Budget For
• How Can I Stick to a Budget If I Have a Fixed Income?
• How Can I Budget for Variable Expenses?
• 55+ Simple Tips for Saving Money at Home
• What to Do When You’re Tired of Saving
• 35 Things You Shouldn’t Buy

Lots of great advice here! Anything else to add? I would love to hear!