How to Save and Invest

When I was a young adult, I didn’t earn a lot; I struggled to save anything and had a credit card as my emergency fund. Fast forward to now, I can see the wisdom and foolishness of some of my decisions. Here are five key lessons that I learned:People Pay for Expertise! As I’ve gained experience and developed skills, I have found that people pay me a lot more. When I was younger, I blamed my lack of success on others—I didn’t want to acknowledge that I wasn’t bringing a lot to the table. I got past this roadblock by learning how to learn—the more I learn, the more I get paid.Education Doesn’t Have to Be Formal! I left college in my final year—I chose to develop my career as an entrepreneur instead of getting a degree. Instead of formal education, I try to read 30+ books per year on all sorts of subjects, I attend seminars and training classes, and I watch a lot of YouTube tutorials.Saving is Habitual! When I was starting out, I could only save $5/month. I’m glad I saved even though it was small because I got into a life-long habit that benefits me now when I’m earning a lot more. No matter how much you earn, don’t get out of this habit!Set Goals and Backdate Your Success! Most people set goals and then work towards them without thinking about how they will get there. Instead of setting a goal and calling it good, set a goal and then imagine the future when you’ve attained that goal and work backward on how you got there. This will help you see a lot more of the steps to success.Live Now, but Think in the Future! One thing that I missed out on when I was younger was that I didn’t invest. The sooner you start investing; the more your investments will grow over time. Most people forget that saving and investing are activities that benefit your future self—if you don’t know your future self, it’s time to start dreaming! If you’re not happy with your finances, stop blaming others and discipline yourself to become the person you always wanted to be! Ü