It’s really hard to get to grips with the fact that in our 20s we have tons of time ahead of us for our money to seriously compound but also – we’ll never get our 20s back!

This is our time. For experimenting, exploring, travelling, messing up & making mistakes. With our money and with everything else!

It’s that funny stage of life where we still get to feel like a teen mixed in with the beginning bits of adulting.

So we’re totally allowed to use this decade to figure things out – however you wanna interpret that! Whether it’s figuring yourself out, your career, your passion, whatever it is. The time is now. 

The problem is there’s a ton of pressure.

99% of which comes from ourselves btw. Not only are we our own harshest critic but we also barely cut ourselves some slack! And with all our socials, it means we get to see everyone else’s wins and we start comparing ourselves to them.

We also want to rush the stage of life we’re at. We think the next stage will be better.

If we’re at point A (yup, that’s me as I’m just starting out in my career) we expect ourselves to be at B in no time!

But that’s just not how life works. Everything good takes time but we also shouldn’t want to rush the process.

Looking back, the one thing we all regret is not living in the moment and not fully enjoying the weird and wonderful stage we’re at.

Because guess what? It’s never coming back! Dunno if that makes you feel freaked out or inspired. You can let me know!

Balance saving with spending to get the perfect result 

And if there’s one thing we all glorify, it’s making money.

We all wanna be financially free and let’s be real: rich. So much so that we never have to worry about worrying about money. Ever again.

But for most of us that seems like a million light years away.

So the feeling of earning more, now, seems way more realistic. And kinda more achievable.

We all know that one person who worked way too hard in their 20s and is now burnt-out-but-also-very-rich who wishes they could turn back the clock.

Though for most of us we’re all somewhere in the middle but lean towards one side over the other. 

I personally find it really hard to splash out and spend. Here‘s the hidden downside of being a personal final guru that no one ever talks about.

I see friends who can spend willy-nilly and sometimes, I wish that was me. But it’s not.

I can’t help it but get the urge to invest as much as I possibly can so that I get to have a really comfy life later.

And money really doesn’t grow on trees. It comes from working hard and exchanging our time for money. Here’s why you’ll get the most enjoyment when you can least afford it!

But I’ve also become hyper-aware that I’m never gonna get my 20s back again. These care-free years for where it’s totally O.K. to not have everything figured out.

In our 20s, we have the most time but least money!

The paradox of our 20s is that we’ve got the most amount of time and the least amount of money! But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy my life now. And I’m really working on this.

2023 for me is the year where I figure out how to best enjoy my money. Here’s how you can figure out what that is!

What’s the point in slogging all day long when you don’t get to put your feet up (preferably at a dreamy beach) and enjoy what you’ve worked for.

Enjoying your money while you work for your next goal is how you stay motivated but it’s also how you live life!

Live is made for living not for counting the pennies and staring at ‘em. 

If you can’t spend now, you won’t be able to spend later on and here’s why it’s a much bigger problem than you think.

Do more in your 20s! You will never regret it

We really do end up regretting the things we never did, the chances we didn’t take and the opportunities we let slip by.

But making money also has its regrets.

There’s sacrifice in everything and to do one thing, you have to give up something else.

If you invest most your salary you don’t get to travel much and vice versa.

But I believe everything should be done in moderation. 

Talk to the most travelled person you’ll find and while they were forever jetting off in their 20s, much as they’ll rub it in your face, they also won’t have much to show in the money department.

So, they’ll keep babbling about their travels (probably for the rest of their lives) because they didn’t get to compound their cash.

And raving about something you did feels 1000X better than complaining about something you didn’t do. 

You can – and should – have both.

Don’t blow every penny on flights and hotels to dreamy destinations but also – don’t save it all. That’ll be miserable. But so will having a tiny pension pot. 

This year, I’m spending my money by travelling to 4 different destinations (if you’re curious: Zurich, Nice, Israel and Milan/Rome – that one’s undecided!).

Sure, I could save all this cash I’ve now put aside for travelling and build my investment account but when am I gonna be able to take an impromptu vacay and hop off with my single friends! We’re all trynna make the most of our single days.

Different stage = different priority

When you’re married and thinking about starting a family, or even not, there’ll always be expenses that you gotta take care of. Other things become priorities and there are now 2 people in the money equation! Psst: here’s why you must talk about money before marriage.

When I’m in a relationship, I can’t go spending my money how I like and vice versa. You’re a team. You don’t go off on your own and do what you want. You gotta be on the same page.

But when you’re single, the only person you gotta answer to is you! So enjoy your single days and let loose every once in a while.

You have to find the balance of spending + saving that works for you

You’ve gotta do what works for you.

People loooove dishing out advice. Telling you what to do or in most cases – what NOT to do since it worked for them (or didn’t).

But you’ve gotta do what feels right for you. There’s a reason why it’s called personal finance – personal comes 1st. The finance bit 2nd.

Personal finance is rooted in the personal. Most of our money decisions are not made by analysing an excel s/sheet (ew). They’re made with feelings + emotions. All that warm, fuzzy stuff.

I wrote a linkedin post a few weeks ago (you can read it here – only if you’re curious) about what I’m doing in my 20s so that my 40s are easier.

I literally got my head chopped off by some folk. Saying how I must travel in my 20s. Who cares about money, right??

It’s so easy to criticise. We’re all good at that.

But if we all dig deep, it often comes from somewhere. People commenting how I should use my 20s to travel probably didn’t do much of it or perhaps they think I’m just a weird money nut. I’ll take that! 

But the message boils down to this: you must do you, with a balance obvs!

Investing, saving and spending can all happen together. And they should. There’s no use saving all your hard-earned cash if you’re not even enjoying it. Making money should be enjoyable. You should reward yourself.

But so many people think saving + spending are like oil and vinegar. 2 things that will never mix. Wrong.

Imagine how boring life would be if all you did was save, save, save. You’d get to your 40s and have a gigantic investment account but zero memories made along the way.

Find the perfect blend that works for you and enjoy it.

Just make sure you’re doing enough of the saving and enough of the spending that you don’t regret much later on. 

Grab your 20s with both hands (lecturing myself here) and explore. Live. Dream. 

You’ll have loads of time to get to act like a proper adult.

For now, enjoy the fun in-between. 

Disclaimer: This blog is not investment or financial advice. It is my opinion only. This blog is not a personal recommendation to buy/sell any security, or to adopt any such investment strategy. Always do your own research before you commit to any investment