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Investing is the sort of thing that people usually talk about in the wrong terms. A lot of financial planners talk about “investing in the future,” but that’s a tough concept for a lot of people to visualize. What do we know about the future? All that we really know is what’s happening now, and it’s hard to plan for events that still feel like they’ll happen to someone else, not the present-day version or ourselves.
That’s why it’s so important to frame your investments the right way in your mind. It’s best to think of your investments as being for yourself. The you that you are right now, not the you that you’ll be in the future. Think about how it would feel to not have enough money to buy groceries or pay for your bills. Depending on your financial situation, that might not be too difficult.
That could be your reality if you don’t invest in yourself. Down the line, when you’re ready to retire, do you really want to depend on the generosity of your family to make ends meet? Or would you rather invest in yourself right now, and make tomorrow something to look forward to?
The person who has to deal with tomorrow’s problems isn’t some other version of you: it’s you. Don’t think that things will just work out in the future because they’ve worked out before. You need to be investing in yourself right now so that your retirement is comfortable.
No one wants to be working well into their 80s, right? Think about how you’re spending the money you’re making right now. Now, think about how much more money you could turn those funds into if you’d been investing them for years.
The sooner you’re investing in yourself, the better. Interest that you can earn on your investments snowballs. The more interest you earn on your initial investment, the more money that can become in the future. Someone who starts investing at 20 years old will have a lot more saved by age 70 than someone who starts investing at 30 years old. Ten years is a long time when you’re counting interest that’s rolling in your favor.
So, stop thinking about your retirement and your future in abstract terms. They’re real, and they’ll be here before you know it. Treat your future seriously and make some money by thinking about how you can grow an investment account.
