So I recently got to participate on a panel for women…and I clearly represented the “older, wiser (allegedly), retired” demographic. The question I got was “Was there any one decision which really changed my life?”

So I know people were expecting me to talk about a decision about taking a job, turning down a job. I talked about the decision to become financially independent…which no one really talks about in the context of your career.

The fact is that one of the key goals of working is to be able to support yourself when you are no longer working.  No one really talks about that….they talk about moving up the ladder, how to be better at what you do. But ultimately, this is one of the key goals. For me, it was THE goal.

So what are some of my lessons learned?

1. It is never too soon to start saving the future. Time is on your side. Compounding is a beautiful thing. It doesn’t take a lot, but it requires consistency.  You fund that account just like any other account…as a must have.
2. The sooner you can stop buying things that you can afford and only buy things you need, the better off you’ll be. It’s hard. There are impossible standards thrown at us every day: curated Instagram feeds of beautiful houses, the next best thing, Black Friday sales….all to trigger your wants and make them feel like needs. It also means it’s taking money out of your future fund that could be earning.
3. Spend on what matters to you. If travel is your passion, fine. If food is your passion, indulge. But if something doesn’t matter, let it be. It doesn’t have to be perfect if it doesn’t matter. I give you permission not to replace!

Life only gets harder, not easier. The losses you go through will be unimaginable. You can’t control what happens to the ones you love. You can control your financial well-being.